Patriotism

I'm not patriotic. Anthems leave me cold, although I admit that sequences of landscapes, childrens faces, and old people with stirring music behind it might bring a tear to my eye (doesn't have to be American though; it worked for some GE commercials about bringing light to Eastern Europe in 89-90--total ideology and I fell completely for it). I also like bagpipes, particularly when they play Amazing Grace, but that doesn't have much to do with patriotism. I'd just as soon burn the flag as use it as a doormat. Going to my kids' school programs can thus be pretty challenging--they all seem to involve a pledge or blessing the USA or something like that.

I do get moved by civil rights movement footage. I cried at the end of the Malcom X movie (recently on tv again). It may be that there is a kind of patriotism there, a patriotism of what could be or might have been. Habermas has an essay somewhere on constitutional patriotism. But that doesn't quite get at what I have in mind, although I think it approaches it.

I worry about terms like patriotism. I think that they too easily become nationalism or militarism. Or, they are like fan identities, support for a sports team or something (I like the Spurs in basketball and T Mobile on the Tour, but that's because I like Jan Ulrich).

It's unlikely that my lack of patriotism is explicable purely in terms of my self understanding as being on the left wing lunatic fringe. I actually think it has more to do with being brought up Southern, Southern and thinking of the South as a separate part of the country that was treated poorly by the Yankees--pathetic, yes, but, sadly, true. I came North just as the whole country was becoming Southern (or just after--Carter was elected in 76 and I moved north in 80). So, I didn't ever quite think of the Southern US as the whole country or the whole country as Southern. It was important to me to go away, to be away from that.

Perhaps, then, my lack of patriotism is linked to a sense of a lack in the country, a split in it, a division and separation. Patriotism fills this in, prevents us from seeing it, prevents us from using it as a source of criticism and escape. Maybe this fourth of July I'll burn a flag to celebrate.

Comments

[Amish Lovelock]

The end of the Malcomn X movie is the worst bit about it precisely because of its patriotism.

[Amish Lovelock]

Something weird going on with my spelling here...

[Lynn]

You hit the nail on the head in the last paragraph.

I was at a baseball game this year where in addition to the national anthem, there was an honor guard ceremony, jet fighters flew over the stadium, and Navy special forces parachuted onto the baseball field. If that wasn't enough, they sang God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. I was afraid we'd have to say the Pledge of Allegiance to get out of the ballpark at the end of the game.

What a great day. You get to cheer for the home team and feel good about what is going on in the country at the same time--all for the price of admission.

[pebird]

I have to be honest (well, frank) here - I truly don't know what it means to be patriotic in the U.S. at this point in time. I see no activity that looks like classic patriotism.

The troops in Iraq aren't patriotic as much at Kantian - they fully accept their duty and execute it - I am in awe and respect of that kind of commitment.

But to be a "patriot" now seems to require some sort of Kool-Aid drink. Like Eugene in a previous thread (I hope I don't attract flies with my shit here), you have to lobomize your reason and repeat whatever someone with authority had told you to just because it is right.

I'm not sure, but that wasn't what I thought being patriotic meant.

[Virgil Johnson]

I guess it can, at least for me, be reduced to not wanting a patriotism that does not respect humanity. In history there are places where people who are Americans can be proud. It just has become so clouded over the last few years - like a pall descending on the people with this present administration.

Not that it is any different, but the boldness of these acts has even shocked some of the most strident supporters of the "American way." Knowledge of what has really happened in the past, and present day atrocities makes celebration hard if not impossible (I have problems with other holidays also).

This year's 4th of July I think I will lay low and not be so verbal about my opposition to this country's direction (not that I have changed my mind, but I am so tired of conflict). It started out really bad regarding the flag burning issue on another blog, where I pointed out the only way to get rid of a desecrated flag is to burn it - but I was afraid "that we would have to gather up all the flags we could find and make a bonfire of it because of the numerous accounts of desecration" - and than all hell broke loose. There has got to be a better way to engage people.

[Levi]

It seems to me that patriotism brings out the worst in the imaginary. I think you're exactly right when you point out that it can't be separated from nationalism and militarism. Additionally, at the level of the signifier, it invites us to identify with the name (America) as the principle of the good, rather than a set of values behind that name, and thus contributes to the veiling of those principles.

At the risk of being a horrible blog whore, I write about this logic in terms of Hegel here:

http://larval-subjects.blogspot.com/2006/06/hegel-and-logic-of-imaginary.html

[micah holmquist]

I'm not sure what Malcolm X movie is being discussed here, but I'm not a big fan of Spike Lee's movie but I do love the scene towards the end where, if I remember right, Malcolm X picks up the black doll for the young and girl who thanks him and he says something like, "your welcome my beautiful black sister."

As for patriotic holidays, I want War Critics Day.