Patriotism And Dissent

Normally I post music videos at the bottom of my entries in hopes that readers may hear something that they like or have not heard before. I posted this video on the top of this entry for a different reason; this entry’s focus is on dissent, and I believe that this video showcases why dissent is still necessary in any democratically governed nation.

Anti-Flag / Hymn For The Dead

Much has been made about patriotism in the years since the Iraq war, and even more so during the current election season in the United States. Patriotism seems to becoming noticed only by symbols and actions that support a certain view; you are a patriot if what you do is considered to be “pro-American”, if you criticize policy that seems to be in the best interest of the nation, your patriotism will be called into question. The debate has shifted in a most unfortunate way; no longer does patriotism involve defending civil liberties or speaking out against oppressive policy. No, that may as well be treason. Patriotism is now upholding the status quo as long as that status quo is perceived to be geared toward keeping us safe. Patriotism is now whether or not you wear a flag pin or keep your hand over your heart during a national anthem. This is a travesty; such a travesty that it threatens the ideals and principles that our society was created upon.

Patriotism is defined as a love of country. That is it; it is not, nor should it be, more complicated than that. The question, or perhaps the confusion, is of how one shows that love. Is it patriotic to burn the flag in protest or is it better to wrap yourself in that flag in solidarity of the government? Should one stay quiet or speak out when they see injustice done in the name of the country? I believe that these questions can only be answered based upon how the country came into being.

If a country was formed under the impression that country is above all things no matter the cost, or on some totalitarian doctrine where what is best for the nation or its leaders is what’s best for you, or where the individual is completely devoid of natural freedoms and liberties, then yes, staying silent in the face of injustice and immorality is patriotic. Conformity is all the citizens know. 

On the other hand, if you have a country that was formed out of the necessity to shed oppressive rule, to free a people from an abusive government that taxed them to death for their own benefit, then dissent is patriotic. If that country was built to promote individuality and personal independence, standing to fight against those that want to take that away is patriotic. If a country was designed to be governed by the majority, for that majority to have a voice, it is not just patriotic but the duty of that majority to speak out for itself when that voice is being jeopardized. If such a nation were created for the common man, the common man has a right and duty to recognize that injustice and immorality done by the hands of its government is wrong, and to use every possible means to stop it. Dissent and resistance in such a society is patriotic.

The American Experiment has been the most successful initiative undertaken by a group of men in the history of the world. The founding fathers of this nation wanted a country that was not governed by aristocrats, monarchs, or any organized religion. They wanted a country that was governed by the people, and they ingrained that belief in the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. In these documents is locked the voice of the citizens, who have powers of either consent or dissent. And one can still see how important Rousseau’s ideas of absolute rights of an individual still are in the U.S. Mill’s work is also just as crucial to the American experience as it was almost 200 years ago; individual liberties are absolutely sacred to western-styled democracies. It were these founders, and early American thinkers, who took these philosophical theories and put them to practical use. It is highly illogical to believe that dissidence, when faced with those eroding liberties, be unpatriotic.

Since its founding, America has become the dominant country in the world for a number of reasons, but can it really be true that it was because its military and economic might has struck such a chord around the globe; especially among the most oppressed people? Many would think so, including a group of conservatives that formed in 1997 in an effort to enforce America’s dominance in the world for another century, through the United States military and economic power (groups title: Project for the New American Century, PNAC). In 2000, George Bush became President of the United States and in 2001, New York City was most unfortunately attacked by terrorists, causing an extremely heightened sense of fear in the population.

That heightened sense of fear has been thoroughly taken advantage of by the United States government. In the interest of protecting its citizens, the Bush administration has stomped on those three most impressive documents mentioned above. They passed policies with titles that made one think that they must be in the best interest of the nation (USA Patriot Act), when they did nothing but expand executive power. The Fourth Amendment may well not exist, torture is now condoned, prisoners may no longer have a right to a trial, those responsible for 9/11 have barely been sought after, and perhaps worst of all, the government has lied to the American people, those they should be accountable to, in ord

er to go to war against a sovereign nation that posed little threat to US interest. And this administration has the audacity to call themselves, and their initiatives, patriotic!?

However, this is not the most unfortunate thing about what has gone on in the United States recently. As I’ve said, America was created to give power to individuals that make up the majority; it was also expected of those citizens to be involved in the, in their, political process. They had, and still do have, a responsibility to agree with the current state of the union, and more importantly, to disagree with it. Recently, many Americans have failed this, as many in democratic societies do. This is important because American influence and power does not come from its military or its economy, but from its people. Oppressed people are hardly dazzled by military might, but they are of the American people themselves and their ability to dissent or consent to their government. Contemporary morality and justice was in large part created by the American people and it is their responsibility to uphold those ideals if they wish to continue living in such a virtuous state. It is the action of the American people that will restore whatever prestige America has lost in recent years, not military endeavors. 

I posted the video above because the images depicted in it are taken from the current war in Iraq. War is never bloodless, but when it’s unjustified, the blood spilled is even more heart-wrenching. And, when it is unjustified, it raises a moral obligation to dissent, to stand adamantly against it. November 6th will bring a change of some sort. I implore the American to stand by the ideals your nation was created upon. Be patriotic and cast a vote of dissent. Or, keep arguing on whether or not a flag pin is patriotic.

 Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will – MLK