Can You Be Patriotic and Oppose the War?
Heidi Hamilton’s Can You Be Patriotic and Oppose the War? studies in depth what it means to be patriotic and the implications of the term. Early on in formation of “patriotism” itself, two competing ideologies emerged: “love of country” and “love of principle” [16]. As time passed and the need for unification became a country wide prerogative, “love of country” became the dominant definition of patriotism. When applied to war, this ideal implies a unification in the war effort akin to the era of WWI and WWII. With the rise of anti-war sentiment during the Vietnam War and more recently Iraq, Hamilton studies how anti-war groups project a rhetoric of patriotism while still opposing conflict.
A variety of methods are used in the effort to shift the definition of patriotism. During the Vietnam war, anti-troop sentiment was used against those in opposition to the war, painting them as unpatriotic and therefore unamerican. Modern protests attempt to distinguish between their support for overseas troops and desire for peace through symbolic yellow ribbons, sending positive letters to troops, and stating that their support for the troops is through the effort to bring them home. Peace advocates also have attempted to reclaim the flag as a symbol of their version of patriotism by using it as a background for their events, thus evoking it unconsciously as a part of their message. They attempt separate their distaste for the current government’s actions with their support for what they believe America should stand for.
Patriotism and War – John Somerville 1981
If one does not love its government and the actions and ideologies present within, can one truly love their country? What makes up the subject of patriotism if not the governing body of the nation? Pride in America’s history makes up a large part of citizen’s patriotism, and embodied within that is both our past as a global super power and America’s promise to free speech and action. In loving America, a person must love the ideals it stands for, and if the current standard does not embody those ideals, then I believe that it is within the bounds of “Patriotism” to show open dissent for that standard. Whether or not patriotism is defined by the “love of principle” or not, I believe that message is both more faithful to America as a whole, and a more healthy practice.
America was built upon dissent, a creation of the defiance to stand for Britain’s rule. If patriotism implies not questioning the government’s actions then what is the point of a republic in the first place? If the government is not held accountable for actions the public deems unacceptable, then it becomes self-governing, relying only on its populace for elections or reelections. This is perhaps an over-exaggeration. Most people calling the opposition of wars unpatriotic only assert the claim that the ideal of unconditional support should be practiced in time where a singular national identity is necessary, such as post 9/11. Well, it has been 15 years, and we are still at war, so when is it once again alright for our identity to fracture once again?
Anti-War Patriotism – Jedediah Purdy (2012)
Perhaps it is a product of my generation to believe that the concept of halfhearted patriotism is outdated. The moment of unification afforded by 9/11 lasted seemingly only until the Iraq war was first proposed, yet even a decade and a half later the debate rages on. It is perhaps the constant presence of war that has created a status quo in which the words pride in America are so intertwined with war. It is impossible to speak about patriotism these days without justifying one’s stance in relation to the web of wars spread out across the middle east that we can’t seem to keep our fingers out of.
If you have some time I would highly recommend giving this a watch.