![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kodalaiSo apparently, Barack Obama's wife said the other day that “for the first time in my adult life, I am proud to be an American.” This remark has drawn all sort of criticisms and derision, because feelings of shame are, of course, a moral failure on the part of the person who feels them, rather than on the part of those who did the shameful acts in the first place. I read one of them, a response column by Michelle Malkin, chiding and rebuking Michelle for lacking pride in her country. She continued on into an anthem of patriotic pride for her country. It combined most of the rhetorical talking points that I'm used to seeing from the right wing. It also put me somewhat in mind of the credits to the Colbert Report. Flags wave in the wind. Eagles soar. Red, white and blue stars, and a man valiantly waving a flagpole. And everybody falls in line.
If someone were to ask me, today, now, “Are you proud of your country?” My first response would probably be “Fuck no.” And my second would be to ask “Why, should I be?”
And my third would probably be “What the hell does it mean, to be proud of your country?”
Michelle Malkin listed all sorts of points of pride in her rabu-rabu-America screed. Some of them I quite agree with. To be proud of our troops (Support the troops! Right-wing talking point 1) who risk their lives and fight bravely to support the lives of American citizens. To be proud of the great work and toil, and the great accomplishments that Americans have done over the last century (and the centuries before that, I guess, although they weren't mentioned.)
I am proud of the men and women who fight and risk their lives. I am proud of the men and women who risk their lives in other ways, volunteering abroad in dangerous places to help relieve the need and suffering of people who live there. I am proud of the men and women who spend their lives and effort and money and energy and souls in toil right here in the United States, doing the same. I am proud of those who fight for change, for betterment, for principles. I am proud of the men and women over the last century who have accomplished great things, none of whom were great, none of whom were saints, but many of whom were great. I am proud of the Apollo Project, I am proud of the Civil Rights movement, I am proud of Women's Suffrage (late though it came to us, compared to much of the rest of the civilized world.) I am proud of many things, events, people.
But how is this being proud of my country? What the hell is “America,” anyway?
A country does not consist of the single acts of its individual people. Should it, considering that there are at least two murderers, rapists, and con men for every hero? If we're going to talk about a “country,” let’s talk about the things its government does on a national level.
And I've got just one word for that: realpolitik. “What planet is [Michelle Obama] living on, anyway?” Michelle Malkin asked, with a disdainful curve of her lip. How about the planet Earth?
I'll get back to that in a minute. First I'd like to talk about the right wing. I have read many, many arguments written by people on the more conservative side of the spectrum. I do so because I want to understand them, and after much effort I think I do. I can see their logic. I can see their reasons. Much of the time I can agree that there is no easy solution to the problems they highlight, or concede that there is not only one approach to the issues. The real world is complicated.
The majority of conservative and right wing voters, politicians, and pundits are not evil, or crazy, or even in any technical sense wrong. They are simply proceeding logically from a set of values, of assumptions, that are different from mine. There are a lot of differences between my values and theirs. But the main thread I've seen, underlying every position and argument, is that America and Americans and American interests come first. 100,000 dead Iraqi citizens are not equal in worth to the lives of our brave troops. Human rights apply only to the deserving, and are only for the benefit of accused individuals, and mean nothing to the soul of the community as a whole.
This is a valid belief system, if you accept it. I don't. But you can fairly say that a government and a country's first priority must be protecting its own citizens, its own commerce, its own international relations, above all protecting its own interests abroad. Because if they aren’t serving their people, who are they serving?
That's what most governments, whatever their composition, do. And that’s exactly what America does. America helps America. America serves America. We don’t do what we do out of any kind of principle, or ideal, or greater moral obligation. We do what we do in the world at large because it serves us to do so. In the main part, peace and stability in other nations serves us; war is bad for business, war breeds violence that might (and has!) spilled over onto us.
For the last two hundred years and no less today, America has used its military power to bully weaker countries into opening economic and trade concessions, in order to enrich America's wealth. Does the name Matthew Perry ring a bell? Does anyone honestly believe that the United States forced an armed invasion of the Japan islands and demanded trade concessions at sword-point because we wanted to share the joys of democracy with them? That's one name I can pull out of the top of my head; practically every foreign policy decision the U.S. has made in its history has had some manner of economic agenda attached to it. America looks out for itself, and let exploitable countries beware.
And I'm supposed to be proud?
I do know some people who sincerely believe, after the truth about WMDs came out, that we invaded Iraq as a humanitarian action, in order to save the poor people of Iraq from the fascist dictator committing unspeakable atrocities on them. These people are stupid. There are fascist dictators committing unspeakable atrocities on their own people all over the world, but where it doesn't impact America's concerns America doesn't give a damn.
When we went to war in Iraq, it wasn't because we wanted to liberate the people of Iraq from their cruel oppressor (whom we installed in the first place, because we believed that he would serve our interests there.) It was because we were told, and most of us believed, wrongly as it turns out, that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and posed a threat to us. And if we honestly believed that, and acted to protect ourselves and our people, then from the standpoint of self-interest that was not wrong, but it sure wasn't anything to be proud of.
We promote democracy in countries where democratic governments serve our interests. And if they don't, then we depose them. Look at the history of Middle and South America. Look at the things we've done there. If they hate us, it isn't because they hate our freedoms, you can be sure of that.
This is America. This is the spirit of America. This is the spirit of independence; we look out for ourselves and help ourselves and that is how we remain free and independent, and powerful. This is the spirit of capitalism; that if every man looks to his own self-interest, an invisible hand will smooth the market out to everyone's benefit. And if not, at least we've seen to our own.
There have been times in American history where the system flubs up, and the government commits some act or atrocity that doesn't even accomplish this much – doesn't even serve America's interests. These are mistakes, because nobody’s perfect, they’re flaws and they're forgivable. But the underlying pattern and motives of America is now and always has been, since the day of its inception, selfish and self-serving.
And arrogant. Sometimes the arrogance leads to nobility. Sometimes it leads to cruelty. But it's always there.
The difference between conservatives and me is embodied in their very name. They believe, at the heart of it, that we are perfect as we are. That the only change we need to make is to become more what we already are, to go back to the days when we used to be more like ourselves. And I don't. I'd prefer to style myself a 'progressive' now that 'liberal' is a dirty word, but I doubt the media would buy it.
Obama's big ticket in this election is “change.” And as far as that goes, yes, it’s entirely appropriate for his wife to say that she is not proud of her country, because pride is the stop-dead enemy of change. Shame, or at least humility, is what motivates people to look at your flaws and mistakes, admit they are flaws and mistakes, and strive to correct them. To become better than what we are, what we were.
Don't forget that pride used to be considered a sin. Pride is your way of saying, I don't need to change, because I am perfect the way I am. Or at least, I'm better than all those others out there. My country ignores privacy violates international statutes invades sovereign territories ignores our own constitution tortures inmates but at least we aren't as bad as those other people, right?
Congratulations. We're less evil than a conclave of sadistic mass murderers.
And I'm supposed to be proud?
It's a retarded question, because it's not a simple world and it's not a simple answer. Yes, I am proud to be American, I am proud of the work that my countrymen do. And yes, I am ashamed, ashamedashamedASHAMED of the atrocities that my countrymen have perpetrated, the madness and moral corruption that they perpetuate, of the overwhelming greediness and selfishness and willful blindness that is the spirit of our country today.
And I am not ashamed to be ashamed. And neither should be Michelle Obama.
If someone were to ask me, today, now, “Are you proud of your country?” My first response would probably be “Fuck no.” And my second would be to ask “Why, should I be?”
And my third would probably be “What the hell does it mean, to be proud of your country?”
Michelle Malkin listed all sorts of points of pride in her rabu-rabu-America screed. Some of them I quite agree with. To be proud of our troops (Support the troops! Right-wing talking point 1) who risk their lives and fight bravely to support the lives of American citizens. To be proud of the great work and toil, and the great accomplishments that Americans have done over the last century (and the centuries before that, I guess, although they weren't mentioned.)
I am proud of the men and women who fight and risk their lives. I am proud of the men and women who risk their lives in other ways, volunteering abroad in dangerous places to help relieve the need and suffering of people who live there. I am proud of the men and women who spend their lives and effort and money and energy and souls in toil right here in the United States, doing the same. I am proud of those who fight for change, for betterment, for principles. I am proud of the men and women over the last century who have accomplished great things, none of whom were great, none of whom were saints, but many of whom were great. I am proud of the Apollo Project, I am proud of the Civil Rights movement, I am proud of Women's Suffrage (late though it came to us, compared to much of the rest of the civilized world.) I am proud of many things, events, people.
But how is this being proud of my country? What the hell is “America,” anyway?
A country does not consist of the single acts of its individual people. Should it, considering that there are at least two murderers, rapists, and con men for every hero? If we're going to talk about a “country,” let’s talk about the things its government does on a national level.
And I've got just one word for that: realpolitik. “What planet is [Michelle Obama] living on, anyway?” Michelle Malkin asked, with a disdainful curve of her lip. How about the planet Earth?
I'll get back to that in a minute. First I'd like to talk about the right wing. I have read many, many arguments written by people on the more conservative side of the spectrum. I do so because I want to understand them, and after much effort I think I do. I can see their logic. I can see their reasons. Much of the time I can agree that there is no easy solution to the problems they highlight, or concede that there is not only one approach to the issues. The real world is complicated.
The majority of conservative and right wing voters, politicians, and pundits are not evil, or crazy, or even in any technical sense wrong. They are simply proceeding logically from a set of values, of assumptions, that are different from mine. There are a lot of differences between my values and theirs. But the main thread I've seen, underlying every position and argument, is that America and Americans and American interests come first. 100,000 dead Iraqi citizens are not equal in worth to the lives of our brave troops. Human rights apply only to the deserving, and are only for the benefit of accused individuals, and mean nothing to the soul of the community as a whole.
This is a valid belief system, if you accept it. I don't. But you can fairly say that a government and a country's first priority must be protecting its own citizens, its own commerce, its own international relations, above all protecting its own interests abroad. Because if they aren’t serving their people, who are they serving?
That's what most governments, whatever their composition, do. And that’s exactly what America does. America helps America. America serves America. We don’t do what we do out of any kind of principle, or ideal, or greater moral obligation. We do what we do in the world at large because it serves us to do so. In the main part, peace and stability in other nations serves us; war is bad for business, war breeds violence that might (and has!) spilled over onto us.
For the last two hundred years and no less today, America has used its military power to bully weaker countries into opening economic and trade concessions, in order to enrich America's wealth. Does the name Matthew Perry ring a bell? Does anyone honestly believe that the United States forced an armed invasion of the Japan islands and demanded trade concessions at sword-point because we wanted to share the joys of democracy with them? That's one name I can pull out of the top of my head; practically every foreign policy decision the U.S. has made in its history has had some manner of economic agenda attached to it. America looks out for itself, and let exploitable countries beware.
And I'm supposed to be proud?
I do know some people who sincerely believe, after the truth about WMDs came out, that we invaded Iraq as a humanitarian action, in order to save the poor people of Iraq from the fascist dictator committing unspeakable atrocities on them. These people are stupid. There are fascist dictators committing unspeakable atrocities on their own people all over the world, but where it doesn't impact America's concerns America doesn't give a damn.
When we went to war in Iraq, it wasn't because we wanted to liberate the people of Iraq from their cruel oppressor (whom we installed in the first place, because we believed that he would serve our interests there.) It was because we were told, and most of us believed, wrongly as it turns out, that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and posed a threat to us. And if we honestly believed that, and acted to protect ourselves and our people, then from the standpoint of self-interest that was not wrong, but it sure wasn't anything to be proud of.
We promote democracy in countries where democratic governments serve our interests. And if they don't, then we depose them. Look at the history of Middle and South America. Look at the things we've done there. If they hate us, it isn't because they hate our freedoms, you can be sure of that.
This is America. This is the spirit of America. This is the spirit of independence; we look out for ourselves and help ourselves and that is how we remain free and independent, and powerful. This is the spirit of capitalism; that if every man looks to his own self-interest, an invisible hand will smooth the market out to everyone's benefit. And if not, at least we've seen to our own.
There have been times in American history where the system flubs up, and the government commits some act or atrocity that doesn't even accomplish this much – doesn't even serve America's interests. These are mistakes, because nobody’s perfect, they’re flaws and they're forgivable. But the underlying pattern and motives of America is now and always has been, since the day of its inception, selfish and self-serving.
And arrogant. Sometimes the arrogance leads to nobility. Sometimes it leads to cruelty. But it's always there.
The difference between conservatives and me is embodied in their very name. They believe, at the heart of it, that we are perfect as we are. That the only change we need to make is to become more what we already are, to go back to the days when we used to be more like ourselves. And I don't. I'd prefer to style myself a 'progressive' now that 'liberal' is a dirty word, but I doubt the media would buy it.
Obama's big ticket in this election is “change.” And as far as that goes, yes, it’s entirely appropriate for his wife to say that she is not proud of her country, because pride is the stop-dead enemy of change. Shame, or at least humility, is what motivates people to look at your flaws and mistakes, admit they are flaws and mistakes, and strive to correct them. To become better than what we are, what we were.
Don't forget that pride used to be considered a sin. Pride is your way of saying, I don't need to change, because I am perfect the way I am. Or at least, I'm better than all those others out there. My country ignores privacy violates international statutes invades sovereign territories ignores our own constitution tortures inmates but at least we aren't as bad as those other people, right?
Congratulations. We're less evil than a conclave of sadistic mass murderers.
And I'm supposed to be proud?
It's a retarded question, because it's not a simple world and it's not a simple answer. Yes, I am proud to be American, I am proud of the work that my countrymen do. And yes, I am ashamed, ashamedashamedASHAMED of the atrocities that my countrymen have perpetrated, the madness and moral corruption that they perpetuate, of the overwhelming greediness and selfishness and willful blindness that is the spirit of our country today.
And I am not ashamed to be ashamed. And neither should be Michelle Obama.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 04:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 07:13 am (UTC)