As our class was talking about wars throughout the week, I kept on wondering why people from each side would for the most part blindly support their countries. While some nationalism has to do with propaganda and truncating free speech, I think it also has to do with simply being born. A country can bring back memories and emotions to its citizens that were born there, but should it cloud their judgement when criticizing their government? I love America because of our democratic process and the plethora of art we produce, but I have no qualms over criticizing the government. For some, critiquing the government is a sin, since they think it means you don't love your country. I think that it's the exact opposite. People freely expressing their opinions, positive or negative, is why I love being an American, not because I feel locked here by being born in Illinois. What's more appalling is when people have such a burning passion for their country that they will hurt those from other countries, like we saw during the WW1 and 2 presentations.
One non-war example of this blind patriotism was when Reagan played the song "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen at one of his rallies. Not only did Reagan think it was a patriotic song, but the audience did to, simply because the repeating lyrics were "Born in the USA". Springsteen was furious about this, since his intention was to write a Vietnam protest song, not a 4th of July get-together song.
The lyrics aren't very ambiguous, as long as you listen to them.
Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man
I think if anybody put thought into listening to this song they would think twice before playing it at a rally. Springsteen realized that simply being born in the USA does not make you blessed or set for life. He pointed out the underbelly of America, and how we forced our young men to go to Vietnam and kill. Is it our duty to love where we came from? I don't think so. But you can voice your opinion in the comments.
I don't think "duty" is the right word for it. "Imprinting", maybe. As you said, people tend to sympathize with the place they were born. James S. A. Corey, in his masterwork Leviathan Wakes, creates a freedom-fighter character who nonetheless likes the government he is sometimes pitted against: "I didn't renounce my [US] citizenship. I like Montana." This fictional person displays a very realistic trait: attachment to the places of one's childhood.
ReplyDeleteAs for the song lyrics, no large group of people ever gets lyrics right. Ever. Getting upset about it doesn't accomplish anything.