CommentsMY TURN-Since when did the conservatives “define” the concept of patriotism based on the quantity of flags plastered all over their homes, cars and even clothing?
When did they “miss” the concept in history that protest has been a method of change in our country from the very beginning? Think Boston Tea Party, Suffragettes, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, The Vietnam War, and protecting the planet!
Conservatives seemed to have lifted their eyes above their bank accounts and in the last number of years and made the decision that THEY get to say who is patriotic and what actions are anti-American.
I am from a military family. We grew up putting a flag out on every national holiday and I have spent more time in military cemeteries than anyone should have to. Our family did our own thing and never thought less of those who didn’t put a flag out. My family might not have been real pleased with the fact that I joined many protests, but they supported me, knowing that this is what our men and women fought and died for. They also knew that protest is the requirement of “we the people” when the government is going in the wrong direction.
Many of the people that I have known as an adult were not only less so-called “patriotic” but really never took any time to acknowledge it. They were busy with their lives, being soccer moms and focusing on what was important to them.
The first time that I noticed the new conservative patriotism was right after 9/11. I walked into my workplace and saw red white and blue banners streaming across the front of the door and on my desk was an American flag pin. I was told that it was a requirement by the company to wear it — and, given my activist nature, I balked at them.
It’s not that I didn’t want to wear a flag pin, I was insulted and outraged that they “required” this action…and I refused.
Instead, I brought in all the patriotic participations that my family had been involved in over the last forty years. From my dad being honored as a member of the Peleliu to all of the battles from World Word II through Korea and the many situations that we, as a family, participated in.
I asked the owner and managers of the company “where were you during all of these years”?
They didn’t answer, and the topic was dropped.
The next time I noticed the fake patriotism was when these same soccer-mom families had kids that had grown up and joined the military. Suddenly, they were displaying flags everywhere, lecturing people on patriotism and agreeing that “protest” was anti-American. They were preaching their version of pseudo-Christianity, which included the hidden signals of racism and bigotry, with their “sources” being led from Fox (not ever considered to be real News).
The fact that women, who were these “moms”, were supporting an anti-female political ideology, simply made me want to vomit. They attacked each and every strong female liberal in government office, spewing the same hate rhetoric that was found on Fox/Breitbart/Sinclair/Limbau/Jones.
These conservatives made the decision to impress upon the rest of the country what their idea of patriotism is, while not realizing how absolutely stupid they sound and with pure ignorance of the Constitution, our rights and our history.
Image Source: CityWatch Los Angeles
Hyper-Nationalism is One of the Traits of Fascism
This newly found behavior of hyper-nationalism is not new! For anyone that had even the most basic education in the history of the world, there are many countries that were led by fascist dictators that began the process with the blind patriotism aspect. In these governments, the definitions of patriotism were taken to the extreme, including persecution of any/all that criticized the government/leader, especially the media. In the case of both Mussolini and Hitler, they eventually only had “government approved” media with all others put in prison and eventually the internment camps.
The United States was founded as a Democratic experiment and while our founding fathers were often argumentative with each other and their ideologies, they were wise enough to know that any government can veer in the wrong direction. They created sets of checks and balances that they hoped would assist and when all else failed, the people could rise up in protest to counteract any that came into power and would misuse it.
I addressed the topic of hyper-nationalism in my article: Blind Patriotism, Pseudo-Christianity, Hyper-Nationalism: Just a Few Reasons the World Doesn’t Respect Americans.
“When a country demeans and degrades even some of its citizens, the symbols that represent that country no longer receive respect. It is up to the individual people to stand up and demand that equality is shared by all. Otherwise, you are simply honoring the hate and evil.
Another strange note on the topic of flags and religion is that so many Americans seem to blend God and country together. They are completely oblivious to the fact that the word “God” was not added to the Pledge of Allegiance until the 1950’s. This was an added touch during the McCarthy “Red Scare” to reinforce blind patriotism.”
Conservatives also define their idea of patriotism differently than liberals. In a fivethirtyeight article they include data that isn’t really surprising:
“The poll also suggests that Democrats may define patriotism differently than their conservative counterparts. Specifically, YouGov found that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe that patriotism can include dissent:
52 percent of Democrats told YouGov that someone can criticize U.S. leaders to foreigners and still be considered patriotic, compared with 35 percent of Republicans.
51 percent of Democrats say disobeying a law they think is immoral doesn’t detract from their patriotism, compared with 33 percent of Republicans.
34 percent of Democrats think a person can still be a patriot even if he or she burns the American flag in protest, compared with 10 percent of Republicans.
And 55 percent of Democrats think an American can refuse to serve in a war he or she opposes and still maintain his or her patriotism, compared with 25 percent of Republicans.”
Democrats Won’t Embrace the Current Administration as “Patriotic”
Given the cult of the conservatives that has moved from moderate to extreme, it isn’t surprising that the liberals in the country feel less proud to be Americans. Liberals have historically fought against the ideologies that the Trump clan encourage: racism, bigotry, hate, and sexism.
The same fivethirtyeightarticle includes:
“After the election of Donald Trump, the share of ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ proudly American Republicans ticked upward, but the share of Democrats saying the same thing plunged to 67 percent in 2017 and 60 percent just last month (the chart above has not been updated with the 2018 data). The current 33-point gap now holds the record for the widest gap between the two parties since 2001. (YouGov’s data also seems to suggest that Trump is contributing to the patriotism gap: The difference between the shares of Democrats and Republicans who said they were ‘very’ patriotic rose from 29 points in 2013 to the current 43-point difference.)
“So do Democrats’ feelings of patriotism rise and fall depending simply on who is in the White House? Data that Pew Research Center collected from 1987 to 2003 suggests that might not be the case. Throughout that time period, more Republicans than Democrats told pollsters that they “completely” agreed with the statement, “I am very patriotic.” In 1987, 51 percent of Republicans completely agreed, compared with 40 percent of Democrats. The two ticked up in tandem to Gulf War-era highs in 1991, but then, during the Bill Clinton administration, the gap widened: Democrats fell back into the 40s, while Republican agreement with that statement remained around 60 percent.”
This coincides with the very core data that conservatives seem to want to ignore: The so-called “terrorists” that have attacked people in the United States are not members of other cultures or religions, but instead, white American males. The media downplays these men as “troubled” while anyone of color or another religion are labeled as “terrorists”. This is exactly what plays into the hyper-nationalistic concept of “patriotism” and why such topics as kneeling in protest is viewed as anti-American by the conservatives.
In general, conservatives miss the point of patriotism all together. To them, it is wrapped around a flag and national anthem, even when the flag is being worn in a disrespectful way!
Heads Up Conservatives: You Don’t Get to Define What is Patriotic
As we continue to see the absolute hypocrisy in the Republican Party, the Trump administration and all of the members that are being indicted and arrested, it becomes very apparent that conservatives have no place in the definition of what is “patriotic.” They have become a travesty for the country, an embarrassment around the world and an example of Democracy-gone-wrong.
There is a meme for Democrats that expresses it perfectly:
“We may not be perfect, but the other side is crazy”
As liberals, we will not accept your ideas of blind patriotism, pseudo-Christianity, ignorance of our country’s history, lack of civility and encouragement of hate. This is not the country that we want and it is certainly not the country that has held respect around the globe.
The mere fact that conservatives are content with alienating all of our allies while being happy with Russia and Putin, should send shivers down the spines of everyone that calls themselves patriotic.
(S. Novi is a journalist that worked in the media and continues to seek out truth and integrity. A liberal and one that is suspicious of cults and empty promises. Her posts originate at Medium.com.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
