Patriotism
If you have not bothered to read Sen. Barak Obama's speech on patriotism, delivered in Missouri a few days ago, you missed something. It is available here: http://www.salon.com/news/primary_sources/2008/07/01/obama/print.html
I have to admit, I am a little hard on people who call themselves patriots. Partially because that term always seems to come with a whiff of hypocrisy. Patriotism also too often sounds like a thuggish nationalism. That is, love of country seems to equal a disdain for other countries that grows into the perverse belief in our singular moral righteousness or worse - the belief that "protecting your own" is justification for just about anything. Too often in the last six years invoking patriotism has only served as a distraction from some very bad, very inhumane, decisions.
What I like about Sen. Obama's speech is that it presents patriotism not as a shield to hide behind, but as a challenge, a recognition that American has a mighty potential that we must meet and mighty obligations that we must keep. This patriotism is partially enacted by government, but more often by citizens, sometimes in opposition to their government. This patriotism will more often lead you to question rather than affirm. This patriotism leaves little room for smug self satisfaction or the simple repetition of the idea that we are a great country. It is a patriotism that challenges us and requires Americans to realize that living here requires sacrifice as well as benefits.
It is a patriotism that thankfully has little to do with guns and bombs and which recognizes that silence is the ultimate treason. Most of all it is a patriotism that recognizes that to walk in the light of our best days we are going to have to overcome our narrow self interest and bigotries be they personal or religious in order to create a more perfect union.
Sen. Obama's speech is a powerful antidote to the toxins present in a world of Swift Boat Veterans and flag pin wearers. The people who sell you a sacrifice free patriotism that excludes rather than includes, that calls for sacrifices to be made by others, and devolves the world's oldest democracy into a shopping mall where everything is paid for on credit.
Anyway, it is worth a read.
I have to admit, I am a little hard on people who call themselves patriots. Partially because that term always seems to come with a whiff of hypocrisy. Patriotism also too often sounds like a thuggish nationalism. That is, love of country seems to equal a disdain for other countries that grows into the perverse belief in our singular moral righteousness or worse - the belief that "protecting your own" is justification for just about anything. Too often in the last six years invoking patriotism has only served as a distraction from some very bad, very inhumane, decisions.
What I like about Sen. Obama's speech is that it presents patriotism not as a shield to hide behind, but as a challenge, a recognition that American has a mighty potential that we must meet and mighty obligations that we must keep. This patriotism is partially enacted by government, but more often by citizens, sometimes in opposition to their government. This patriotism will more often lead you to question rather than affirm. This patriotism leaves little room for smug self satisfaction or the simple repetition of the idea that we are a great country. It is a patriotism that challenges us and requires Americans to realize that living here requires sacrifice as well as benefits.
It is a patriotism that thankfully has little to do with guns and bombs and which recognizes that silence is the ultimate treason. Most of all it is a patriotism that recognizes that to walk in the light of our best days we are going to have to overcome our narrow self interest and bigotries be they personal or religious in order to create a more perfect union.
Sen. Obama's speech is a powerful antidote to the toxins present in a world of Swift Boat Veterans and flag pin wearers. The people who sell you a sacrifice free patriotism that excludes rather than includes, that calls for sacrifices to be made by others, and devolves the world's oldest democracy into a shopping mall where everything is paid for on credit.
Anyway, it is worth a read.
posted by Jack Reed at 1:55 PM
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