Solidaristic Patriotism
How I Came To Love My Country in Spite of Its Flaws
For so long, people told me that I was un-American and a traitor to my country because I was critical of the bad parts of America. I was always critical of American foreign policy. I was also critical of indirect and bureaucratic approaches to welfare (means-testing, “affordable housing” measures that make housing more expensive, etc.). I’ve also been highly critical of police and the prison-industrial complex. And, as a result of my libertarian sentiments, I care a great deal about LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, and racial justice. I’ve been influenced by a wide array of political thinkers, but some of the ones that have had the most profound and lasting impact on me are F. A. Hayek, Milton Friedman, G. K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Edmund Burke, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine. You may notice that these are all conservative, libertarian, and republican thinkers. While most people in America today would see my views as “far left,” my actual political orientation is quite centrist and actually right-leaning on certain issues — I’m against insurrectionary violence and revolution, favoring democratic reform; I care more about making sure no one is poor than making sure no one is rich; I oppose big government and unnecessary bureaucracy; I prefer market-oriented solutions to command-and-control approaches to regulation. Politically, I have more in common with Friedman and Hayek than with someone like Bernie Sanders, though I don’t think Sanders is really bad per se.
But, because I have been so vocally not a pathologically aggressive right-wing extremist in an America where far-right extremism is increasingly the norm (especially so in the rural area where I live), nearly everyone has told me that I am anti-America, so much so that for a long time I believed it myself. I can’t help but remember the words of Ammon Hennacy to Utah Phillips:
“You know you love the country. You love it. You come in and out of town on those trains singin’ songs about different places and beautiful people. You know you love the country; you just can’t stand the government. Get it straight.”
This line has always spoken to my soul, and, to a certain extent, it still does. However, it doesn’t perfectly speak to my condition. I don’t hate the government per se, I just hate certain things it does and how it’s often used. I don’t know if you have noticed, but I’ve become a bit of a policy wonk. I can talk for hours about the beauty of a tax. I can write long dissertations on climate policy, healthcare policy, and welfare policy. I don’t hate government in principle. And, though I am frequently critical of what it does, I also don’t entirely hate it in practice either. Hell, back when I was still in my anarchist phase I supported law and order, democracy, taxation, welfare, and national defense — I just wanted the polity to be more libertarian, more voluntary, and more democratic. I thought that decision-making, taxing, policing, welfare, and national defense needed to be done anarchistically, not that they didn’t need to be done. Ultimately, I ended up coming to agree with George Bernard Shaw and William Morris that the anarchism of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Peter Kropotkin is really just a shade of social democracy. The anarchists that I liked most — e.g. Proudhon, Kropotkin, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Murray Bookchin, Chris Hedges, David Graeber, et al. — are all well within the republican tradition and most of them are fundamentally centrists. The republican tradition is a deep and rich tradition, which includes the best of anarchist thinkers as well as the most enlightened governmentalists. Ultimately, I departed from anarchism and began to identify with the broader republican tradition. And the republican tradition is quintessentially American.
There’s a lot of things about America that I love. I love the ideas of the Founding Fathers, especially Jefferson and Paine, but I’m even sympathetic to John Adams and Alexander Hamilton (though I think Adams’ legacy, in practice, may have done more harm than good). I love both republicanism and federalism. The Declaration of Independence, especially Jefferson’s original draft, stands out as one of the greatest pieces of literature in the English language. Thomas Paine’s Agrarian Justice is just as monumental in its stature. These works aren’t just great because of their literary character but because of the principles and ideas that they espouse.
Honestly, the only thing I hate about America is that it so often fails to live up to the ideals of republicanism and federalism upon which it was founded. My criticism of America has always been the areas in which it compromised its principles. The three-fifths clause, the electoral college, allowing the institution of slavery to persist for so long — these were all instances where America sat aside its principles in favor of compromise in the face of fucked-up historical circumstances. But, in recent years, America has not just been compromising on its principles but outright abandoning them. And, to be honest, the largest share of the blame for America straying away from the ideas and principles of the Founders falls squarely on the shoulders of the Republican Party, its voter base, and the right-wing libertarian movement. If Jefferson, Madison, or Paine rose from the dead and ran a political campaign today, the entire Republican Party would demonize them as being “unpatriotic,” “socialists,” and “haters of America.” It’s truly ironic that the most anti-republican establishment in the history of the world bears the name “the Republican Party.”
There is a lot of bad, and the bad so often outweighs the good, in both American history and in the present moment. America, in this sense, is like Tupac. Tupac is the greatest of all time because he’s the most human. He represents the best of the best and the worst of the worst. The man was a walking contradiction: a saint and a sinner at the same time. In one song, he calls for an end to violence and misogyny but, in the next, he glorifies fighting and murder. Yet, that is precisely the human condition! When I listen to a Tupac album, I can’t help but think of what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said in The Gulag Archipelago about ‘the line dividing good and evil cutting through the heart of every human being.’ Tupac is the archetypal man. We’ve all got great ideals, principles, and values that we sometimes live up to and sometimes fall short of.
America is the sociological equivalent of that same archetypal image — the archetypal image of man with a good/evil duality built into his nature. America pulled a lot of people out of poverty with its free enterprise system and liberated millions with its unique approach to taxation, spending, and welfare, but it also enslaved millions, murdered countless innocent civilians in a holocaust when it ruthlessly bombed Nagasaki and Hiroshima — and did this in spite of knowing that Japan had already surrendered! — , and it even knowingly poisoned its own soldiers with Agent Orange. When it comes to those bad parts of America, Jeremiah Wright was right! So often patriotism is just blind nationalism, singing “God bless America” and overlooking all the injustices being carried out in her name. A real person or nation is bound to be a mixed bag of good and evil, and, consequently, is bound to warrant both praise and strong condemnation. Cops are routinely killing people with impunity, children are dying in concentration camps, and racist drug laws are perpetuating the institution of slavery in modern America, while poverty is on the rise directly as the result of shitty government policy — so don’t expect me to blindly sing “God bless America” and act like a good little bootlicking nationalist shithead. No, I won’t join your idiotic cult! Wright’s “God damn America!” is just as much a necessary part of the dialectic as the “God bless America” is. If that offends your patriotic sentiment, then to hell with your fake patriotism! A just God has to carry out justice, which means blessing the Israelites when they behave righteously and cursing them when they behave unethically.
At the same time, there’s a lot that I like about the government, even with the current administration and the Republican Party rapidly trying to dismantle anything good and decent in America. It’s not just the ideas of the Founders that I like. I also like a lot of the government policy and institutions that America has given us throughout its history. The progressive income tax system with high marginal rates on top tax brackets ensured that wages rose as the economy grew, guaranteeing that the working class became better off as the nation became more prosperous. That created a true trickle-down economy, where prosperity for the corporations led to rising wages for the workers. Unfortunately, Nixon and Reagan era “Trickle-Down” policies have largely destroyed the efficacy of the tax system that actually made wealth trickle down! (I’ve explained marginal taxes and how this system historically kept wages high in another essay of mine.) Social Security and Medicare guaranteed some level of income and access to healthcare to the elderly who can no longer work and, quite honestly, shouldn’t have to. OSHA gave us decent working conditions. The EPA helped ensure that we all have access to clean air and water. These quintessentially American institutions are all quite beautiful. That’s the America I love.
I don’t hate the government. I see it for what it is. It’s a mixed bag of good and evil. America and its government has that line which divides good and evil running right through its heart, constantly shifting and moving about. Sometimes it is better and sometimes worse. Sometimes, as when it dropped those bombs on Japan, it is damned near pure evil! Sometime, as when it uses its power to reduce poverty and protect the environment, it is angelic and benevolent beyond compare. When we love our country, we have a moral duty to also hate those bad things about it. You ought to love your grandfather, but you also ought to hate his racism. If we are to be realistic about America, any patriotism we may feel must be a critical patriotism.
There is a large body of literature on the sociological phenomenon of patriotism. As with anything else, patriotism is just a word that we created. Like “capitalism,” “socialism,” “democracy,” “liberalism,” and “anarchy,” it means different things in different contexts. It means different things to different people. Words and ideas lack any fundamental essence. Our conceptions and understandings are constantly changing. What we mean by a certain term is different at different times, in different contexts, and to different people. Broadly speaking, patriotism means “a sense of positive identification with and feelings of affective attachment to one’s country.” This can be either a positive thing or a negative thing. Patriotism can be a blind nationalism or a critical and constructive solidarism. It can be guided by bootlicking idiocy or by civic virtue. Unfortunately, most people who are patriotic are the bad sorts of patriots! Their patriotism is militaristic, based in ignorance, and uncritical.
Critical patriotism (or constructive patriotism) recognizes the nation’s flaws alongside its virtues. The constructive patriot sees everything that’s wrong with America and seeks to set it right! People like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex, the Obamas, and myself are not un-American or unpatriotic! We are critical of America when it is wrong precisely because we love this country! We see that America is not living up to its core values and principles and are offering constructive criticism. I may disagree with Ocasio-Cortez and Obama about what ought to be done, and I have been strongly critical of both of them when it comes to policy issues and personal conduct, but I also recognize them as greatly patriotic individuals. They are fighting to make America better. They are trying to make America what it ought to be! They see this country falling short of the great principles upon which it was founded and demand that we set things right! They aren’t trying to destroy America — they’re trying to fix America. They’re offering constructive criticism and trying to push policies that they believe will make America stronger, better, and more prosperous. If you think that they are un-American or unpatriotic, then you are just a blind fool. One can rationally disagree with their proposals but if anyone does not recognize their patriotism, that person is obviously not a patriot themselves in any positive sense.
True patriotism must not be a bootlicking militaristic mindset that causes one to weep upon seeing a flag flying or demand that others stand for the National Anthem. That, my friend, is just idiotic nationalism. That is just sentimental, brainwashed, secular religion for the mindless masses. That’s the mental illness that allows fascism to win! Sadly, that’s the false patriotism that most people who self-identify as “patriots” are pushing. If that’s what you’re pushing, then to hell with your patriotism! Fuck that! True patriotism must be constructive and critical. The policy wonk that does her research to determine what policies are best for America is the true patriot. The people who promote policies and activities that help the poor are true patriots. The people serving food to the homeless, fighting for LGBTQ rights, participating in non-violent protests for change, and standing in solidarity with struggling women and people of color, those are the true patriots! The asshole with an American flag flying in the bed of his truck, who throws garbage out his window as he drives by, is no patriot at all. The man who flies his flag, watches Fox News, stockpiles guns, but has never volunteered at a soup kitchen is no true patriot. He is just a blind nationalist! True patriotism is not only constructive but also solidaristic. I am in favor of both constructive patriotism and solidaristic patriotism but, unfortunately, I find that the vast majority of self-identifying “patriots” are really just blind nationalists. Nationalistic patriotism is utter garbage — the hallmark of a weak mind and low moral character.
As a constructive patriot, I recognize that certain American policies are bad. I also recognize that certain American values and characteristics (e.g. excessive consumerism, chauvinism, sexism, racism, lack of care for the environment, and hostility to science) are harmful and do not reflect the better principles and values upon which this nation was founded. Yet, these bad values are so prevalent that they are enshrined in the American identity. To a certain extent, to be an American is to be a racist, a sexist, and a moron. The nationalistic patriot all too often exemplifies these bad aspects of American identity. As a constructive patriot, I think we need to reshape our American identity on these points. We need to change what it means to be American. At the same time, I am still an American. I recognize that there is more to the American identity than those bad characteristics. The hicks, hillbillies, and rednecks, in their extreme poverty, though they often embody the worst of those negative traits such as racism and sexism, are also so often the most eager to lend a helping hand. When their neighbors are in need, they will go so far as to give them the shirts right off their own backs. While they burn tires and throw garbage on the ground, they will quickly jump into action and lend a helping hand if they see their neighbor struggling to do yard work. When a tornado rips through a town or a hurricane wipes out a city, every single person leaps into action. When the Twin Towers fell on that dreadful day, everyone worked together to get people to safety. In those moments, the best of American values shine through. In those moments, there are no black people or white people — just fellow Americans. The best parts of the American identity (anti-racism, solidarity, integrity, work ethic, charity, etc.) shine through in those moments of tragedy. This is because it is in those moments that we recognize that we are really all in this together. Though Glenn Beck quite often represents some of the worst American characteristics (e.g. conspiratorial thinking, irrational fear/anger, etc.), his observations on the solidaristic spirit that prevailed on 9/12/2001 are worth listening to. This solidaristic spirit is one of the hallmarks of true patriotism.
I am a proponent of solidaristic patriotism. The solidaristic patriot recognizes that we are all in this together. We are all Americans. As patriotic Americans, it is our responsibility — our duty — to care about and help other Americans as much as we can. As an American, you have a responsibility to those people who are the worst off among us. When there is homelessness, we have a responsibility to help the homeless and to struggle to eliminate homelessness. When black people are systematically allowed to fall through the cracks, are disproportionately punished in comparison to white people for the same crimes, and regularly murdered by police who enjoy impunity, we have a duty as Americans to speak up and take action. We have a duty to stand in solidarity with the downtrodden and the oppressed. When queers and trans people are statistically more likely to be victims of violence and murder than cis-heterosexual people, we have a duty as Americans to protect them. The black man in prison for selling pot because he was trying to put food on the table for his daughter is just as much an American as any soldier or cop. The fact that he may permanently be deprived of his right to vote because of the tragic historical circumstances that led to his enslavement — I say enslavement because that is what prison truly is! — is an injustice against a fellow American that no true patriot can tolerate. The true patriot must stand in solidarity with his fellow Americans. He cannot just stand in solidarity with his own class. He must stand in solidarity with all Americans. And this is why he must be critical of America because America has failed some of his fellow Americans. As a solidaristic patriot, standing in solidarity with all of my fellow Americans, including the poor and oppressed, I cannot be uncritical of America. The solidaristic patriot is a critical patriot in the very nature of the case. At the same time, he is a constructive patriot — what can the goal of his criticism be other than to advocate for reform? As a patriot, I must see injustices for what they are and call them out. And all true patriots must work together to set these things right!
Throughout this post, I have embedded clips of James Baldwin and Martin Luther King, Jr. I hope the reader will find their relevance obvious. In all of American history, two of the most prominent voices of solidaristic patriotism and constructive patriotism were Baldwin and King. These men vocally criticized everything that was wrong with America, but they put that criticism to constructive use and, standing in solidarity with their fellow Americans, fought to set things right. That is what true patriotism is.
True patriotism is also transcendental, being rooted in solidarity rather than nationalism. We root our patriotism in our solidarity with other members of our nation, but the basis of solidarity is humanity. We can stand in solidarity with other people because we share a common human nature. Since solidarity is rooted in humanity and humanism, solidaristic patriotism tends towards internationalism. There is a self-transcending tendency in solidaristic patriotism. While the solidaristic patriot holds his fellow countrymen nearest to his heart, he also tends to be a globalist and an internationalist. He cares about the entire global community of humankind. Family takes precedence over strangers, but at times a man must leave his family to serve his nation. Your own country takes precedence over foreign nations, but when there are catastrophes and crises overseas a man will leave his nation behind to go help out. This is just putting things in the right order: humanity comes first!
