This Independence Day, the right-wing is manipulating public discourse in order to confuse and conflate patriotism with rabid nationalism. This is not a new phenomenon of course. We have seen such careful linguistic choreography before, when past authoritarian ideologues have distorted language in order to stifle individualism and dissenting views.
For a people to be controlled, they must first be robbed of honest discourse and open debate. Distorting language and stripping it of real and honest meaning is the first tool and the best mechanism for transforming a democracy into an authoritarian state.
Patriotism is the word that authoritarians most like to distort. Miriam -Webster defines patriotism as “love for or devotion to one’s country.” Every other dictionary I have consulted provides a similar if not exact definition.
Nationalism is a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups. Are those the kind of ideal set forth in the Declaration of Independence? I remember something about all men being created equal, not just all Americans.
Nowhere does the term or the idea of patriotism in general require one to believe one’s country is “great.” Nowhere does the term or the idea of patriotism in general require a ban on dissenting views, on criticism of one’s government, indeed even of one’s nation.
When someone is critical of their country and especially when their country strays from its course, it does not mean the person is not patriotic. It means that the person loves their country enough to want only the best for it. They want it to be greater than what it already is or they want it to be as great as it once was. But criticism of a country is not akin to being un-patriotic. Only a rabid nationalist would make such an argument.
Our founding fathers did not think that our country and its leaders would be inherently good. Instead they tried to make our government idiot-proof with a system of checks and balances. That system that is now being dismantled by those that favor a strong Executive so that we can be protected from evil.
Nationalists, the rabid right-wing advocates of symbol worship, are entirely what the right-wing authoritarians define as patriots. It may entirely be possible that some of these boot-marching androids are simply ignorant and accept whatever canned-pro-America products they are sold. They are in essence, the perfect vessel for an authoritarian regime. But others, who have spent their lives devoting themselves to the art of conflation, distortion, and revisionism, know exactly what they are doing. They tell us that our government can do no wrong. They tell us that you must never doubt your government or question its ways. So when my America began to openly torture people and publicly denounced the Geneva Conventions as “quaint,” I should have been waving my little Chinese-made American flag while admiring the inherent goodness of my government? At what point does the ugly truth become more important than the pretty lie?
No, that is not the definition of patriotism. That is exactly what Il Duce demanded from his citizens; a total abandonment of self, conscience, and all things individual and human to the mechanism of the state, for the state could do no wrong. That was nationalism used to promote Fascism.
If we truly love our country, we must ask at what point does the ugly truth become more important than the pretty lie? As Americans, we have many things to be proud of. But we must also be honest enough to recognize what must be set right, and committing ourselves to getting it done.
Regards,
Jim
Andy Hailey