What is Patriotism?

Bo Brusco | November 10, 2020

“This email is for REAL PATRIOTS ONLY!”

This is how readers are often greeted when they open up an email from Trump. One might wonder, “what have I done to earn such a commendable title?” But others question what it really means to be a patriot. We hear the word used often by Trump. In his Fourth of July remarks this year, for example, he said it five times.

Vague language like this is nothing unfamiliar in the 2020 political realm. While Trump repeats his promise to “Make America Great Again,” Joe Biden has pledged to “restore the soul of America,” and “rebuild the backbone of the nation.” Though arguably ambiguous, the meanings of these slogans are still more precise than patriotism’s.

Photo by Jonathan Meyer

A Warning from Orwell

George Orwell had an extraordinary intuition for language. When it comes to political jargon, he said, “democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic, justice have each of them several different meanings which cannot be reconciled with one another,” suggesting that such words are meaningless to the masses. Orwell also noted the danger behind empty semantics, saying “Words of this kind are often used in a consciously dishonest way. That is, the person who uses them has his own private definition, but allows his hearer to think he means something quite different.”

Is it Patriotic to Condone Death and Deception?

A fascinating example of what Orwell articulates here can be found at the beginning of President Nixon’s downfall in 1971. The Vietnam War had been an ongoing issue for America, but it seemed that its conclusion was finally in view. Thanks to Daniel Ellsberg’s efforts to publicly publish the Pentagon Papers, many presidential secrets regarding the Vietnam war were no longer concealed. By enlisting the help of big name publishers like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe, Ellsberg was able to unveil the truths of the matter. The American people were awaking to discover that they had been believing lies that were designed to maintain their support for the presidents’ decision to continue the conflict. On one occasion, Louis Loeb, a partner of the Law Firm that had represented the Times since the 1800’s, tried to convince a Time’s publisher to not go through with printing the Pentagon Papers. Loeb was determined, insisting that it was a “matter of patriotism,” that the Pentagon Papers remain a government secret (Salisbury, 1980, p. 171).

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of patriotism is “love or devotion for one’s country.” It is odd, then, how Loeb suggested that allowing thousands of Americans to die for the sake of government deception is an emblem of love and devotion for our country. Sentiments like this are what make Orwell’s evaluation of empty political rhetoric ring true. When one tries to appeal to a vague sense of national pride, we should cautiously assume that they are doing so in a “consciously dishonest way.” In fact, anytime a political buzz word is spoken we should always ask for specifics when able. 

Be Cognizant of Political Buzz Words

There is an unfortunate amount of buzz words being broadcasted today. When Joe Biden claims he is going to “restore the soul of the nation,” we should pause to consider what such a plan actually entails. When Trump sends emails littered with buzz words like, “they’re Radical Leftists who want to DESTROY the American Dream,” and says that Democrats want to take away “freedom” and “everything,” we should pause to consider what these buzz words and phrases are supposed to mean and why they are being said.

Consider This

The battle over the presidential election results weighs heavily on America’s mind. On social media, many claim that it is unpatriotic not to question the accuracy of the vote counts. Be wary when using such arguments because, as is the nature of the word, one could also argue that it is unpatriotic to challenge the democratic process and ultimately, the voice of the American people.

It feels as though patriotism has devolved into a partisan issue. The Right often claims to be the party of patriots, as is indicated by Trump’s legion of emails saying so, because they profess an unwavering love for America. The Left purports to a realist sense of patriotism—while they do love their country they are aware of its flaws and are determined to see it progress (more details about patriotism and political parties). The voter fraud argument can be bent either way through the lens of patriotism, and so the debate remains foggy. Until we are able to transcend these meaningless buzz words and engage in thoughtful discourse, we are rendered helpless to the one’s wielding such rhetoric in a “consciously dishonest way.”

References

Salisbury, H. E. (1980). Without fear or favor: The New York times and its times. New York, New York: Times Books. doi:https://archive.org/details/withoutfearorfa00sali/page/170/mode/2up