The last tattered strips of my childhood patriotism have finally
been dissolved by reality. Every day
current events and the reflection of our nation’s problematic past have taken
their toll. I was never a vocal patriot,
but did always feel proud to be an American.
And I still do feel privileged to be an American. I think my patriotism was based on a “2 step
forward 1 step back” kind of belief system.
That though the United States and the experiment of our Constitution had
devastating missteps, we ultimately leaned toward the good and righteous outcomes. We were the Good Guys that sometimes had to do
bad things. That feeling has all but
faded completely. However, my optimism still
has a burning ember. As a nation that
made Declarations in it’s fight for Independence, we DID make compelling and
honorable promises. Life, Liberty, and
the Pursuit of Happyness is a Promise. While
our delivery of that promise is a problem, it still remains a worthwhile pursuit. From a World History perspective, it’s embarrassing
and sad cliché that we keep repeating the same events over and over.
“How could the world let that happen?” is something I wondered
to myself from middle school forward well into my 40’s any time I considered
the atrocities of the 20th Century.
The Prime example is of course Nazi Germany. How could the World let that happen? The rise to power, the invasions, the
Genocide. Thinking the world had
progressed and that we were passed that kind of hatred is a special kind of
naivety. And now, within my own country
that boasts the most freedom ever achieved in the modern world, we have given
power to megalomaniacs, billionaires, and oligarchs. It’s the same embarrassing story over and
over. We the people got played. In the last few months I’ve been consuming
documentaries about Post Civil War up through the 1930’s. America's Gilded Age and Industrial
Revolution, with figures like Carnegie and Morgan, evoke parallels to
modern-day titans like Musk and Bezos. We often celebrate these powerful
individuals, even as their pursuit of monopolies always disadvantages the poor
and marginalized. And more documentaries of European history leading up to
World War I reveal a similar pattern. Modern
citizens are no different, we have learned nothing. Furthermore, the legacy of the American
Eugenics Movement highlights not only our failure to prevent Hitler's rise, but
also how our own history of slavery, genocide, and the "scientific"
justifications of eugenics provided potent tools for European nationalist
leaders. And if those tools weren’t enough, we closed our borders to
immigration by 90% in the 20’s adding fuel to the glowing embers of Europe.
“I am forced to look out for emigration and as far as I can
see the USA is the only country we could go to.” We all know the tragedy of what the Nazi’s
did to Ann Frank and that she died in a Concentration Camp. What is never mentioned was that Otto Frank
petitioned America numerous times for asylum and immigration to the U.S.
There is a feeling of helplessness verging on
hopelessness. The irony is that it is
because we hope for better that it feels so bad. We hang on to the belief that we are
collectively better than this. Not just people
the think and act like me, but the people that view life here in America from vastly
different perspective. We’ve all heard
the promise of America. We’ve bought in
to it one way or another. I have no
illusions of a utopia. Utopia is
over-rated. Utopia can only happen with
100% agreement. I don’t think good
things come out of a situations where humans agree completely. You need dissent and diversity to push this
mess forward in a way that we can deliver on that promise to the most possible
people. That is the Genius of our
Constitution…it accounts for the mess with Checks and Balances. And when forces work to diminish those Checks
and Balances, it is up to We The People to put them back in place. That too has happened in the past. Unions gained strength for the workers that
were getting crushed under Monopolies.
Women did achieve the right to vote.
The world did come together to sacrifice millions of lives to bring down
tyranny. We began to give equal rights
to all persons of our country.
The Heroes of our Nation remain heroes. America has been a force for good for
centuries. I don’t desire to minimalize
the inherent goodness in the fabric of our citizens and the millions that have
sacrificed for this country and for the greater good. I don’t want this country to be torn down, I
just want it to live up to it’s own ideals.
I’m cling to the quotes of past Presidents about the persistence of our
better Angels and the belief that there is nothing that is wrong with America
that cannot be cured by what is right with America. So I guess I do have a little patriotism
left.
