Pride and patriotism explained
December 30, 2001 ~ 10:21 a.m.
BOSTON, MA�Of all the things that I am grateful for this holiday season, chief among them is the opportunity I�ve had to observe the remarkable patriotic solidarity here in America, which is everywhere you turn and still fresh. I have not been in the States anytime this past fall. I was far removed from the pain, anguish and frustration of my fellow countrymen since September 11. I read the news, stayed in touch with family and friends, and the generally supportive attitude of the Brits was of some comfort to me. But what I wanted and needed was to pay my respects and reflect on September�s tragedy on my own native soil.
American flags are everywhere here in Boston�in shop windows, on the tops of cars (including my mother�s), on people�s front doors, draping from street lamps, even festooning town center Christmas trees�as they no doubt are elsewhere across the country. Americans have always eagerly waved their flag in times of peace and happiness, and have never needed a particular reason (excepting the Fourth of July) to do so. But in times of war and trepidation, patriotism is a sight to behold. I have seen this with my own eyes, for the first time since September 11, and even I am blown away. I expected it, but it�s overwhelming, in a heartening, refreshing way.
Other nationalities can�t understand American-style patriotism. How can we be so in love with our national identity all the time? This naturally leads to accusations that Americans are so in love with themselves, they have no notion of life beyond their country�s borders. To which I respond, why does a strong love for our nation automatically blind us to the rest of the world? And why does the rest of the world assume that we are out of touch?
Americans have always eagerly written international pen-pals (I met my wife as the result of a pen-pal relationship), and with the advent of the Internet, we are in touch with folks from all across the globe like never before. Roughly 25-40 percent of the student population at American universities�especially here in Boston where there is a college or university of some sort every five blocks�are international; I encountered students from all over the world in my classes at the University of Massachusetts. Americans also love to travel. A lot of the time, they travel within their own country�perfectly understandable as America is an incredibly diverse place�but American tourists populate the streets and cafes of Montreal, London, Paris, Rome, Bangkok, Tokyo, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janiero, etc., on a never-ending basis. A friend of mine in Texas has set foot on every continent, save Antarctica. And let�s not forget the most important factor�America is a land of immigrants, especially these days when immigration is at its highest peak ever in our history. We have immigrants from all over the world (I, myself, represent only the third-generation from my father�s Irish side of the family). Name a foreign country, and somewhere in America there is a family representing that country. How can any nation that is so heavily dependant upon immigration�and always has been�be blind to the rest of the world?
As we were walking through Harvard Square yesterday on a beautifully sunny day, I mentioned to my wife how proud I was to see this intense display of patriotism. Unlike most of her compatriots, she doesn�t question it. It�s something she�s never really thought about before she married into an American family or came to visit America, but she understands the deal now. The British tend to keep pride in their nation internalized, almost as if they�ve got something to hide�except in when they�re on vacation in the subtropics, wearing Union Jack tank-tops, swilling cans of lager, and strutting around as if they think the British Empire is still alive and well, expecting the natives to bow at their presence. This is true for other nationalities too. Other overseas friends of mine have told me that American pride and patriotism is hard to fathom and that we Americans tend to go a bit overboard.
Well, as Larry Hagman�s character said in Primary Colors, America is a great nation and sometimes we go a little crazy and need to calm down a bit. True. Perhaps we Americans are too boastful at times and our displays of patriotism border on the orgasmic. But is it wrong? Is it right to equate our proud flag-waving with Nazi-like fanaticism? (As one Brit recently did on a forum for American ex-pats living in Britain, the nerve!)
Americans are blessed with the choice to love or leave their country, to love or loathe their government, their fellow countrymen, and their way of life. Ninety-nine percent of us have decided we love it, and we are so grateful to the freedoms our country affords us and to the brilliance of the Founding Fathers who made it all possible, that we wave our flag and hang it from every possible surface. Americans have nothing to hide. If our pride goes overboard, then truly, I wouldn�t have it any other way. You won�t find me telling my fellow Americans to tone it down. We know where we stand, in the world and within ourselves�and that is what our flag-waving is all about.
I have got another week to spend here. And I will continue to revel in every single American flag I see. I�m so glad to be back where I belong, even for a short while. God bless this country!
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
AMERICA FOR TRUE AMERICANS!