on expressions of patriotism...

[acroyear]

...and why each side sees the other's form of expression as ANTI-American...

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Patriotism, Conservative and Liberal:

Watching Obama's inaugural address reminded me of an essay written by Peter Beinart in Time magazine last summer about conservative and liberal conceptions of patriotism. I thought he really nailed the key difference in how right and left tend to think about patriotism. For far too many on the right, patriotism is about mere symbols, about having a flag pin on your lapel and getting weepy eyed when the national anthem plays.

This is why, for example, one of the primary Republican attacks on Michael Dukakis in 1988 was that he vetoed a bill requiring teachers to lead students in saying the pledge of allegiance. For much of the right, patriotism is mostly about ostentatious displays of emotionalism and loyalty - and the ability to exploit such emotionalism for political gain. But Obama presented a very different version of patriotism in his inaugural speech.

The essay itself is, as one would expect, somewhat generalized on applying labels to behaviours, but it is useful for helping one's introspection of their own actions towards America and their own ways of expression "patriotism". In these distinctions, I find myself clearly "liberal", but really what is labeled liberal is more the libertarian side of liberal, and many self-proclaimed conservatives might also see themselves in the "liberal" camp as the essay described it because their libertarian attitudes, as codified in the Bill of Rights, trump their anti-liberal (in the socialism sense) attitudes.

But for any expression of loyalty to a community, how do you fit?  This includes your church and religion, your loyalty to your employer, to your friends and the community that might join them (say, the renaissance festival), or your country?

What is more important, the symbol today, or the attitude that inspired and created the symbol years or centuries ago.  Which will you follow when the two diverge?

When the Flag represents in action something different than what you thought it should represent in intent, which will you follow?

When the Cross represents in action something different than what you thought it should represent in intent, which will you follow?

I know my answer...

Comments

[thelongshot.livejournal.com]

Being in the middle of James Loewens' "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Texbook Got Wrong", this resonates with me. In there, textbooks generally reflect the "conservative" ideals that we are a country with a proud history and you should revere it, while Loewens is definitely of the more "liberal" camp that kids should be taught that history is messy and that what actually happened in the past makes us who we are today, not what we think should be the ideal.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

well, the problem with that side of education is the issue of getting a complete picture.

when the mental image of a concept (history or science) is incomplete, the desire to learn is still there and they are still open to ideas that may modify that picture.

when the mental image is complete, it is MUCH harder to introduce new information that differs from that complete image. it WILL be rejected.

the problem is that kids cement that image differently. some remain open (in my case, open well into my life today). others close up VERY early on in some topics, particularly if they already have closed parents telling them "all you need to know". the conditioning that childhood learning is enough is DAMN strong, and its one of those cases where the home WILL defeat the school, no matter what educators try.

it may also contribute why one side that is consistently either wrong or hypocritical tends to accuse the other side of exactly what they themselves are most guilty of...they literally can not see the world as anything other than the dichotomy they live it by, and again, that is a conditioned, learned attitude, and it isn't always the school that's giving it to them.

[petricat666.livejournal.com]

I think that it also comes down to where in the country you live and how old you are, For my parents friends who are all in their 70's and 80's wearing a flag pin and leading school children in the pledge of allegiance (and for that matter school led prayer) was a big part of their culture growing up, especially in WWII when ostentatious display of patriotic symbols was part of the morale effort in WWII.

I'm a "classic " liberal in that I believe in listening to and being open to other people's points of view and I get misty eyed sometimes when listening to our National Anthem

[shalandara.livejournal.com]

I am one who has always thought that what is in the heart is more important than what might be shown on top of it (i.e. wearing a physical symbol). I see the people who "broadcast" their patriotism, and yet when you scratch beneath the surface you see that they truly do not agree with all of the principles of this country. I have come across it time and time again with Christians, who are loud in their proclamations of faith and yet who break religious commandments left and right and do not see any contradiction in their actions. And of course, in both types of cases, if I point out the inconsistencies in them then they loudly scream out for all to hear that I am unpatriotic/unreligious/etc.

So I keep quiet, and live my life the way I want to, and choose my friends carefully.