American Patriotism

Armed Liberal over at WindsofChange has a thought provoking discussion of patriotism vs. nationalism. He also has a follow-up to Matt Yglesias' follow-up. Now Yglesias is a very smart guy, but I find him much more reasonable in person (say at BloggingHeads.tv) than in print. I would suggest that Matt likes to be provocative rather then persuasive because provocative keeps readers coming back.

Now, I firmly believe that patriotism is different than nationalism, which is simply a "modern" version of tribalism. Further, there is an American culture that, I think, is clearer to the outside world then to Americans. You see that in the opinion of immigrants, who will often tell you, for example, that the mobility of American society is something foreign to, well, er, foreigners. In most nations-states based on ethnicity, there is a caste system of some sorts...that is, your birth is your destiny. Further, if you are a woman, life can be much, much worse. (In the film The Kingdom, Jennifer Garner walks around Saudi Arabia like it was Phoenix. Uh...no. A woman HAS to cover up in the Kingdom or she risks being beaten. I am not kidding.) I guess it is natural for Americans-by-choice to feel stringer about their chosen country then natural-born Americans.

I am very proud to be an American. My father was seven or eight when the Nazis rolled through his home town in Bosnia fighting Tito and the Partisans; my mother was 12 when the Red Army crushed the Hungarian Revolution and she and her family left everything for Austria. (You will be hard pressed to find two more patriotic Americans.) I do not think it is tribalism to believe firmly in the Western, Judeo-Christian tradition. Nor do I think we are perfect...just the best system so far.