Patriotism

PATRIOTISM IS LOVE of country, devotion to its welfare, and willingness to sacrifice for it. Because patriotic loyalty is to the nation, a patriot can support or criticize the current government. Leftist patriots generally are more willing to criticize in times of crisis. Because conservatives often equate the government with the nation, especially if the government is conservative, the right can sometimes come to confuse criticism of the current government and its policies with treason, a crime against the state. From the rightist perspective legitimate patriotism requires a virtually unquestioning support that may or may not approach jingoism and chauvinism.

Conservative patriotism is heavily nationalist and traditionbound. Its advocates reject multiculturalism and religious heterodoxy. They advocate the establishment of English as the national language and promote a Christian nation. They reject criticism of national myth and heritage, especially criticism from those who note that the myth disagrees with the historical record. Patriotism resting on narrow and intense nationalism is prideful, and pride dislikes scars and marring of the perfect.

Taken to the extreme, right-wing patriotism degenerates into chauvinism, best expressed in the phrase “my country, right or wrong.” It can also become jingoism, an aggressive attempt to give the rest of the world, or some part of it, the blessings that the rightist patriot enjoys. Some jingoist patriots forget that other parts of the world have their own patriotic feelings, their own [Page 814]nationalism, their own definition of what is good and appropriate. And rightist patriotism wraps itself in Christianity, emphasizing God's blessing of America and the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Patriotism can take on jingoistic characteristics, especially in times of war or national crisis. Uncle Sam, normally a somewhat benign symbol of the United States, took on a decidedly more aggressive physique after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Historically, right-wing patriots have rallied around the flag and suppressed criticism in times of crisis. World War I's American Protective League and other vigilante organizations enforced conformity and attacked those who declined to buy government bonds, minorities, socialists, and antiwar critics. In the 1950s, right-wing patriotism fueled McCarthyism. In the 1960s, conservative patriots attacked flag-burning antiwar activists. Federal Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover's surveillance of antiwar dissidents and civil rights leaders flourished under the guise of right-wing patriotism.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, evoked an outpouring of patriotic expression. Much of it was common to both right and left, for example the wearing of lapel pins and the display of American flags on cars and homes. The rightist response also became strongly nationalistic and jingoistic. Politicians charged treason when leftist patriots questioned some government policies: mass detention without due process, loosening of legal protections, the Patriot Act, and other radical measures, up to and including the war against Iraq—all questioned by leftist patriots, but for the most part accepted by rightists. When President Bush stated, “If [Page 815]you're not with us, you're against us,” it was rightist patriotism. When Senator Tom Daschle questioned an administration request of the Senate, Senator Trent Lott, in an example of labeling patriotic criticism as unpatriotic, said, “How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism?” The issue was irrelevant. Loyalty required unquestioning support of the administration.

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