In The Big Inning...

I thought on July 4th it might be appropriate to opine a bit about patriotism and symbolism. I'll try to keep this relatively politics-free (I have another blog for politics), but no promises. Plus, it's my blog, so I can really write about whatever I want. Bwa ha ha!

Recently, the level of public discourse has become degraded, I think, by a perverse notion of patriotism. Maybe it's nothing new during wartime, but since I've been paying attention to politics (roughly 3-4 years), it seems only to have gotten worse. People who criticize the government are immediately lambasted for their patriotism, and are blamed for "not supporting the troops". Those who support the war are chided for not serving during a time of lagging military recruiting. Personally, I think it's all crap.

So what is true patriotism? And, is it important? Well, I think there's a difference between what passes for patriotism these days, and loving your country. First of all, I don't consider myself a huge patriot. I think true patriotism requires significant sacrifice for your country. People who haven't really sacrificed anything for their country (including myself) seem to me to be in a pretty poor position to judge others' patriotism. Of course, almost all politicians haven't had to sacrifice for most of their lives. Sure, some have (McCain, Kerry, etc.), but many have not only not sacrificed anything, but are successful because they've had others sacrifice in their stead. (Bush, Clinton, etc.)

However, I think one thing to recognize is that the country you're born in is pretty much completely arbitrary. That is, you have no control over where you're born. And for the most part, where you're born determined what country you're a citizen of. Most people didn't do anything to "earn" being an American. (And those who did, who immigrated here, and worked to obtain citizenship, are often treated like second-class citizens, quite literally.) I don't think enough people realize this. Being an American isn't necessarily anything special. You have to make it special. You have to earn the right to be proud of your country, and you have to keep it something to be proud of. Having American parents isn't enough. (And, by the way, I have similar arguments regarding religion, but that's for another time.)

So this blind, jingoist patriotism that's taking hold today (U-S-A! U-S-A!) doesn't impress me, nor do I think it's warranted. But that doesn't mean I don't love my country, or at least its values, and that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what it's offered me. On the flip side of the blind patriotism comes people who don't appreciate how lucky they are to live in a country that provides them so much opportunity. Much of what I have today is due to the opportunity America provides. My mother's mother escaped from the Holocaust and came here in the late 30's. My other grandparents were born here, but basically had blue-collar jobs and worked themselves to the bone to provide for their children. Because of their hard work, their children (my parents, obviously) went to good colleges, and were able to get the jobs they wanted, so they could lead comfortable, happy lives, and provide for me and my brother. Thanks to them, I was able to go to MIT and live what many (including myself) would consider a fairly easy, happy life. In many, many countries around the globe, that couldn't have happened. In fact, it's because America accepted my grandmother, and because we fought WWII that I'm even here today. I appreciate the sacrificed of those Americans who fought in that war, who truly sacrificed for our freedoms. Furthermore, I appreciate that America is (was) a place where hard work allowed my grandparents to succeed, and where good schools were available, and good jobs were available to educated people.

So, how can people show their appreciation for their country? Well, I think it's more than just waving a flag or blindly supporting their government. I think of America kind of like a child, who has to be raised properly. True patriotism is kind of like good parenting - keeping your country in line, letting it know when it's being irresponsible, and making sure it grows up to be the type of country that gave you the opportunities you have. It sounds like a silly analogy, and clearly one can have much more of a direct effect on one's children than one's country, but I actually think it's particularly apt.

Many people have different "parenting" philosophies, but I really think we're seeing way too many absentee parents. We hear accusations of torture by our government, and half the country prefers to pick its fingers in its ears and say "my little Johnny would NEVER do that!" than actually see if it's true. Our country gets in a fight, and instead of teaching our child that force should only be used as a last resort, we encourage him to be a bully and equate violence with legitimate toughness. And we snap at anyone who criticizes him, instead of being a real parent.

What happens when you are blinded by this fake patriotism? Well, what happens when you're like that with a child? Ultimately, he doesn't learn how to treat people properly. And I think that slowly, that's what's happening with this country. It's a slow process, but a dangerous slope. We bully other countries. We neglect those who are having trouble succeeding, telling them they just need to "be tougher" and "work harder". I truly fear that the country that accepted my grandmother, and that enabled my other grandparents to be able to build themselves into successes, is slowly diminishing.

Furthermore, I cringe at the thought that somehow my patriotism will be questioned for writing what I wrote. I understand that there's a danger of also being the type of parent that's excessively critical, and always chides the child first, but we're so far from that right now, it's not really a concern of mine. Instead, we're talking about flag-burning amendments (again), an idea that's so antithetical to everything that America stands for it makes me sick. The flag is a nice symbol, but it's not a sacred object. It's just not. Besides, when was the last time you actually saw a flag burned?

What really disturbs me now is that I have started questioning my own patriotism. I was at Nationals game today and a chant of "U-S-A!" broke out and it made me cringe. At the 7th inning stretch, as they've been doing since 9/11, they made everyone take off their hats for "God Bless America". Take off your hats? It's not the national anthem! Are they going to do that until the end of time now? What happened to "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" ? I see those pathetic little magnetic "Support Our Troops" and "God Bless America" ribbons and they really piss me off because they ring so hollow. I wonder if any of the money made off those ribbons went to, say, support disabled veterans. Somehow I doubt it. And, honestly, if you support the troops that much, why not show it by putting something a little more permanent on your car?

I don't want to feel this way. I want to see a display of patriotism and be proud. Instead, most of the time, it seems to hollow. True patriots make sacrifices. True patriots speak up when their government has gone off the rails. True patriots stand up for the rights and opportunities of those lesser off. True patriots even support the rights of those who want to burn the flag, no matter how offensive such an act may be. Trust me, America can take a little flag burning. It's a tough little kid. Sometimes, though, it needs a spanking.

P.S. I just saw this editorial after writing my post and thought it strangely appropriate.