Patriotism Gone Wrong

Originally thought of 02.09.03:


I like America.

I wish I could say that I love America, but I’m beginning to become annoyed more and more at the behavior of my fellow Americans. We’re rude on the road, we drive big cars that are gas guzzlers, and we like blood sausage (sorry, had to throw that in from the movie Groundhog Day). We are more concerned with our own welfare than those who are less fortunate than we are. Christians in America seem to believe that being a “Christian nation” is our God-given right. Isn’t it funny that we really think that America is going to be heavily involved in the end times of Revelation? I don’t see any mention of our country anywhere.

But where I’m beginning to dislike my country more and more is in this area: Patriotism gone wrong.Hey, don’t misunderstand me. I can be as patriotic as the next person. There are times when I’m very proud to be an American – of course it was harder during the Clinton era, but the times are still there.

Let me give you two areas of patriotism that makes me shudder in my American-made (I think) shoes:

First of all, I don’t like what I call “reactionary patriotism”. What I mean by that is that when there is a big national tragedy, or a war, then people begin supporting America. After the 9/11 tragedy, patriotism was at an all-time high. Flags were in high demand. You would drive down a street, and there would be flags on poles, flags in windows. It seemed like every car had a flag bumper sticker or at least something American. My question is, “Why did people decide to become patriotic after the 9/11 tragedy?” Why weren’t people patriotic before? Why aren’t we “proactive patriots” rather than reactive ones? Why do we have to wait for a huge tragedy in America in order to grab a flag, wave it proudly, and declare that we are Americans, and we’re proud to be so?

The other area is what I call “patriotism sells.” After the 9-11 tragedy, it seemed like every commercial you saw on T.V. had an American flag waving proudly in the corner, or a shot of a New York firefighter, or something American. In fact, the reason I’m thinking of this right now is that the collision repair shop right next to my church’s offices just put up a huge flag that is two times higher than the building. I know for a fact that it’s not because all of a sudden they became proud Americans. It’s so that people will be driving by, see the huge flag, and ask themselves, “Who has that huge flag hanging over that building,” and they’ll go over and see what it is and think, “Hmmm, since I’m already here, I do have a ding in my door, so I guess I’ll get it fixed.” In fact, I’ve made it a point not to go to places that try to sell me something by pretending to be patriotic. I’m not buying it.

Patriotism gone wrong. I guess I’m just not as American as I thought I was.