CommentsMY TURN-It never ceases to amaze that so many American citizens of the conservative persuasion seem to associate the posting and waving of flags as their ultimate expression of love of country.
It doesn’t dawn on them that a country is simply land without the people that populate it. Conservatives hold disdain for anyone that doesn’t look like they do, worship the way they do and live like they do -- the exact opposite of the vision that our forefathers (and mothers) had for the country. At what point did America become a white, pseudo-Christian picture of red, white and blue flags plastered all over front lawns and hanging from houses?
Most conservatives will simply ignore any attempts to educate them that hyper-nationalism is one of the symptoms of fascism. Every fascist regime appealed to those who wanted to “return to a mythical past of milk and honey.” It is also a habit of the conservatives to twist patriotism so that it incorporates a blaming aspect. The fact that the country has lost that wondrous time must be someone’s fault, so they place the blame on whatever minority, culture or religion is least popular at the moment. Conservatives engage in this psychological process because they are afraid of change and are whole-heartedly willing to turn the clock backwards to keep the country from moving forward. Don’t take my word for it; there are a litany of studies that demonstrate this attitude – fear of changes that occur as part of life. Conservatives have a mad desire to remain in the same lifestyle hole and tend to use propaganda sources such as Fox/Breitbart/Sinclair to validate their beliefs.
However, just scratch the surface of these flag-waving so-called “patriots,” and you will find little in the way of actionable items to verify that they care about the country at all. In fact, their voting habits undermine areas that would benefit the country and even themselves. This is commonly referred to as “shooting oneself in both feet,” and conservatives do it all the time.
Conservatives Don’t Understand Protest as Part of our American History
I can’t tell you how many times I have had to “explain” the process of protest to conservatives. I am unsure if they lack the educational information or simply ignored it in school. Protest is part of who we are as Americans and it goes back to the Boston Tea Party, continued with the Suffragettes, through to the Civil Rights protests, Women’s rights movement, protecting the planet, the Vietnam War, and Native American rights. Protests have changed personal and political opinions on a drastic scale. The sheer volume of idiot conservative comments about protesting proves they have no clue what it is. They offer criticism that throws in everything, including assuming that millions of protestors here and around the globe are getting “paid,” all the way to anger that protesters leave trash and waste.
If there is one topic that conservatives love to link with their so-called patriotism, it’s the action of “taking a knee.” To them, it’s all about refusing to pledge allegiance to the country; to everyone else, it symbolizes an objection to police brutality against Black Americans.
Of course, we must acknowledge that conservatives who are angry about this are typically white/Caucasians. They don’t have any idea about the violence perpetrated against Black Americans and their anger is an example of their “white privilege.”
Another incredible epiphany that seems to be lost to the conservative world is the fact that during the latest anti-Trump protests, millions of liberals gathered together to march, showing little negativity but instead an air of helping each other. This is a totally alien concept to conservatives, who seem to believe that everyone is out to get them. They simply cannot fathom such intensely large groups of people helping and supporting each other.
Conservatives Vote against their Own Best Interests while waving Flags
I cover this topic in a previous article that I wrote, “Trump Supporters: Hyper-Nationalism When Trump Doesn’t Care About the Country:”
“A CNN article includes the most prominent part of [John] McCain’s speech in the following:
“Here’s the key paragraph:
‘To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain ‘the last best hope of earth’ for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.’
“Half-baked.” “Spurious nationalism.” “Tired dogma.”
Conservatives that rely on the brainwashing propaganda of such entertainment channels as FOXthat are proven to only report an average of 18% truth, vote for the Republican Party that promotes: tax cuts for the wealthy, destruction of all laws to protect the environment, easing corporate rules to allow them to take advantage of the average citizen, relinquishing punishment for companies that harm Americans, removal of tax deductions so that the dimwitted don’t realize that their taxes increased, and the list goes on and on.
Conservatives of all persuasions, from the centrists to the extreme Libertarians, condemn and ostracize any movement that could possibly benefit “we the people” and continually brand these programs as socialist. There is a constant push-pull as they wave flags and then vote for everything that could undermine their very own lifestyle.
In my same article, I include: “Hyper-Nationalists See Themselves as Patriots; We See them as A$$holes:”
“Concepts of self and opinions are always taken in the context of ‘perception.’ When it comes to the hyper-nationalists, many of them are members of what they lovingly embrace as the ‘alt-right.’ There is a psychology to why they have taken this stand and most of it surrounds the fact that they blame everyone else for their own downfalls. They have made bad choices in life and have lives that frankly, suck, and it’s always everyone else’s fault. These are people that hold a rather odd view of the past, assuming that somewhere it was once better. When asked, they usually can’t name the time, but they know that their support of Trump and their adoption of the alt-right and hyper-nationalistic beliefs will somehow get them there.”
Be suspicious of all who place the concept of patriotism on a piece of dyed material. It is not the symbol that creates love of country, but the understanding that we must be diligent to stand up when we see that the country is failing. It is our duty to protest so that our government officials – people we taxpayers pay -- work to benefit all of us as well as our land.
Flag waving alone is not patriotism.
(S. Novi is a journalist who worked in the media and continues to seek out truth and integrity. A liberal and one that is suspicious of cults and empty promises. This piece first appeared on Medium.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
