Yank patriotism, sunny facades for nationalism, & expiration dates

[C C]

These should be the end times for American patriotism
https://aeon.co/ideas/these-should-be-th...patriotism

EXCERPT: . . . One of the conceits of American patriotism – that it is a salubrious version of the pernicious nationalism that other countries have – has helped to protect it from critical questioning of almost any type. The kinds of 20th-century Leftist political movements that in principle opposed nationalism fared poorly in the US, and this might be why popular justifications for the country’s patriotism tend to be shallow. They are often based on appeals to treasured details of family or community life [...] All nationalisms make sentimental appeal to intimate but generic experience, and the effects can help to raise armies and start wars. They carry, in other words, formidable political force. But they are not any kind of serious moral or intellectual case for patriotism.

American patriotism is in some ways old. It is notable for being perhaps the first nationalism in the fully modern sense of the concept, ie the loyalty to nation of a kingless people. Some of its defining qualities have changed very little, including the distinctive cult of the ‘founding fathers’, which began while they were still living. [...] Talking about ‘the founders’, declaring loyalty to them and their texts, has been second only to military service as an effective way for immigrants and descendants of slaves to assimilate, and to become, at least in one sense, American. [...]

American patriotism has always depended on conjuring alleged conspiracies from migrants or outsiders bearing existential threats: foreign devils all. Throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, it was Catholicism. [...] That’s why people who take the oath to become citizens must renounce allegiance to any foreign ‘potentate’, that is, the Pope. Then the Cold War made it communism: [...] a nebulous and formidable global power, yet also moving invisibly in the hearts and minds of immigrants, to undermine the country from within. [...]

[...] This core component of American patriotism – the popular conviction in a world-historical role for the US – is unlikely to continue. First, it is increasingly difficult not to notice that in many basic matters of government and society, including healthcare, public education, gender equity, social mobility and prosperity, economic fairness, childcare, environment and more, the US has fallen behind most of the developed world. [...] Secondly, the wars. Wars are nation-making events, but they can also be unmaking ones. If your patriotism is linked to pretensions of a world-historical role, what do you do when the world chooses not to emulate you [...] Mere military supremacy [...] is unlikely to be enough to sustain [...] American patriotism.

[...] The sacred status of American patriotism in the US indicates only an ideological strength, not moral or intellectual soundness....

MORE: https://aeon.co/ideas/these-should-be-th...patriotism

[Syne]

There's nothing wrong with nationalism. Everyone has the right to defend and promote their own national interests. To say otherwise is to deny they have the natural right to defend and promote their own individual self-interest.

Nationalism is a political, social, and economic system characterized by promoting the interests of a particular nation particularly with the aim of gaining and maintaining self-governance, or full sovereignty, over the group's homeland. The political ideology therefore holds that a nation should govern itself, free from unwanted outside interference, and is linked to the concept of self-determination. Nationalism is further oriented towards developing and maintaining a national identity based on shared characteristics such as culture, language, race, religion, political goals or a belief in a common ancestry. Nationalism therefore seeks to preserve the nation's culture. It often also involves a sense of pride in the nation's achievements, and is closely linked to the concept of patriotism. In some cases, nationalism referred to the belief that a nation should be able to control the government and all means of production.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism

The leftist problem with nationalism is their idiotic conflation of nationalism with imperialism.

There are legitimate reasons for war, and legitimate reasons not to give up freedom for freebies. Even though leftists think the US has fallen behind, it still leads the whole world when there's not a pansy at its helm, e.g. Obama's "lead from behind". Canada wants us to strengthen our southern border, so it has fewer illegal immigrants crossing its own. Most the middle-East wants the US to thwart Iran, even if that means siding with Israel. European countries are having to dramatically pare back their social programs for lack of funding. There is no pretension that as America goes so goes the world. Facts demonstrate it.

This article is obviously a leftist screed.