I’ve always heard it said in my history classes that too much patriotism can be dangerous. It can lead to a blind sense of allegiance, to an unhealthy hyper-nationalism that was all too evident in the rise of the Nazi party.
The last few years I’ve realized that too much patriotism is not a problem for America. At least, not for the communities I’ve been embedded within. Living in Princeton this last year, and then living in Seattle the last several years before that, I’ve mostly heard criticism of the United States. That seems to be a pretty trendy bandwagon – pulling all of the historical errors out of our imperialist past, compiling them with the errors of the Bush administration, and concluding that the United States has been spiraling downward and downward into the black hole of iniquitous hegemonic dominance. Clearly our sense of pride would be much better off if only we lived in Canada.
Additionally, why focus on national pride when we are all finally becoming global citizens? I heard a radio talk-show on July 4th ask the question of what Independence Day meant to its listeners, and several people phoned in with an explanation that they preferred to think of themselves as global citizens. Thus, the 4th of July held a very minimal significance for them.
I think this attitude is why so very few people ever hung flags in Seattle on national holidays, including Independence Day. Our house in Seattle last year stood as the lone resident within several blocks that dared to offer such a bold statement of pride. And as somebody who holds a great deal of respect for our country that drove me crazy.
It’s not that I have a blind sense of pride for America. Has the United States made grave mistakes in its past? Absolutely. Does the United States have huge blemishes in its history that can never be erased – slavery, manifest destiny, certain imperialist and reckless policies? Yes, of course. But despite all of its flaws I still think the United States has one of the best governmental systems in the world. The constitutional structure is brilliant; the checks and balances between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches function well; all citizens have an equal opportunity to vote; we enjoy far more freedoms than the vast majority of citizens in this world; and we don’t have threats of instability from military coups or insane tyrannical leaders.
I look around the world and see the recent elections in Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe used murder, violence and threats to ensure that the opposing candidate dropped out of the race. I look at the Sudanese government and see that Darfur continues to have great strife and conflict with thousands of innocent citizens being killed, raped, tortured, and displaced daily. I see that China continues to sell weapons and machinery to Sudan in spite of international pressure that it stop enabling the crisis in Darfur, not to mention China’s own domestic human rights abuses all in the name of a gold medal. I see the volatility of many governments in Latin America, with grave problems of corruption and the threat of instability from coups. And at the end of the day I am very proud to be an American citizen.
In terms of global citizenship, I have a great passion for connecting with my brothers and sisters around the globe. That’s why I’m interested in international humanitarian work and economic development. But I guess I’m too much of a realist to speak in terms of a literal “global citizenship.” The United Nations has been in play for several decades now, and we are no closer to erasing boundary lines and sharing our land, resources, and national treasures than we have ever been. So if you’re going to have to be a citizen of one country or the other, I choose the United States of America.
I do realize that most American citizens, despite their lip-service, do have a fair amount of pride for our country. I guess I’m just tired and bored by the popularity of speaking like we hate our country. Constructive criticism is always good, but raging antics is pointless. So hang a flag on Labor Day.
The last few years I’ve realized that too much patriotism is not a problem for America. At least, not for the communities I’ve been embedded within. Living in Princeton this last year, and then living in Seattle the last several years before that, I’ve mostly heard criticism of the United States. That seems to be a pretty trendy bandwagon – pulling all of the historical errors out of our imperialist past, compiling them with the errors of the Bush administration, and concluding that the United States has been spiraling downward and downward into the black hole of iniquitous hegemonic dominance. Clearly our sense of pride would be much better off if only we lived in Canada.
Additionally, why focus on national pride when we are all finally becoming global citizens? I heard a radio talk-show on July 4th ask the question of what Independence Day meant to its listeners, and several people phoned in with an explanation that they preferred to think of themselves as global citizens. Thus, the 4th of July held a very minimal significance for them.
I think this attitude is why so very few people ever hung flags in Seattle on national holidays, including Independence Day. Our house in Seattle last year stood as the lone resident within several blocks that dared to offer such a bold statement of pride. And as somebody who holds a great deal of respect for our country that drove me crazy.
It’s not that I have a blind sense of pride for America. Has the United States made grave mistakes in its past? Absolutely. Does the United States have huge blemishes in its history that can never be erased – slavery, manifest destiny, certain imperialist and reckless policies? Yes, of course. But despite all of its flaws I still think the United States has one of the best governmental systems in the world. The constitutional structure is brilliant; the checks and balances between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches function well; all citizens have an equal opportunity to vote; we enjoy far more freedoms than the vast majority of citizens in this world; and we don’t have threats of instability from military coups or insane tyrannical leaders.
I look around the world and see the recent elections in Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe used murder, violence and threats to ensure that the opposing candidate dropped out of the race. I look at the Sudanese government and see that Darfur continues to have great strife and conflict with thousands of innocent citizens being killed, raped, tortured, and displaced daily. I see that China continues to sell weapons and machinery to Sudan in spite of international pressure that it stop enabling the crisis in Darfur, not to mention China’s own domestic human rights abuses all in the name of a gold medal. I see the volatility of many governments in Latin America, with grave problems of corruption and the threat of instability from coups. And at the end of the day I am very proud to be an American citizen.
In terms of global citizenship, I have a great passion for connecting with my brothers and sisters around the globe. That’s why I’m interested in international humanitarian work and economic development. But I guess I’m too much of a realist to speak in terms of a literal “global citizenship.” The United Nations has been in play for several decades now, and we are no closer to erasing boundary lines and sharing our land, resources, and national treasures than we have ever been. So if you’re going to have to be a citizen of one country or the other, I choose the United States of America.
I do realize that most American citizens, despite their lip-service, do have a fair amount of pride for our country. I guess I’m just tired and bored by the popularity of speaking like we hate our country. Constructive criticism is always good, but raging antics is pointless. So hang a flag on Labor Day.
2 comments:
ha! "so hang a flag on labor day..." well put friend. good speech and i'm with you. there are days where i'm really not proud at all to be an american but looking at the bigger picture, we are blessed to be citizens of this, for the most part, great nation. i applaud your stand for lady liberty! hear hear...
AMEN!!!
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