In the days after 9/11, we've been told that there is a great resurgence in "patriotism", and apparently we liberals
just don't get it. Why don't we support the troops? Why don't we get behind the War On Terror
TM?
Corporatists and their apologists view everything in terms of the market, and patriotism is just another product to be sold, right there on the shelf alongside religion and the military. For them it's about making a profit, nothing else. For their followers, buying the product relieves them of the responsibilities of citizenship. Wave a flag, sing a song, chant a slogan, that's all you have to do. Nothing could be easier! And that's just fine with many Americans. Being a patriot, then, means never having to be a citizen.
We liberals outgrew that a long time ago. We know what patriotism means, and we're not buying what they're selling. And that scares them.
(via
Digby)
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