I'm tired of people looking at a politician (or anyone, really) and checking off their marks of patriotism. I'm a little tired of 'patriotism' even being in the debate at all. People express their patriotism in different ways. I usually feel that being knowledgeable enough to speak out against certain political moves (or being able to coherently defend them) is the best form of patriotism. While others think rallying around the president in war time is patriotic, I stick by descension being the greatest form of patriotism: speaking out when things are getting too fucked up and doing your part to stop it. That's what it means to be patriotic. It's not lapel pins; it's not car magnets; it's not flags on your antennae. Learn something. Care about something.
Instead, what we have more and more is people looking at a person's name and calling him a terrorist. Or looking at his pin-less lapel and saying he lacks patriotism.
Exactly what does wearing a pin tell me about Barack Obama (or anyone else)? Does it tell me what his economic plan is? Does it tell me his health care views? Does it tell me how long he'll keep the US in Iraq?
No.
He made a choice not to wear a pin because he doesn't wear his patriotism in a small metal button on his jacket. He expresses it by (a) having a vision to fix the country, (b) knowing enough and having plans towards achieving a healthier country, and (c) being bold enough to run for the cursed job on president despite all the hurdles which still lay in front of him.
I don't think it's unpatriotic for Obama (or anyone else) to ignore the lapel pin trend in Washington because the most unpatriotic of people can still pin a little flag on themselves and say they want what's best: fucking SHOW me. I dare you. George W. Bush isn't a patriot; he's an emperor. All his pin tells me is that he knows how to put a pin on his jacket...or, at least, knows someone who can do that task for him.
But this is an old rant that was re-ignited Friday night. All the English classes I've been taking this semester have forced me to spend less time reading news articles and things I would normally fit into my schedule, but I have to have my nightly therapy of either "The Daily Show" or "Real Time With Bill Maher."
This picture was shown on "Real Time" this week:
The picture plainly shows Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, and Hillary Clinton standing in front of an American flag, all with hands over their hearts except Obama. I have been unable to find anything online about what Maher said about the picture, but he claimed that it was being used against Obama: as a sign he does not respect America because his hand was not over his heart. What Obama's opposition neglects to mention is that the photo was not taken during a recitation of "The Pledge Of Allegance" (as even the caption on www.time.com states), rather "The Star-Spangled Banner."
What difference does it make?
The difference is that the only time it is "required" to put your hand over your heart is during the recitation of the former, NOT the latter. It is, in fact, unnecessary and sometimes incorrect to place your hand over your heart for "The Star-Spangled Banner," "God Bless America," or any of America's other theme songs.
I guess this goes back to my main theme: stop feeding me bullshit and show me what you're really about. But, even more to the point, the American public needs to stop eating the bullshit. Wearing a pin and placing your hand over your heart means NOTHING. Nothing. And whether it's Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or someone else: it still means nothing. Prove to me that you're a patriot by acting in a way that promotes the country's well being! Be a fucking public servant and do the job WELL. This country deserves it after eight years of terrible mismanagement and diservice.
Posts
