Patriots

It was through writing this piece that I realized a few things about patriotism. One is that each generation learns in its own way what it means to be a patriot. For us, it started in kindergarten, when we stood at attention and recited the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. We learned the words to the Star Spangled Banner and the Battle Hymn of the Republic. By high school we were debating the difference between our enemy, the Communists, and the enemy of our parents’ era, the Axis, and soon after graduation, my peers were drafted and shipped off to Southeast Asia. That’s when my ideas about patriotism started to shift and have continued to do so. 

You may have guessed that some of the headlines last week started this train of thought. The fake patriotism plan that was proudly announced by the NFL does nothing but remind us that the athletes who took a stand in 1968 - their patriotism in action - have not seen the changes they had hoped for. The prejudices my generation (and some of our elders) thought we’d worked through with our marches, protests, demonstrations and sit ins - our patriotism in action - are really still festering under the surface. 

It was my generation that learned the hard way to hate the war but not the warrior, but until we discovered that, we did much damage to those peers who served. We all need to remember that lesson and transfer it to the social and economic justice issues that we thought that we’d, if not resolved, at least made giant advances in changing. True patriotism is disagreeing with, even hating the stand that an opponent may take, but honoring their right to do so. True patriotism is a dialogue, not a shouting match.

Marilyn