To be honest, I've only really been interested in politics and policy in the last few years. More or less since Obama became President. But in that time I've seen a frankly alarming trend toward hyper-conservatism that goes beyond the typical midterm backlash against a sitting President.
To be fair, I wasn't as politically aware during the Clinton or Bush years, so maybe I'm imaging it worse now.
What's worse is just how much this trend is based on outright lies, distortions of the truth. Worst of all, its being fed to and perpetrated by the very selfsame people who stand to benefit or lose the most based on which direction this country takes.
The reason, it has occurred to me, is quite simple.
Scratch the orange squiggle to see if you've won...
The answer is right up there in a big, bold headline: The Cult of Patriotism.
The Cult of Patriotism is one of the biggest dangers we face, it is the ultimate cudgel and the ultimate shield. If ever one's intentions are questioned simply call upon the almighty force of Patriotism to silence all foes.
In the Cult of Patriotism, there are many little things, little rules that must be observed, but all fall under one grand theme: To love one's country, to love America, one must never, EVER be critical of it. To criticize America, or the most American of American things, is to hate America, or hate democracy, freedom, and Liberty.
In the Cult of Patriotism, one is NEVER to criticize the military. To criticize the military is to disrespect the soldiers who sacrifice so much, many of whom give their lives fighting for us. But in the real world, we recognize that there is a difference between criticizing the soldier, and criticizing the organization he fights for.
In the Cult of Patriotism, one can cloak oneself in the flag and spew platitudes that would shame a RomCom writer about respecting the troops and their sacrifices. All while shamelessly ignoring the fact that "Defense" (which it must be noted combines both the Military itself and DHS) makes up the largest single portion of our discretionary government spending, yet somehow, these men and women are chronically underpaid, and all but abandoned by our government (especially those in the Cult of Patriotism) when they come home. VA has seen enormous scandal, preventable deaths, backlogs months long, and soldiers have seen longer waits, lower quality of care, if they get care at all. But how can we spare the money to pay for these trivial matters when we have to devote so many resources to another couple thousand parking-lotted tanks that the Pentagon itself didn't want, or a 12th Aircraft carrier to compete with our next most powerful rival, China (who bought a used Cold War-era carrier from the Ukraine, I'm not even sure the damn thing works).
In the Cult of Patriotism, one is NEVER to criticize capitalism. That all-powerful system of economics that was supposed to make everyone rich. To criticize capitalism in even the smallest way is to bow down to communism and throw our way of life out the window. Capitalism is perfect, it provides great opportunities. The profit motive will propel the entire society into prosperity. It nearly tanked the global economy? Can't imagine what on earth you mean, it was probably Comrade Obama's over-regulation. How could a lack of oversight POSSIBLY lead to big banks making risky bets on toxic, exotic financial instruments? But no, Capitalism and free markets are the best, they are perfect, beyond reproach and, apparently, above the law. Capitalism is, to be sure, probably our best chance at prosperity, the freedom to deal and do business is what built this country up. But to suggest that these deals and businesses should be above scrutiny is absurd, if not outright stupid. Companies have shown, time and again, that given free reign they will do whatever it takes to maximize the bottom line, long term profits and the well-being of employees and customers be damned. Capitalism, free markets, these things do not immunize the business world from careful scrutiny. Else, why bother with pesky little annoyances like anti-trust laws anyway?
In the Cult of Patriotism, one is NEVER to criticize (or even question) the Constitution. This document is perfect, it is flawless, it was written by flawless men (or by Jesus, who really knows?). It was set into stone on that day in 1776 and it was never to be changed from its original perfect state (except for the 27 times we've amended it). Look, I believe like any American that the Constitution is one of the greatest legal writings in the history of governance. It was written by brilliant people who understood what it would take for democracy to work. But it was written by men who were limited by their time. They were writing in the context of America as it was in 1776.
Some quick facts about America, then and now:
-The population was 2.5 million in 1776, now it is over 300 million.
-There were 13 sovereign states in 1776, now there are 50 (plus territories).
-The land area of the original 13 states was about 375,000 square miles (estimated based on the current land area of the original 13 states plus West Virginia), now it is almost 3.8 million square miles.
-A coast to coast journey could take more than 3 years, now it can be completed in less than half a day.
-Communication was such that the most efficient way to warn of the British Invasion was a lantern in a bell tower followed by a galloping horse, now we can video conference instantly and with little delay with people on the other side of the planet using an electronic device that fits in our pocket.
These advancements did not come quickly either, they were incremental, and it would be downright impossible for the men of those days to know what kinds of technologies would exist in 100, 200, or 250 years. But they were smart enough to know that changes would come, and that it was the right if not the responsibility of our people and our government to adapt our laws, even our Constitution itself to the changing times. The vaunted second amendment, it was suggested by no less than its author Thomas Jefferson, ought to be reexamined every few years to ensure its relevancy. And what about the freedom of speech? How do we adapt or at least interpret that right from an age when speech meant no more than yelling one's views in the public square, to a time when anyone with a few bucks and some time can thrust their views out to the entire world for anyone to see? Is freedom from the limitation of speech only applicable to government censorship, or does it afford the speaker protection from being let go by his employer as well?
In the Cult of Patriotism, these questions are absolutely forbidden. No matter how necessary some might view them to be, to even suggest such things is un-American, unpatriotic.
These are just a few of the tenants of the Cult of Patriotism. It is ruled by the notion that to be patriotic, to be a lover of one's country, is to ignore all its faults, never speak of them, never criticize, only praise. We are America, we are perfect.
But maybe...just maybe...it is not mutually exclusive to be critical of the flaws in the workings of a country, and still love and be proud of being a citizen of that country.
But maybe I'm being naive...