Which one of these statements is patriotic to you:
- “Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.”
- “If you don’t like it, go to Russia, commie!”
- “Immigrants are destroying our great country!”
- “None of the above are patriotic statements.”
Patriotism, especially in America, has been framed to mean things it really isn’t. Perhaps an unfair way to lead off an episode about patriotism — especially when we both consider ourselves very patriotic. But is patriotism wrapping yourself in a leather American flag jacket you wear like a skin and singing a schmaltzy song, or is it something more? Obviously, we think it’s something more, and that is what we are talking about on this week’s episode.
We begin by talking about where we consider ourselves on the 1 – 100 Patriotism-O-Meter, and then we jump into the first time we remember being introduced to the idea of patriotism.
Next — just to be clear — we discuss the differences between patriotism and nationalism…and where we see most people actually falling.
Obviously, this episode is going to skew heavily toward America/’Murica, and we ask: “Is America more or less patriotic now than it’s been in the past?”
Then we move on to bests and worsts: the worst example of “patriotism” used to push an agenda we’ve seen…and the best example of patriotism in action we’ve seen.
As “patriotic” as some think it is to only think about America, we look at the planet and ask: “Are Americans more patriotic than other countries…or less?” Also, find out what we think self-described patriots would describe as the American ideal. And what we believe is the American ideal.
We close out the episode with two questions:
- Is patriotism synonymous with a love of government?
- Is patriotism a thing that will always be around, or is it something that has a limited lifespan?
So put on your American flag pants (just don’t burn them, because that’s more offensive than sweaty butt stank on Old Glory fabric made in China), and let us know what you think about patriotism in the comments below.
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I’ve never felt a connection to any particular place. School pride, go-team, state pride, patriotism – they’ve always been elusive concepts to me.
In the early grades of elementary school, we had to say the pledge and pray. It didn’t make any sense to me, but almost nothing made sense to me at that age, so I simply went through the motions. Flash forward to my early 20s. My cousin and I were in a car, she was driving, and the “Proud to Be an American” song came on the radio. I was just about to laugh and make fun of it when my cousin turned up the volume and I think she actually got misty-eyed. We sat in silence through the song. Later I discovered she had also turned religious. Flash forward to a few years after I got married. I discovered my in-laws were hard-core tea baggers (and bigoted cult members), and my uncle-in-law told me, in all seriousness, told me that anybody who didn’t stand and recite the pledge (such as at a sporting event) should be beaten. He even joked about the non-pledgers being beaten to death.
Now I live in the most American of settings – a trailer park with an American flag flying high in the front yard. Before my husband and I moved in, I kept telling him, “If we’re going to have ANY flag on the flagpole, it’s going to be a rainbow flag.” But somehow, after we moved in, I lost interest. The flag blends in with all the other American flags in the neighborhood. I guess it’s really not that important to me.
There are sports teams I prefer, but even that…I don’t get bummed if the Chicago teams I like lose. School pride has never been a thing with me, either. I like the town and campus of the University of North Texas, but I never go a degree and I don’t feel compelled to relive those days in college by putting stickers on my car or wearing shirts showing where I went to school.
I think I’m more likely to defend the use of the Oxford comma than where I went to school or a team…or even ‘Murica. (And really, when I write for a magazine or something using AP Style, I have no problem not using an Oxford comma.)
It might be an unfair assessment, but I think those who get sooooooooooooo into something like a country, sport team, or band to the point they will fume if someone knocks it are — largely — people who don’t do much with their lives. Instead of something like writing a novel, learning a new song, or painting something cool giving them meaning, they allow a team and a mob mentality to give their life meaning.
I say this as someone who’s had Premier League soccer on in the background all morning…turned down really low. It’s soothing to me. But man, British soccer/football fans…you see how it’s life to them, and I find something very sad about that. I’ll go to a game and cheer and have fun, but if a fan from the opposing team is around, I’m just as decent to them as anyone. It’s a game, and it can be fun. It’s not worth drawing a line and saying, “You’re a shit monkey!” just because you like a different team than I do.
OK I confused the pledge with the anthem in my comment. But they serve the same purpose…