Originally posted by: TheSkinsFan
It has nothing to do with any perceived "takeovers."
I don't necessarily know why this bothers me so much, I just know is that it does. I guess I consider the WH to be hallowed/scared ground of some sort -- or a symbol of what I have spent my life fighting for...?
I'm ok with the fact that such things probably come across as silly, petty, or downright stupid to some other people -- such perceptions or opinions of me won't change my own opinion on this subject.
I never thought I'd say this, but thank you Craig.
You're welcome - and I meant it nicer than it sounded. Can I risk undoing the pleasant sentiment though by taking it a step further.
I think I have some sense of where you are coming from. We have in our nationalism some sense of being protective of our national independance and pride.
Whether you hear a story of a president saying something disrespectful of our national political system (i.e., that some part of the constitution was written by people who didn't have a clue and it's to be worked around), or illicit sex (or talk of corrupt activities) in the oval office, or the President being threatened by power whether corporate or foreign as in telling him he will do what they want, they have leverage, or any other disrespect, it's natural to feel irritated, irked, violated and to resent it and want to prevent it.
The step further I'd like to take it is to ask you to consider the issue in more detail - to consider what it means to you. To separate the good from the bad underlying that reaction - what is 'good' patriotism and what is 'bad'. Sometimes, that sentiment of nationalism goes too far, when the peopel of a nation rejoice in their nation humiliating ro dominating a less powerful nation, because it reminds them how powerful they are - it's a bully mentality.
Sometimes, the sentiment can become too fixated on the symbols of the nation - the details of the flag being hung just right, the national anthem not having any twists added - and the 'more important' principles of our nation can slide down the list a bit while the symbols are well and good.
One thing I think is helpful is to put yourself in to the shoes of other nations, and consider their patriotism too, especially in the way they are weaker than the US and perhaps others.
I think that helps create a healthy sense of patriotism for your own country and a respect for theirs - and even reminds you about your identity in the human race before nation.
There's an interesting tiny book that laid out some ideas I'd also considered, called "Superpatriotism", by Michael Parenti (a leftist author), which explores what happens for many when patriotism becomes a sort of exaggerated version that can get out of control, and explores what patriotiem means more legitimately. I'm not saying you are gulty of its topic buit that you might find the issues it explores of use.
An excerpt:
Some superpatriots claim that they love America because of the freedom it gives us. Yet most of them seem to love freedom only in the abstract, for they cannot stand the dissidence and protests that are the actual practice of a free people. They have trouble tolerating criticisms directed against certain US policies and institutions. If anything, superpatriots show themselves ever ready to support greater political conformity and more repressive measures against heterodoxy.
We might question the quality of the freedom we are said to enjoy, for in truth we are not as free as we often suppose. To be out of step in one's political opinions is often to put one's career in jeopardy-even in a profession like teaching, which professes a dedication to academic freedom.' The journalists who work for big media conglomerates and who claim to be untrammeled in their reportage overlook the fact that they are free to say what they like because their bosses like what they say They rarely, if ever, stray beyond the respectable parameters of the dominant paradigm, and when they do so, it is at their own risk.
The major media in the United States are owned by giant corporations and influenced by rich corporate advertisers who seldom question the doings of the free-market profit system at home and abroad. The assumptions behind US foreign policy go largely unexamined in news analysis and commentary. Those who have critical views regarding corporate power and US global interventionism rarely get an opportunity to reach a mass audience.
For what it's worth, if it were up tome, I'd lean towards not having started the practice of ever flying another nation's flag over the White House, either. We can look at is and understand the diplomatic interpretation that it's nothing but a goodwill gesture not meant to put the US in a degrading position, but there's a sense 'that's OUR symbol'. We don't expect France to fly the US flag over the Eiffel tower.