“When tyranny comes to the United States, she will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a bible.” --Gore Vidal
In a Tacoma cemetery this past Memorial Day, thousands of little flags marked the headstones of those who served in the military. Along with millions of Americans, I felt a swelling emotion, pride mingled with commiseration, for those men and women who gave years of their lives to defend our freedoms and way of life. Regardless of one’s political leaning, a visit to the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. will bring about a visceral definition of patriotism. For obvious reasons, stomping around graveyards and hallowed memorials stimulates us to appreciate our country, its values, its culture, and its place in the world.
A few summers ago, our travelling party strolled along the paths of The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, and found the experience moving as we pondered the magnitude of the historical battles fought offshore, on nearby beaches, and atop high bluffs along the coast. Here again, moved by the capacities of our countrymen and countrywomen to defend our way of life, we felt great appreciation for those guardians who died or were injured standing up for all of us. Even so, why, one wonders, does it take a war to strike up patriotic music and get us all marching in a common cause?
Group devotion and allegiance for our republic, its culture, its people, its customs and values defines patriotism, and it is most evident during times when our way of life needs defending.
You may remember, after 9/11 an electric jolt of patriotism surged through the veins of our citizens. In my small community, people wore Old Glory lapel pins, flags flew from porches up and down the streets, and dozens of young men and women suspended their career plans and headed for military recruitment centers. We were attacked on our own soil, which gave us a common purpose and a sense of victimhood. Nothing provokes a nation’s sense of unity more than a violent incursion from a sworn enemy.
As we all know, flights around the world were cancelled shortly after the attack, and heroic acts of bravery and kindness followed the toppling of the Twin Towers. Thirty-eight wide-body transatlantic flights landed in Gander, Newfoundland. Over 7000 passengers received food, shelter, and caring touches from the people of that small Canadian town, its population slightly more than the number of stranded passengers. Disasters often bring out the best in people, and our Canadian cousins displayed uncommon kindness during our time of need, a like-minded patriotism of sorts.
Disasters, though, may breed overreactions, folks allowing their sense of patriotism to goad others into lockstep marching. In some ways, patriotism, as a reaction to the last war, is the cause of the next war. Here in our quiet community one old soldier insinuated himself into the local high school assembly a few days after 9/11. Moved by the atmosphere of crisis and tragedy, the principal agreed to turn over the program to the old soldier who made every student stand and sing “God Bless America.” Okay, a nice gesture, right? But the retired military man kept coming back insisting that children salute the flag, pledge allegiance, and sing vainglorious hymns extolling the virtues of our country. Soon the principal and all his staff became fed up with the xenophobic overreach of our ultra-patriot and cut him off before he could arrange whatever he had in mind next, probably a book burning of all Muslim writings, complete with a heart-warming ceremonial bonfire at halftime on the fifty yards line during the homecoming game. Conclusion: if one wants to watch a patriotic parade, fine. But one should not be induced to join lockstep marching.
Too much! Lately, the struggle to define patriotism has rendered exclusionary results. Ultra-progressives and ultra-conservatives see different versions of what it means to be a patriot. But, really, no one has exclusive ownership of patriotism.
It is simple to appreciate. It is an unshakeable commitment to one’s country. No one political ideology has a monopoly on it. Dissent can be patriotic. Going to jail can be patriotic.
But some gestures of patriotism are staged theatrical displays, folks just showing off and behaving badly in the process. They include:
Flying an oversized American flag from the bed of a pickup truck. Or, for all that, burning the flag in the town square.
Screaming “USA USA USA” at international sporting events.
Selling cars, mattresses, hot tubs, and anything else by using our national holidays (Memorial Day, Veterans Day, the 4th of July) to headline big blowout sales.
Claiming every person who wears a uniform is a hero regardless of circumstance, even those who hold ambivalent views on allegiance to our country.
The Patriot Act seen from a slightly different angle might be called the Unpatriotic Act. More, most of us excoriate and judge harshly those who promote radical political viewpoints, which goes a long way toward discouraging a free and open society. Can we accept that we are not a one size fits all society?
A few years ago, my wife and I spent the better part of a year in Canada, and on Remembrance Day that year we were astounded to witness patriotism Canadian style. The shops closed as people gathered to honor flag and country. Even though our neighbors had sharp differences over politics, they demonstrated an amazing unity for shared values.
Would that we did the same here in America. All in all, we have plenty to rally round, but like contentious children, we insist on bad behavior and I’m-right-and-you’re-wrong deportment.
Think of patriotism this way: we are one big dysfunctional family here in America, but family we are regardless. We quibble, argue, curse one another, and harm one another without shame. But finally, we are one family sharing more than we wish to admit. Hey, we need to talk. Screwed up families are like that!