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« A Little More Salsa | Main | What Happened, Bunker Boy? » May 15, 2008ProudFrom the moment I was old enough to understand the concept of a country, of nationhood and of America, I have always been proud of my country. I have not always agreed with everything my country's government - local, state or federal - has done, but I have never not been proud of my country. My pride in my country does not rest on a certain candidate or party. being ahead in the polls or drawing large crowds, or winning elections. I was proud of my country when the inept Jimmy Carter occupied the White House and shredded the country's economy, military and spirit while retreating around the world in the face of expanionist Soviet communism. I was equally proud of my country when Ronald Reagan saved it from economic ruin, rebuilt the military, revived the American spirit and faced down Soviet communism, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union a few years after he left office. Why? Because America has always been more than a country, more than a nation, more than a territory with borders and a flag. America is an idea, that all people are created equal and deserve to live in freeom. It is the only country on Earth built on that foundation. Has it always lived up perfectly to those ideals? No. Will it in the future? No. Because while the American ideal is great, America is made up of people, and people make mistakes and do things they shouldn't do. I do not have to look out on the campaign trail and see large crowds cheering for my favorite candidate in order to be proud of my country. Posted in America the Beautiful
Comments
Yes, exactly -- the ideals of America. Perhaps it should be offered more explicitly to the poor people of Baja California? Or Haiti? Or maybe even Zimbabwe? At least allow a referendum on Peurto Rico US Territory status. "Nation state" is basically a race-based identity. So, in Czechoslovakia one could be Czech, Slovak, German, Jew, Hungarian, Ruthenian, or Roma (Gypsy), among others, all while being a citizen. Even today, after living in Slovakia for 17 years, while I can become a citizen, I can never become a Slovak. It is this exclusionary aspect of most "nationhoods" that make such nationalism essentially racist. American patriotism is inclusive. Even if America sent Japanese Americans to concentration camps in WW II; they weren't death camps. I hope to help my by-national children also become patriotic Americans, as well as Slovaks. Posted by: Tom Grey at May 19, 2008 9:54 AMPost a comment
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