Letter to the Editor: Writer explains what patriotism means to him
While most of us have strong feelings about patriotism, its exact meaning seems nebulous. Perhaps that is why many of us practice patriotism so differently.
While some may exercise the pinnacle of patriotism by serving in our military and putting themselves in harm’s way to defend us, for most of us simply standing respectfully during our national anthem is our clearest expression of patriotism.
Given the growing speed and strength of rebuke toward anyone who doesn’t conform to traditional patriotic practices and the way a number of politicians have used patriotism to advance their own political ambitions, perhaps it would be of some value to take a step back to reflect on the meaning of patriotism.
While I’m no expert on patriotism, perhaps my decades of encounters with patriotism can help shed some light on what it looks like. My first and most indelible encounter came about 60 years ago, when as a small boy I attended my first baseball game at Yankee Stadium.
As the game opened, I observed 60,000 fans stand, face our flag and proudly sing our national anthem. Ever since then, I make the most of every opportunity to sing whenever it’s played. Sadly, over the decades, I’ve noticed few people sing it, and some give less than their full attention to our flag. While that has been disappointing, I’ve tried to chalk it up to people being self-conscious.
As a boy, growing up in the slums in NYC, I also learned something about patriotism by learning to respect not only the military but the police who protected us.
Given such traditional values, it may surprise some that when Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee at the playing of our national anthem in 2016, I didn’t find it disrespectful.
He faced the flag respectfully, just as I’ve always done, and refrained from small-talk. As soon as I learned Kaepernick was protesting racial injustice and trying to call attention to significant gaps in the “liberty and justice for all” we’re supposed to be pledging our allegiance to, I knew he was right.
From everything I know, calling out racial injustice, serious ongoing woundings being perpetrated within our democracy, was an appropriate expression of allegiance to the best of what we are called to be as Americans.
Sadly, many fans gave Kaepernick little time to explain and booed him. Far worse though was the reaction of politicians from my own Republican Party. Instead of addressing the very real problem of police brutality, they chose to distort Kaepernick’s protest and use it as a means to advance their own political ambitions.
Trump, always Machiavellian to the core, pounced upon the opportunity to cast himself as a patriot, lead many astray in mischaracterizing Kaepernick’s legitimate call for addressing racial injustice and police brutality.
Sadly, some in America, like to boisterously push people with “America: love it or leave it!” This false choice however avoids our most patriotic option which is loving America to the point where we are willing to recognize our deficiencies and have a passion for making us better.
So, what does patriotism mean to me? It’s honoring those who sacrifice for the greater good. Patriots are people who protect others. Waving a flag is a wonderful expression of patriotism, but it really means nothing if we fail to honor the precepts upon which our country was founded, particularly “All men are created equal” and endowed with “inalienable rights.”
So, who are our patriots? They’re not only those who’ve served in our military, but doctors and nurses, police and firemen, teachers, janitors and journalists, farmers and grocery-store workers, and millions of unsung heroes that work, often selflessly, to sustain us and make a good way forward for us. And it is to all of them, I say with deep and abiding gratitude, thank you.
– George Zadigian, Alliance
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Letter to the Editor: Writer explains what patriotism means to him
