Hurrah for the Red, White and BlueLISTEN TO "Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue" (24MB MP3) [Posted by Emily Harris on June 16, 2008]My earliest gut-level feeling of "I'm American" happened in Russia. It was the Soviet Union then. This was 1984 and the Cold War was still on. I was on a high school study program spending two weeks in what was then Leningrad. Americans and Russians rarely got to meet each other in those years, and in my memory our little group was received either demigods for being from the land that stood up for freedom, or as devils, with all the ugly sides of America served to us like the ubiquitous cups of black tea. The experience didn't make me feel patriotic, exactly, but certainly aware of great expectations that come with being American. Even with the bad parts, I feel lucky I happen to be American. I love the vastness, the huge range of life experiences being American includes, the quirks and possibilities that come with the culture of this country. I laugh at myself for this, but when I return from time abroad I get a kind of warm feeling when the border guard says "Welcome home." I respond to some of the symbols that are used to promote patriotism. I like the stirring songs that call up the idealism of the U.S. Friends and I biked through midwestern wheat fields singing "Oh Beautiful" at the top of our lungs. As a kid, I dressed up as a red, white and blue fire cracker for our neighborhood Fourth of July parade. The American Heritage Dictionary says patriotism means love of and devotion to one's country. A patriot, it says, loves and defends his or her nation, and being patriotic is defined as feeling or expressing that love. What does patriotism mean to you? Is it connected to the military, as it is for this group? Is it tied to peace and the prosperity of small business? Is patriotism the "last refuge of a scoundrel," as Samuel Johnson claimed? Is it "looking out for yourself by looking out for your country," as Calvin Coolidge is credited as saying? Is it a "splendid thing" as Pablo Casals said, before adding, "But why should love stop at the border?" Does patriotism, as the German poet Goethe asserted, ruin history? When have you felt most patriotic -- to America or to another country? How do you show it? When have you felt least patriotic? You can post your stories here of course. Or try this: We've set up a voice mailbox where you can record your stories. We'll choose some to share on the program when it airs July 4th. Here's the number to call - 503-445-1892. You can call anytime.
I posted the Einstein quote just to add to Emilys' list of different views on patriotism.
You know of course that Einstein lived through a right-wing Conservative government in Hitlers Germany and so had the experience of blind patriotism like we have experienced under the current Bush/Cheney government and Conservative Republicans. No, I would probably check in as superpatriotic. I grew up as the son of an Air Force Officer and lived on base most of my childhood, so it was psychologically conditioned into me from my birth in a military hospital. Martial music all the time, parades, total immersion really, in patriotism. Civilians have no idea. No idea. Military schools, military family escape drills from the base in case of attack, military aircraft always flying overhead, flags everywhere, everyone uniformed and saluting. All of it. In seventh grade I was ordering Boy Scouts around marching in close order drill. My heart beats to patriotic music so much that when rock and roll came around I had a hard time getting into it. But when I was in jeopardy of needlessly dying in Vietman in the mid sixties I started learning about Conscious Objectors and so studied that history and studied what the people like Einstein thought about patriotism. I ended up suing the government all the way up to and including the Secretary of Defense under Nixon in order to get them to obey the law and recognize me as a Conscious Objector and give me an an Honorable Discharge from the US Army. I won. I had a Marine Infantry Captain friend come back from Vietnam and tell me he wished he had the courage I had. I had a Marine single LRP ( Long Range Patrol which means sniper) friend come back from Vietnam and tell me he wished he had my courage to face down my government. So I have experienced the entire range of patriotism from being born into it and loving my government to being anti-patriotic and hating what my government did and working to change it. I have all of those behaviors inside me and available to use if I so chose. Nobody can outdo me in being patriotic and it would be damned hard to outdo me in being against blindly-obedient patriotism. I don’t just wear some superficial flag pin like some kindergartner who needs reminding with a note pinned to his collar, or who feels like his duty is done by putting a yellow magnetic sticker on his Conservative Republican car. I grew up in it, it’s in my bones, my blood, my heart. It is my hearts beat. And I know what it’s like to fight for the ideals of my countries founders instead of blindly following the orders of some current neo-fascist “leaders” from the oil industries.
"...love of and devotion to one's country."
What is one's country? The physical boundries, the people, the government, or the constitution(if one has one)? The physical boundries are meaningless without considering what they define. The people are diverse. Some are good some are downright evil. The government -'nuff said. I feel patriotic whenever the ACLU wins a case against the state or national government. Forcing us to live by the principles upon which the country is founded is patriotic. Fighting just wars to defend those that wish to live under the constitution is patriotic.
Patriotism, at its best, emotionally ties together an arbitrary group of people who have nothing more in common than geography. These sorts of ties are essential to establishing common cause and a basis for rational government. At its worst, it gives people who are prone to feeling superior to other human beings one more reason to feel superior. People like that suck, but in their case, patriotism isn't the cause of their self-proclaimed superiority, it is a symptom.
I do feel 'patriotic' - I feel a sense of pride in being American. My sense of pride is founded on ideals that I hold to. I consider these ideals to be profoundly American. There are plenty of prominent Americans who I consider to be in embarrassing and flagrant violation of these ideals. I consider these ideals to be noble, and I hold them in my mind as the promise of what America has the potential to be. These ideals include (for me): 1. The opportunity for citizens to rise from relative obscurity to positions of great importance in our government and communities. 2. The emphasis on freedom of expression, and the freedom to follow your dreams as long as no one gets hurt, or, at the very least, the only person you hurt is yourself. 3. A built-in voice given to the people (voting) and a system that promotes the citizenry being involved in the government. There are all sorts of organizations citizens can take part in to add their voice to the decisions that governments make. I expect that these are not the things that everyone values in America. I am aware, too, that although these ideals have been achieved to some extent, there are times and places where we have fallen pathetically short. Everything - EVERYTHING - in our society, in every society world wide, is run by people, and people constantly mess up. There will never be a perfect system. The best you can do is have a system that is structured on, and strives for, noble goals. We have a system of government that is designed to keep itself steered toward these ideals, despite the selfish interests of any one individual. This system has been remarkably robust, and is worth defending, both at home and abroad. America is not unique in its ability to provide essential freedom and a feeling of relative safety and fairness to its citizens, but the countries in the world who provide these essentials of stable society are in the minority. I expect this to be a somewhat controversial comment, because there are a lot of people who feel, for one reason or another, that we don't have essential freedoms, and that American society is neither safe nor fair. I do not mean to claim that the American reality is perfect, but the measure of freedom, safety, and fairness is relative. If we compare our system to the systems of all other governments worldwide, we'll find that our system currently delivers more opportunities to more people of varying backgrounds than most (not all, but most) other governments around the world. Considering what a large and diverse country America is, it is amazing that things are as stable as they are domestically. American patriotism, to me, is a courageous stand for the 'life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness' of every individual. We started with a system that is founded on these ideals, so I believe we have a better chance of some day getting it right than almost any other country on the planet.
I feel love of my country when it lives up to its ideals.
Unfortunately, nowadays I have to settle for its failing short of its ideals less badly. Recently, I had that feeling when the Sup. Ct. held something approximating that people cannot be put into a black hole, losing all remedy and therefore anything approaching rights.
The mere mention of the word patriotism makes my stomach uneasy. Here's an essay that starts to approach my feelings about it.
Patriotism WHAT is patriotism? Is it love of one's birthplace, the place of childhood's recollections and hopes, dreams and aspirations? Is it the place where, in childlike naivety, we would watch the fleeting clouds, and wonder why we, too, could not run so swiftly? The place where we would count the milliard glittering stars, terror-stricken lest each one "an eye should be," piercing the very depths of our little souls? Is it the place where we would listen to the music of the birds, and long to have wings to fly, even as they, to distant lands? Or the place where we would sit at mother's knee, enraptured by wonderful tales of great deeds and conquests? In short, is it love for the spot, every inch representing dear and precious recollections of a happy, joyous, and playful childhood? If that were patriotism, few American men of today could be called upon to be patriotic, since the place of play has been turned into factory, mill, and mine, while deafening sounds of machinery have replaced the music of the birds. Nor can we longer hear the tales of great deeds, for the stories our mothers tell today are but those of sorrow, tears, and grief. more here http://sun...otism.html
Patriotism. Good topic for the times.
The first New Year's Eve after 9-11, I, along with hundreds of others, attended the annual New Year's concert at Portland's Trinity Episcopal Church. I was drawn, more than in previous years, to that lovely event for its sense of community . . . for the feeling of transcendence that comes with celebrating, and sometimes crying for, humanity. And I recall that, as we sang America, the Beautiful, many of us choked back tears—or shed them. That moment of sharing brought to mind not only the agony of those poor victims, beyond help now, but the state of our country and its place in the world community. I don't think I had ever felt more patriotic. Still, in that spirit, I had never felt more strongly that America needed to change to survive in a tough, new century few had envisioned. If you love your country, and I do love the United States of America, you want to be free to contribute to its evolution in a changing world. So, when I think of patriots, I see the wonderful mix of American pioneers whose efforts make us all a little better, and our path a little straighter, through their contributions—whether they be in the battlefield, or in Congress, on a picket line. I see those who dare to stand alone, often with severe consequences these days, to make a difference. This talk of what patriotism means brings to mind a high school friend who put her graduation in jeopardy by refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at her graduation ceremony. She was not unpatriotic, but, rather, an atheist who felt that as an American she had the right not to utter the words, "under God" when she pledged her loyalty as an American citizen. I got the irony, even then. What is better than to live in a country where its citizens may criticize the status quo and attempt positive change? And what is sadder than restricting the creative and talented and brave among us from contributing to their country's development? Pretty sad. Maybe even unpatriotic. —Eileen
The time I felt most patriotic was when watching the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. Many countries had competitors that looked alike--similar build, skin color, etc. The US group looked so diverse, really a sort of motley group, with different skin colors, facial features, etc. It really exemplified the best of the US with all of our diversity and made me proud of our country.
First and foremost, a patriot is a citizen. A patriot is a citizen that is informed and engaged in his or her community. A patriot knows how the state and local and national budget for government are developed, understands, where money comes from, is in contact regularly with goverment representatives and community leaders. A patriot pays his or her taxes and is proud to do that. A patriot contributes to community discussions and values all opinions. A patriot is an informed voter and citizen. A patriot understands the bill of rights and the constitution. And a patriot values not only the individual pursuit of life, liberty and happiness but she or he cares for the plight of children, the poor, the elderly, the disabled and those less fortunate by contributing time and resources to supporting these. And a patriot values and would defend my right to say these things. In all of these ways - a citizen is a patriot. Thanks for asking.
I am one of five boys that entered the military in 1966. My brothers and I grew up schooled by “silent generation”, our father and uncles that served with distinction during World War II. They rightly believed that they had a duty to serve and this concept was highly patriotic. This lesson was embraced by the five of us as we accepted the standpoint of the government that we had a duty to serve during the Vietnam conflict, our generation’s war. We expressed our patriotism by enlisting in the military to serve our country. It was, after all, our duty. We slowly gained an understanding that the highest levels of government lied to us and the entire fiasco taught us another lesson: question authority. This is the legacy that we passed on to our children, Generation X and the Millennial generation. Duty to serve is still a noble concept, but the faith that we lost in our government is not so easily reclaimed. As aging baby boomers, we seek leadership that will regain our trust and define patriotism in such a way that all citizens will easily embrace a duty to serve this great nation in a variety of ways.
A couple of things belong in this version of Emilies list:
Search for the words to the Australian song Waltzing Matilda. Search about The Christmas Truce of World War 1. Search out “War is a Racket” By Major General Smedly D. Butler, USMC retired. Here is one site I found with it: http://www...racket.htm Here is some information about that great warrior: http://en....ley_Butler Search out Mark Twains “The War Prayer” Search out what happened in The Charge of The Light Brigade.
One of the great patriots of our current time is Lt Erin Watada, a soldier who refused to obey an illegal order to commit a War Crime.
He is the only soldier who has lived up to the US Army recruiters slogan “Army Of One”. He swore to uphold and defend our Constitution and is currently being punished by being courtmartialed for doing just what the US requires its Officers to swear to do.
I was most proud to be an American when we landed on the moon. Even as a kid I realized that this was a positive use of our technology that I could be proud of. I was least proud when the Bush administration decided that torture, long prohibited in this country and throughput the world, would part of our foreign policy strategy.
I am proudest to be an American when our nation stands up for what is right in the world. This standing up does not usually entail military action. Our history during the Presidency of Franklin Roosevelt and at the end of WWII holds much for each of us to take pride in. At the end of WWII, we took care of our veterans with programs that helped them get college educations and purchase homes. We stood tall on the international scene in helping to rebuild the nations that had fought against us.
I served in the U.S. Air Force from 1968-1972 and found being part of a mighty military machine somewhat moving, especially when marching and chanting while in basic training. Our fighter aircraft were impressive machines and I felt it a privilege to work on them. Today I try to avoid being nationalistic, but am open to feeling patriotic when our nation works as a force for good in the world. This does not include acting as a bully in the world. It includes: standing up for human rights, for limiting nuclear weapons, for limiting our own energy consumption, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and setting an example for the world in behaving as a civilized nation. It is our Constitution and Bill of Rights that I am really proud of. The sad irony is that some of our leaders, who most love to wrap themselves in the flag, seem to have no appreciation for the ideals that these precious documents stand for. They seem to consider the flag to be a Holy Relic, but have no respect for the separation of powers mandated by our Constitution. Human rights get trampled on in the name of security. If we become like those who wish us harm, what is it we are protecting?
My feelings about being an American citizen were changed when I watched my coworker from South Korea go through applying for citizenship and then making her pledge at a public ceremony.
I grew up in England but with an American mother, so I had US citizenship and took it for granted. Coming here was just a matter of buying a plane ticket and finding a job. I still felt 'English' culturally and was uncomfortable with any expression of patriotism. But when I encouraged my coworker to work for her US citizenship, and watched her pledge to renounce other allegiances where I had not, I was forced to decide whether I really felt American or not. I realized that citizenship could transcended culture and speak to ideals of freedom, justice and the rule of law. That we sadly fail on those goals more often than we should hasn't changed my sense of patriotism that being American means for me to believe in these principles above any particular culture, religion, race or other 'unifying' identity.
I thank God I was born an American. I have travelled to 14 different countries in Europe and Asia. I served 4 years in the U.S. Marine Corps of which 1.5 years was in a combat zone. I have so many times I feel patriotic.
Once while visiting East Germany for several weeks I was attending a theatre in East Berlin. During intermission I encountered a group of American Army Officers in uniform. Although I was having a good time I felt such a strong sense of pride I almost cried. At the end of the PBS News Hour they often show the names and pictures of servicemen killed in combat. I feel very patriotic and often cry from sorrow. I feel least patriotic when I witness large groups of Americans behaving in ways which demonstrate an intolerance for people based on their race, ethnic origin, political and/or religious beliefs. When Americans belittle the founding principles upon which America stands. When I think about the spinless, self serving members of Congress. When large groups of Americans belittle their military, service in the military, and government service; and yet demands the government take care of them. When a tourist is harmed or mistreated in any way. When an American decries patriotism, refuses to stand for the flag, and has no understanding, awarenessness, or respect for the reason we celebrate Memorial Day other than a day off.
I try to stay away from "Patriotism". I believe that patriotism is a form of tribalism, which only leads to war, conflict and comparing yourself (as a country) to others. George Carlin was amazing when he said (to paraphrase) "God bless America?! Why? Because we have more money? Because he likes our national anthem? Because we have 18 delicious flavors of Rice-a-Roni?" I think I am touched by what people do in our country... I am touched by the generosity of groups and people (worldwide). The closest I've felt to patriotism is having my eyes tear up as I waved goodbye to my son's youth group as they headed to Honduras to repair a school building and build latrines for a village.
I never feel patriotic. I do not swell with pride when I think about the actions this country takes on the world stage. Naked military power frightens and nauseates me, and so our uniformed services don't make me proud. And when I think of the depths of ignorance and hatred often expressed by my fellow country people, I don't feel very proud to be an American either. Don't get me wrong, I like living here, and all the (sometimes unfair) advantages that gives me in the pecking order of the world, but I don't ever feel patriotic.
I will quote from the movie "The Rock". Shaun Connery says "Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious.", by Oscar Wilde.
I agree with this characterization. Too often the Nationalistic view in search of revenge justifies the act by wrapping it in patriotism. War is nothing more than a means of human sacrifice to appease a god of greed, power and violence who's religion is Politics. Astralnut |
06/18/2008 10:47:50 AM
