The US hasn't changed. True, we have to wait a little longer in line at the airport; Barbra did not actually have all the answers politically; our rally cry is now “Let’s Roll!”; Jersey barriers have become stylized to hide their true purpose. But we as a nation haven’t changed fundamentally.
We were told not to stop doing things we enjoy or must do to live our lives lest "the terrorists win." And slowly the flags disappeared, the fights over insurance reimbursement started, and the fraternity of the U.S. returned to normal. Any potential there was for long-term change ended not long after 9/11 and is reincarnated temporarily every year on the anniversary. I liken it to the self-proclaimed religious who only go to church on major religious holidays, but preach the superiority of their religion with every breath.
In truth, there was never a question that we would get on with our lives. Being so far from the theater of conflict affords U.S. citizens a measure of apathy and comfortable shelter. As always, it is not about the war, it’s about us. Being so detached from the war we feel like there needs to be a villain, be it President Bush or be it Saddam Hussein. We relive (and protest) the conflict when it's convenient, or when we need the attention.
This is not to say that there are not people that are consistently patriotic. I just wish there were more of them.
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Thursday, March 16, 2006
'It's Not About the War. It's About Us'
Claire is a small town Southerner cum Washington, D.C. transplant who holds a degree in policy from a tech/ag university and is a Pentagon survivor who supports the war, just not the manner in which it is conducted. She blogs at Lillium Inter Spinus.
To me, the height of patriotism is to ignore this abomination. He's not my president, he's never governed with my own best interests in mind, and his dramatic national crusade is someone else's. I agree with the symptoms you identify; they correspond to those of a selfish population and, if you'll note, are not far from the Muslim radical critique.
ReplyDeleteYou don't find love of country by supporting its military class and the goals it pursues.
There were parallels I drew between us and the terrorists. Fundamentalism is fundamentalism and it leaves no room for anything else, much less reason. We must be flexible, but somehow are still seeing in black and white.
ReplyDeletePoliticians are tools. Literally and figuratively. I find partisan disassociation --because the "right" candidate didn't win-- distasteful and counter productive to change.
As is grown adults throwing temper tantrums disguised as patriotism because "what could have been" never materialised. When what we should be doing is working with what we have and towards the next election in a productive manner.
Which is not to say that we shouldn't voice our opinion, I've just had enough of both parties and the fantasticism they tend to spew when trying to make a point.
It is our responsibility as the constituency to control our representatives. That is why the system was enacted.
And if you are going to dismiss me as naive and tell me that we have no influence over politicians/decision makers, why then do we complain about the current administration in the first place if it will not sway them?
Highway Scribe: I do not support the military class either, but I support the troops. Too many of us lost sight of that during and after the Vietnam War and that was unpatriotic.
ReplyDeleteClairebell: You make an important, if unpleasant point. It is so easy for fundamentalism to morph into fanaticism, and the right wingers who have hijacked the ruling party in this country are a case in point.