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Just How Patriotic Are We?
Thursday, January 25, 2007(The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation)
Just How Patriotic Are We?
As America looks forward to a long weekend
celebrating its birthday, our thoughts
naturally turn to patriotism. In the aftermath
of the war in Iraq, and as the first
presidential campaign after 9/11 heats up, the
subject takes on a new importance.
The
word patriotism means devotion to one's country
- love of country. It means that we hold such
pride in our communities, and in this nation,
that we are willing to stick with them even
when we no longer like what they have become,
or the direction in which they seem to be
going. This story of improvement, of struggle,
is central to the American experience.
Repeatedly, patriots have stepped forward to
say, "I am not going to turn away from my
country, but rather I am going to turn my
attention to improving this great land." We
have seen a long line of patriots in this
tradition - from Martin Luther King, Jr. to
Susan B. Anthony to Frederick Douglass, to
those who seek to improve their communities
each and every day.
Now, the challenge
before us is to exercise a new devotion to
public life and politics. It is especially at
times like these, when politics and public life
may not be to our liking, when it most requires
improvement, that our devotion is tested - and
most needed.
How are we meeting that
test? How devoted to country is America on its
birthday?
At The Harwood Institute we
have traveled the country talking with ordinary
Americans about this question. The answer is
this: We are far from where we want to
be.
From Dallas to San Francisco, from
Baltimore to Denver, in the last few weeks we
have engaged more Americans in our ongoing
conversation about patriotism and the state of
the union. Americans have retreated from public
life. They are hunkered down. They see entering
the public square only reluctantly, and with
suspicion. They express a narrow notion of what
it means to be a "citizen"; many say it goes no
further than having an obligation to obey the
law and pay taxes. Most think more highly and
speak with more animation about being a
"consumer."
People say that since 9/11
the condition of the nation got better for a
few months, and then reverted to the way things
were before, or has gotten even worse. Many
believe that the pronouncements that politics
would improve, news media coverage would become
more serious, and citizens would become more
involved have proven false, or were simply
disingenuous.
When asked which national
political leaders they trust to tell them about
important issues, these groups of Americans do
not name more than two or three - if they name
any. When asked what they would say to
political leaders if they were in the room with
them, they shrug. "I have nothing to say to
those people," said one San Francisco
man.
But, there are some glimmers of
hope. Not all Americans see patriotism in this
light. One woman said that "a customer is a
taker, a citizen is a giver." People also say
it is possible for citizens to make a
difference, and they hold out hope for a better
kind of conduct, from political leaders, from
the news media, from themselves.
As the
national campaigns heat up, and as we reflect
on our nation's birthday, we face fundamental
questions. Who will emerge to seek the
privilege of leading the nation? How will
citizens respond? Who among us, as citizens,
will step forward - out from our private lives
and into public life, to show our patriotism
and devotion to country?
What do you
think?
Email us at
thi@theharwoodinstitute.org.