Patriotism: Two Opposing Views

I read this article over the 4th of July when I was in London, on my way back from Africa. It articulated - in a way I had never thought about - the difference between the brands/types of patriotism. These are seen often, played out in party politics.

Pride of the Past
The conservative answer is implicit in the title of John McCain's 1999 book, Faith of My Fathers. Why should we love America? In part, at least, because our forefathers did. Think about the lyrics to America ("My Country, 'Tis of Thee"): "Land where my fathers died,/ Land of the Pilgrims' pride." Most liberals don't consider those the best lines of the song. What about the Americans whose fathers died somewhere else? What about all the nasty stuff the Pilgrims did? But conservatives generally want to conserve, and that requires a reverence for the past. What McCain's title implies is that patriotism isn't a choice; it's an inheritance. Being born into a nation is like being born into a religion or a family. You may be called on to reaffirm the commitment as you reach adulthood--as McCain did by joining the military--but it is impressed upon you early on, by those who have come before.

And then there's the liberal definition of patriotism.

Hope for the Future
If conservatives tend to see patriotism as an inheritance from a glorious past, liberals often see it as the promise of a future that redeems the past. Consider Obama's original answer about the flag pin: "I won't wear that pin on my chest," he said last fall. "Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism." Will make this country great? It wasn't great in the past? It's not great as it is? The liberal answer is, Not great enough. For liberals, America is less a common culture than a set of ideals about democracy, equality and the rule of law. American history is a chronicle of the distance between those ideals and reality. And American patriotism is the struggle to narrow the gap. Thus, patriotism isn't about honoring and replicating the past; it's about surpassing it.

The author's point is that this dichotomy is a false choice. Of course, I agree. I also tend to lean toward the second definition. Anyone who has taken even a cursory look at history can clearly see that the sunny, patriotic tone of most school textbooks is simply...crap.

Interestingly enough, this shed some light onto why some colleagues of mine at FCC get incredibly nervous when I point out the massive historical failures of the church to live up to the dictates of Christ. They see it as a lack of love. Just as some conservatives viewed MLK's criticism of America as a lack of patriotism. It wasn't. It isn't. Maybe this article will help the sides be more aware of each other.

You can read the whole article here.