patriotism

I was reading a recent article from John Gray of The Observer, a UK publication, whose title/subtitle read: "A shattering moment in America's fall from power: The global financial crisis will see the US falter in the same way the Soviet Union did when the Berlin Wall came down. The era of American dominance is over" In the article, Gray takes note of the “interaction of debt and war” in determining the future of an empire, and cites the British and Soviet Union empires as historical examples. Nevertheless, I must ask, weren’t there Americans who realized that the fall of the United States as a world empire was already taking place before the crash of Wall Street?

In my current fellowship placement at The Greenlining Institute, a multi-ethnic public policy and research advocacy organization, we address systemic inequities. The Green Assets/Sustainable Development Program for example, looks at low-income populations and communities of color accessibility to a world that is increasingly “going green.” This team looks at corporate responsibility and government regulation since history shows that corporations have maintained unsustainable energy practices that have disproportionately affected low-income people of color. For example, the expansion of the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California , contributed to high rates of neurodegenerative diseases and asthma in its population, 49.8% of which is African American. The Higher Education Team looks at predatory lending to and credit card debt among college students, and how California is able to continue expanding its prison system while decreasing financial aid and raising college tuition. Our Media Academy takes a critical look at mainstream media and how certain news make headlines while other issues that matter to our community go unnoticed. Thus, the Academy serves to take back media and feature stories that matter to Greenlining, our Coalition, and the communities we serve. As part of the Bridges to Health Team, as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I look at language and cultural competency in telemedicine, or, the use of technology in accessing health services. Some of my other colleagues are looking at diversity in the University of California’s medical schools, or lack thereof, and how this contributes to a health workforce that is unable to provide quality care to the diverse communities of California.

But, the Founding Fathers have shown when they split from the English King, you can only maintain your power and suppress your people for so long until the pedestal is pulled from your feet. In our situation, America can only intoxicate, lock up, and keep its citizens from being viable contributors society vis-à-vis having access to a decent education and being competitive in the job market, for so long until it too, must face the karma of injustice and meet its end.

So what do we now?

As my time at Greenlining has reaffirmed, maybe we can start by not obsessing over our stock options and instead, begin to invest in people.

First off, thanks to Mike Connery for allowing us to guest blog here at Future Majority. My name is Jeff Kramer and I'm part of the national staff at Swing Semester, guest-guest blogging for Anima LaVoy, our executive director.

Forgive me for a moment for asking you to spend three minutes of your life watching Fox News, but bear with me. Watch the following video (if you dare).

(if the embedded video doesn't load, click here)

What happened to patriotism? Where and when did this concept become so marginalized, so bastardized, so meaningless? How have we allowed this to happen? We have officially arrived at the lowest common denominator - blind, hysterical, raving jingoism. Is it truly the idea to say America is the "greatest, best country God has ever given Man on the face of the Earth" loud enough and often enough to make it true? Let's forget the fact that cultural imperialism does not equate a country with greatness and evaluate the message. Is America about "baseball, apple pie, and kicking your f***ing ass"? Do we ignore every fault, every misstep, every mistake?

As progressives, we must not. We must not let patriotism be defined by others who seek to use it as a weapon and as a wedge, to divide and not to unite. We must not let patriotism be reduced to propaganda as seen in the video above. It must be returned to something meaningful, something important and something true. Patriotism must be defined as Jane Addams once did, "Unless our conception of patriotism is progressive, it cannot hope to embody the real affection and the real interest of the nation."

At Swing Semester, we seek not only to reclaim and redefine patriotism but activism as well. Our mission is to create citizens and true patriots that care about their country in a tangible and real way. We offer the nation’s first political immersion program, providing a bridge from interest to action for college students, recent graduates, and other young people who care deeply about their country and want to be a part of American history. This September, over 250 passionate young people will venture out to eight cities in critical “swing” states for 10 weeks of intensive electoral work. For those taking off school, academic credit will be available. Participants will live with host families, work in field campaigns, and engage in critical thinking to better understand this country and themselves.

We are in this fight for the long term to achieve the literal definition of this website, a future majority of informed, true and progressive citizens. Join us at www.swingsemester.org (launching tomorrow!).

We'll leave you with a quote from Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer's book The True Patriot, one of the texts on our program syllabus and one of our partners:
"I confidently trust that the American people will prove themselves … too wise not to detect the false pride or the dangerous ambitions or the selfish schemes which so often hide themselves under that deceptive cry of mock patriotism: "Our country, right or wrong!" They will not fail to recognize that our dignity, our free institutions and the peace and welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of true patriotism: "Our country — when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right."