A Country of Patriotism Not Patriots
Patriotism (pa·tri·ot·ism) n. the quality of being patriotic; vigorous support for one’s country. Patriot (pa·tri·ot) n. a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors. Showing patriotism does not make you a patriot.
America’s Favorite Pastime
There is nothing like watching a baseball game the day before Independence Day. I attended a minor league baseball game a few days ago and observed an enthusiastically patriotic crowd. The American jubilee felt disconnected, particularly, in the era of American politics and society. I was observing patriotism and not patriots. The crowd all adorning their best Americana were filling the stadium. A sea of red, white, and blue, American flags, stars and stripes, ribbons, and streamers gathered all around me. I was even wearing an American flag tank top and some red white and blue kicks. Kids laughing, eating ice creams and hotdogs. Adults finally taking a break to catch up with friends and throwing back a couple of beers. Budweiser of course because of #Merica, duh. The night was humid but breezy and by Florida standards, it was near perfect. America’s pastime, the game of baseball, is very fitting to observe an unabridged patriotism that is disconnected from what it really means to be a patriot. For the record, I don’t think America’s favorite pastime is baseball anymore. It is Football but that is another rant.
Patriot Over Patriotism
Over the course of a few hours, I overheard several conversations that ran the gambit of current events. I heard many pro-American platitudes and attitudes. Several dozen people came over to shake my hand and thank me for my service. I initially forgot that I was wearing my favorite camo veteran’s hat. I am always humbled and thankful for people coming up to me and thanking me for my service but as I have previously written, “In lieu of thanking me for my service,” I always want to respond with “what are you doing in service of our community, state, or country.” Patriotism is fleeting. Being a patriot requires the hard work of citizenship.
I hate blind patriotism. So many Americans passively live and roll through life scrolling touch screens and being generally distracted by everything. We are living in the moment that former Supreme Court Justice David Souter warned us about.
What I worry about is that when problems are not addressed, people will not know who is responsible. And when the problems get bad enough, as they might do, for example, with another serious terrorist attack, as they might do with another financial meltdown, some one person will come forward and say, ‘Give me total power and I will solve this problem.’
That is how the Roman republic fell. Augustus became emperor not because he arrested the Roman senate. He became emperor because he promised he would solve problems that were not being solved. If we know who is responsible, I have enough faith in the American people to demand performance from those responsible.
I believe we are living in Justice Souter’s prophecy. Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again doctrine is a threat to the republic. Donald Trump is a threat to the republic. We need patriots not patriotism right now. Every day, the President of the United States takes to his infamous Twitter account and lies. Those lies are being perpetuated by the Fox News Media apparatus and squadron of news and media influencers who are willing assist a rogue President. So many Americans cannot decipher between real and fake news. Many of us have isolated ourselves in echo chambers. These echo chambers are pushing us further and further apart. As President Lincoln who borrowed a phrase from the book of Matthew, “a house divided cannot stand.” Our republic is crumbling before our eyes and we are not tall enough to see it.
Make America Great Again
Americans tend to romanticize our history and often gloss over important moments in history and rebrand it as American Exceptionalism. What makes America great is the fact that we are a multiethnic, multiracial, multireligious society with a shared but extremely complicated history. Our history is filled with patriots who have pushed us toward progress. Towards a more perfect union. Americans have never been a people to look backward and we are not going to start now. That is why there is a strange dissonance in Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again mantra. We must stop wrapping ourselves in flags and symbols and start engaging in the hard work of citizenship. We must stand up to defend the republic against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We must stand up for liberty and justice for all. We need patriots not patriotism now.
There has been a lot of talk about civility in the news as we watch in horror as the United States puts infants in prison camps and detention centers. There has been a lot of talk about civility when our leaders from the POTUS and his administration to members of Congress engage in petty politics. America is better than this era. So as we celebrate the land of the free and the home of the brave, ask yourself one question. Do you know the name of your next door neighbor? We don’t need more patriotism. We need more patriots. To bring it back to where I began, the night at the ballfield ended with a spectacular fireworks show but before the show started we were shown a portion of a famous Ronald Reagan speech. Unfortunately, I don’t think the crowd was able to truly internalize Reagan’s remarks.
