a note on patriotism
the salon article jeff blogged about below was excellent in its analysis of how overblown the anger surrounding rev. wright's "anti-american" comments has been. if nothing else, the author showcases the caché that patriotism retains in american mainstream culture.
the article started me thinking about how potent the urge to at least appear patriotic is, which can lead to blind patriotism, which often develops into nationalism if unchecked. furthermore, as the article suggests, the fervor that can develop over being "unpatriotic" in the US is much more intense, and typically receives a wider base of support, than being "unreligious" or "unchristian", or whatever brand of religious faith you wish, usually leads to.
clearly, patriotism/nationalism are dangerous seeds when sewn in the wrong cultural atmosphere or with an ignorant person, but, as we was apparent during the golden era of american history in the late 1940s and early 1950s, patriotism was also incredibly integral in motivating so many americans to work to establish the way of life we continue today and are thankful for.
taking these examples of the social merit of patriotism in terms of positive and negative cultural impact in hand, this suggests, to me, that if we are to effect real, widespread social change in the united states, patriotism still seems to be a critical element in the equation, as it is paramount in its potential to motivate the minds and bodies of the public at large. perhaps this approach borrows from socialist/communist ideology where the state's importance is lofted above all else, but given the right balance of power between subjects and leaders and honorable goals, patriotism can yield positive change today as it has in the past.
of course the potential social value of any approach like this lies in the social welfare of the goals and objectives that the plan or action seeks to meet. furthermore, a plan's social value cannot be defined by the role or absence of patriotism, but rather solely by the social improvements the action yields, which is tempered by the leadership's ability to bring about such action.
i won't go into it here to any great extent, but this chain of thought leads to the obvious question of how do we make americans patriotic and trust in the goodwill of the united states of america when there are so many stunning examples to the contrary, with more everyday?
