Mexicans, like Americans, love their patriotic symbols. But where is patriotism really found? Some of you may have heard about Big Brother in Australia and its falling out with Mexico. It all started with Mexican Night, goo-filled balloons and chile con carne.

There are apparently scenes in which one team throws the balloons at the Mexican flag while another team tries to block them. Don’t mess with the Mexican flag. Even the Mexican embassy gets involved.

It’s not the first time Mexico gets upset about “improper” use of the flag. The famous singer Luis Miguel had to change one of his album covers because it featured a flag, something deemed inappropriate by Mexican authorities. In 1989, another singer was fined for forgetting the Mexican national anthem at a boxing match where he performed.

Big Brother has since apologized to Mexico and promised that it will never happen again. But there’s something else that caught my attention here.

Julio Hernandez, a journalist for La Jornada, tells us in his article “El reincidente Aznar,” that the ex-prime minister of Spain lashed out against Iran at a diplomatic dinner, calling them “authoritarian and corrupt.” The Iranian representative immediately stood and left the site in protest. There have been a host of repercussions following the event.

Hernandez’s point is about where we find patriotism. Is it more patriotic to denounce the throwing of goo-filled balloons at the flag by a bunch of Big Brother participants or to denounce actions, such as those of Aznar, that debilitate foreign relations? Where are our priorities?