In full disclosure, I posted this last July 4th. But much of it still seems relevant today as we all look to the future and try to figure out what’s important to us as a country. On the news last night, a recent poll indicated that only 63% of the respondents said they were “proud to be Americans”. That’s down significantly from a decade ago.
National holidays tend to focus our thoughts and impressions on the past – our history and our culture. A time for celebration – parades, fireworks, family gatherings. But do we think about what brought us to this point? It’s been almost 250 years since we declared our independence from Great Britain. Many Americans, but not all, saw ourselves as merely “in service” to the British government, and Parliament chose to shamelessly abuse its colonies.
This got me thinking about conceptions of patriotism. In its simplest sense, patriotism should stand for devotion to one’s country. That’s the easy part. Beyond that, is it devotion to shared values, a shared commitment and responsibility, a desire to work toward a comprehensive benefit of all residents? Or does that benefit only apply to me, my family, my circle of friends, and anyone that shares my skin tones? My fundamental question is, when we wave the flag, what are we really saying? It could be either a powerful statement or a meaningless gesture. Are we better than other countries, and is that our collective goal? Should we be stronger, more influential, able to impose our will on the less wealthy, the less well armed, the less informed? Most of the world is and has less than do we in the United States. I’m bothered by the slogan, “America First”. It doesn’t suggest wellbeing and concern so much as dominance. What, then, are our true intentions and our responsibilities, if there are any? Is the implied dominance physical, in a Napoleonic or Third Reich fashion? Or is it economic dominance – controlling the world’s supplies of goods and services, and thus bending them to our will? I remember hearing, years ago in my school years, that the United States made up about six percent of the world’s population, but consumed almost forty percent of its goods. Is that disproportion something of which to be proud or ashamed? (Today, in similar fashion, we can look at the wealth gap in our own country and ask ourselves, “What’s wrong with this picture?”) Do we want to be the world’s police force and bankers, or do we want to be good global citizens building partnerships with other peoples?
In the last few years, we’ve seen incidents of violence against African-America citizens by the police, upticks in violence against Asian Americans, violence and abuse against women. We’re seeing shootings in schools, in shopping centers, in gay nightclubs, in churches and synagogues. We even saw an attack on our Capitol building. That was curious, as its purpose, as stated repeatedly by the protesters, was “to uphold the Constitution”. Congress was attempting to do just that by following the precepts for an orderly transfer of power as prescribed by that same Constitution. What exactly did those protesters want? To overturn an election that didn’t go their way? To demand that many who voted should not have been allowed to? Or just to make a statement whose purpose is unclear.
Is patriotism in a democracy that difficult? It shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be concerned with blind allegiance, but should much more to do with thoughtful discourse about big ideas and fundamental beliefs. We hear a lot these days about “government overreach”. Isn’t that what effective government should do when a few manipulate or abuse their power? By reacting when states pass restrictive voting practices. By creating fair and balanced electoral districts when some try to draw convoluted boundaries to their benefit. I’m reminded about an historic note I read from a few years ago. We in America have held our elections on Tuesdays, not because it’s a special, divinely ordained day, but rather because it was a difficult day for farmers and rural dwellers to take time off and get in to cast their ballots. Of course, in those past ages, you would have had to be a white adult male landowner too. African Americans were considered only three fifths of a person, and that only counted for population and government representation. It didn’t have much of anything to do with their dignity as human beings, or hope of becoming citizens. They weren’t part of the voting process, even though they represented seven of every eleven people in the 19th century south states. And of the white southerners at the time, only a small percentage owned property or slaves. So, in that context, maybe it is well past time we take down and fold up the Stars and Bars, and melt down the statues of Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.
In the words of President Andrew Sheppard in the movie, “An American President”, democracy “isn’t easy”. As he rightly points out, it implies protecting someone’s right to say things that “make our blood boil”. We will never agree on everything, nor do we even seem able to reasonably and calmly discuss the essential elements of “election integrity” and “voter suppression”. But a majority of us seem to feel that every person that is here in this country has a voice, and that every voice should be heard. Perhaps that’s the message going forward on this July 4th, as we close in on 250 years of our democracy. It’s tough sometimes for us to respect everyone. In fact, when I hear a number of politicians speaking, I wonder how they can even look at themselves in the mirror when they get up in the morning. But voters elected them, so I guess, hard as I try to acknowledge them, there must be some basis of support for their views.
On this July 4th, Independence Day, I wish all Americans a safe and enjoyable holiday, and further wish everyone health, a return to some degree of normality, and continued growth and success for the rest of the year. We can “hold this truth” . . . that all lives matter. Let’s all strive to be kind, thoughtful, and respectful of everyone we meet and many that we haven’t. That’s to me the essence and essential truth about what patriotism is.
I'm Thinking...No! 