Making America Good
“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” Howard Zinn (1922 – 2010), historian and peace activist.
“Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it….” George Bernard Shaw (1856 -1950), Irish playwright and political activist.
Around the 4th of July there is a lot of pontificating about patriotism. Why is patriotism considered the ultimate virtue? Seems to me there are many values more important to people than patriotism.
I have been thinking about the “We Believe” yard signs that have become popular. These signs list some values of a just society. They come in different versions, but all are good statements of what our society should be. A typical message is:
We Believe
Black lives matter
No human is illegal
Science is real
Women’s rights are human rights
Love is love
Water is life
Kindness is everything
The mainstream narratives on patriotic holidays ignore what is really important to people. The platitudes about freedom aren’t really about achieving freedom or justice. The mantra about thanking veterans for defending freedom is pure propaganda. The real objective is to sanitizing the past and justifying the wars to maintain excessive military spending.
I don’t hate America nor do I denigrate those who have served in the military. I am a veteran. But the jingoistic, flag-waving, hero worship of veterans simply does not fit with my military experiences. Nor is it historically accurate about the reasons for our endless wars.
An honest narrative about our history would be much more inclusive. All social and political progress in this country has been the result of people organizing to improve people’s lives. It was the abolitionists, feminists, suffragettes, union organizers, environmentalists and civil rights advocates who fought for freedom. It was liberal activists who created, expanded and defended our civil, economic and political rights. They gave these rights practical application to voting, employment, housing, equal treatment under the law, public accommodations and freedom from discrimination. These battles were fought in the courts, legislatures and streets and not on foreign battlefields.
None of this progress happened by chance. It didn’t happen because the sainted “founding fathers” created a perfect government. It didn’t happen because of the “free market.” Or because business leaders cared about their employees and were willing to sharing the fruits of the capitalist economy. Although religious faith did motivate many activists, Christian charity did not build a better society for everyone. Neither did any war.
So I would add to the yard signs these truths (making it the size of a billboard):
Peace is patriotic.
War is terrorism and never worth the costs
Diversity is strength. We are all immigrants
Tolerance and equality are good for everyone
Real education is liberal. Science is truth
An injury to one is an injury to all
No one is free unless everyone is free
We all do better when we all do better
Our history has been a continuous struggle to create a “more perfect union” and a more just society. The ruling elites – the economic 1%, the politicians, judges, religious hierarchy, owners and bosses – have always suppressed the rights of ordinary people, immigrants and minorities to maintain control and profit from their labor. Whenever people stood up for themselves, they were labeled as radicals, communists or terrorists and fired, beaten, jailed or killed.
Democracy is about equal protection under the law for everyone. It is about all citizens having the liberty to enjoy all the benefits of our society. We should respect equal rights for everyone because no one is free unless everyone is free.
Justice and equality are not about any particular lifestyle, belief, political persuasion or religion. It is about the right to be human, to be secure in who you are and how you chose to live. In a democracy no one is above the law, and everyone should have the equal protection of the laws.
There were times in the past when the United States was admired and emulated. The ideals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were an inspiration to other countries. We helped create the United Nations and the Declaration of Human Rights. We invented the idea of national parks. We once led in conservation of natural resources and environmental protection. America was once the destination for immigrants seeking opportunity and freedom. Economic opportunity and the “American Dream” were a reality for many people.
Despite many failures to live up to these ideals, we did make progress on civil rights, equal opportunity and expanding prosperity.
Thankfully social, political and economic structures are not immutable laws of nature. They can be made more responsive to the real needs of people. We can have a more civil public discourse. We can create a more sustainable economy that shares the wealth more equitably. We can stop squandering and destroying the natural resources we all depend on. We can learn to be tolerant of other people’s racial, religious, ethnic, and political differences. We can create a better democracy. We can stop promoting endless wars. We do not have to continue down the road we are currently following.
I understand that people prefer happy, feel-good activities to patriotic speeches. But I also think our holidays can be festive without perpetuating the false narratives and myths that promote an arrogant nationalistic pride. This pride has led us to harmful mistakes in the past and hobbles efforts to build a better America today.
The obvious questions for MAGA Republicans are, “What is wrong striving to be more inclusive, more just, and more equal? What is wrong with building better, cleaner, safer, more prosperous communities for everyone? We need more civility and less division. We need more open mindedness and willingness to respect others. We need more openness to new ideas and new solutions to problems.
As one 4th of July platitude says, “Freedom isn’t free.” It requires hard work. But it also requires tolerance, cooperation, compromise and respect for differences.
Striving to make America great is selfish arrogance. A better goal is to simply be good. Working for peace, justice and equality for everyone makes America good.