The original diary appears below, just after the added live video (the extremely powerful original video is apparently no longer available, which has recently reappeared [h/t CalreD in comments] (Live version moved to the bottom of the diary):
David Kaib said something that might seem very small at first. But it's about language, and language is about defining reality, and (a) that's the first step to changing reality and (b) that's very much what today's little exercise here on Open Left is all about:
Here's my hope
That we can start with the small step of calling this day Independence Day, not Fourth of July. It recently struck me how odd it is to refer to the day by its date - the only holiday I can think of we do that for. Is there any doubt that his is because of its political content - like so much political language, this seems to be an example of "blunt[ing] the too sharply pointed."
From there, I hope that we can reconnect with the meaning of today (this post by Paul, and Mike's above, are great starts) and other holidays - like MLK and Labor Day. Perhaps we might also use this day as a chance to think about the ways we have yet to root out royalism / aristocracy in our culture - whether that be the way we treat presidents, senators, celebrities, or the rich. Or perhaps maybe (it's a small thing, I know), I could go to the grocery store and not have to see magazines detailing the lives of British princes
I couldn't think about any of the above-Independence Day, reclaiming meaning, calling things by their true names--without immediately thinking about another, closely-related meaning of "Independence Day," the Gretchen Peters song made famous by Martina McBride, a song which embodies its own set of contested meanings that resonate powerfully with what we've been talking about here today, and which became a part of campaign contest last fall. Here's the Wikipedia entry on its background:
The lyrics tell a story of a woman's response to domestic abuse, seen from the point of view of her daughter. The song's music video was somewhat controversial at the time of its release, because of its graphic depiction of domestic violence. The ending of the video is particularly intense, as it shows the young girl's home burning to the ground, implying that the mother had been responsible for the fire, and that she and the abusive father both perished in the fire.
The lyrics have a double meaning in that the woman in the story is finally gaining her "freedom" from her abusive husband. Thus, it is her "independence day." The title also refers to the fact that the events noted in the song happened on America's Independence Day, or July 4.
And its use in politics:
Writer Gretchen Peters has objected to Hannity's use of the song, and engaged in a "personal protest" by donating to organizations such as ACLU, PFLAG and MoveOn.org. When the song was used to introduce Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin at a rally in October 2008, Peters publicly announced that she considered the use of the theme, in view of Palin's opposition to abortion even in cases of rape and incest to be "beyond irony" and that "[Palin] represented the opposite of what this song really is all about". She said that she intended to donate all royalties from the song during the election cycle to Planned Parenthood, in Gov. Palin's name.
I would have embeded the video as part of this diary, but embeding has been disabled. It's quite powerful, and you can see it here. Lyrics on the flip.
Like most boys, I grew up interested in weapons and war, from toy guns to model fighter planes to heavily-armed Transformers. Maybe I was drawn to the simplistic morality of "good guys versus bad guys" and "kill or be killed", or the allure of the power to bring death and destruction when children rarely have control over anything. With a patriotism bred into me from both school and patriotic institutions like the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts, there was also a pride in the idea of fighting and risking one's life for one's country, as well as an image of manliness and heroism that only the military seemed to provide.
In short, I wasn't too different from Ron Kovic, who grew up wanting desperately to join the military so he could defend his country, prove his patriotism and be a hero in the vein of his idol, John Wayne. But after volunteering for the Marines out of high school so he could fight in Vietnam, Kovic was soon exposed to the unheroic horrors of actual war, shattering his naive image of war's nobility that he had carried since a child. And after being paralyzed from the chest down and experiencing the terrible treatment veterans received from both the VA hospital and by Americans who cared little for his sacrifice, his faith in God, country and government was irrevocably shaken.
But Kovic didn't give up on his country -- he redefined his love for it. He wrote a book about his experiences called Born On the Fourth of July and became a vocal activist against the Vietnam war, and continues to fight for peace to this day. And by doing so, he became a different kind of patriot than he ever thought he would be.
In 1989, his book was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise, also called Born On the Fourth of July, which changed my view of war and patriotism forever. See my ReThink Review of Born On the Fourth of July and my discussion with Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks about the film and patriotism below.
It seems like everywhere you look these days, someone's trying to spread...The Fear.
All around us...in every town...on every corner...a massive Army Of Fear is standing by, according to the Messengers, ready at a moment's notice to obey the dictates of some unappointed Czar or another.
Just ask Glenn Beck: concentration camps for the white people, jackbooted stormtroopers ready to snatch the guns from your cold dead fingers...Socialist Government-Controlled Healthcare That Threatens Your Not Socialist Medicare...it's all coming, my friends-and unless we organize, as a community, to return to the values of the Founding Fathers, The Government, meaning that awful Obama and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and George Soros and all the other Evil Community Organizers, will win.
There's no government, we're told, like no government.
You know who would find all of this fear of self-government just entirely bizarre?
The Founding Fathers.
In today's conversation we'll consider the fundamentals of American patriotism, we'll ask one of those Founding Fathers how he saw the role of Government-and we'll toss in a few words from Abraham Lincoln, just for good measure.
David Kaib said something that might seem very small at first. But it's about language, and language is about defining reality, and (a) that's the first step to changing reality and (b) that's very much what today's little exercise here on Open Left is all about:
Here's my hope
That we can start with the small step of calling this day Independence Day, not Fourth of July. It recently struck me how odd it is to refer to the day by its date - the only holiday I can think of we do that for. Is there any doubt that his is because of its political content - like so much political language, this seems to be an example of "blunt[ing] the too sharply pointed."
From there, I hope that we can reconnect with the meaning of today (this post by Paul, and Mike's above, are great starts) and other holidays - like MLK and Labor Day. Perhaps we might also use this day as a chance to think about the ways we have yet to root out royalism / aristocracy in our culture - whether that be the way we treat presidents, senators, celebrities, or the rich. Or perhaps maybe (it's a small thing, I know), I could go to the grocery store and not have to see magazines detailing the lives of British princes
I couldn't think about any of the above-Independence Day, reclaiming meaning, calling things by their true names--without immediately thinking about another, closely-related meaning of "Independence Day," the Gretchen Peters song made famous by Martina McBride, a song which embodies its own set of contested meanings that resonate powerfully with what we've been talking about here today, and which became a part of campaign contest last fall. Here's the Wikipedia entry on its background:
The lyrics tell a story of a woman's response to domestic abuse, seen from the point of view of her daughter. The song's music video was somewhat controversial at the time of its release, because of its graphic depiction of domestic violence. The ending of the video is particularly intense, as it shows the young girl's home burning to the ground, implying that the mother had been responsible for the fire, and that she and the abusive father both perished in the fire.
The lyrics have a double meaning in that the woman in the story is finally gaining her "freedom" from her abusive husband. Thus, it is her "independence day." The title also refers to the fact that the events noted in the song happened on America's Independence Day, or July 4.
And its use in politics:
Writer Gretchen Peters has objected to Hannity's use of the song, and engaged in a "personal protest" by donating to organizations such as ACLU, PFLAG and MoveOn.org. When the song was used to introduce Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin at a rally in October 2008, Peters publicly announced that she considered the use of the theme, in view of Palin's opposition to abortion even in cases of rape and incest to be "beyond irony" and that "[Palin] represented the opposite of what this song really is all about". She said that she intended to donate all royalties from the song during the election cycle to Planned Parenthood, in Gov. Palin's name.
I would have embeded the video as part of this diary, but embeding has been disabled. It's quite powerful, and you can see it here. Lyrics on the flip.
Another comment worthy of reflection. Almost all of us have similar family stories we could tell, except for those exclusively descended from slaves and Native Americans. They're all remarkably similar in essence, regardless of race, or when our ancestors came. Yet, in nuance, meaning and significance, even within the same family, even between siblings, they can be remarkably different, as they define us and we define them:
Mine is the American story of an immigrant. The family legend has that my grandfather arrived here on his 18th birthday. He met and married my grandmother who had emigrated from the same Eastern European country.
My grandfather would work for over 50 years in the steel mills and be one of the first steel workers to become part of a labor union. During the depression they took in relatives to house and feed, grew gardens and geese and chickens.
Some of their children would not make it to adulthood but the seven that did all become successful in their own way. One even made it to college and became an engineer for U.S. Steel. My own father and mother had a successful small business though neither of my parents graduated from high school.
I have watched waves of immigrants reach our shore, first from Cuba, then Viet Nam, now from Mexico, Poland, Russia, and India. Each has the unique story. Some come here without anything; some come armed with a good education and a skill. Each has come to try a new life in a country where opportunity seems limitless and wide open spaces still exist. I marvel at their bravery to come to a country with a foreign language and often very foreign customs. I wonder if I could adjust to new land as my grandparents did before me.
One thing I am sure of those is that the immigrants that come to our shore have made us stronger. They bring to us the best of their homelands and we are the benefactors. These are the exceptional few that have courage and the ability to embrace change. The immigrant story is the backbone of this country and it is the backbone of my story.
My father was born on the Fourth of July and so as a family this was always a day of great celebration. So it has always been in my life this day is always seen as a day for new beginnings and new horizons.
Today let us celebrate all that is good in our country and to remember that there is still work to do so that the blessings are secured for the next generation and every generation thereafter.
And the other clip is Maurice Cheeks helping a young gal get through the anthem at an NBA game when she was screwed up and was about to give up singing.
Most Americans are unaware that much of our patriotic culture--including many of the leading icons and symbols of American identity--was created by artists and writers of decidedly left-wing and even socialist sympathies. A look at the songs sung at post-9/11 patriotic tribute events and that appear on the various patriotic compilation albums, or the clips incorporated into film shorts celebrating the "American spirit," reveals that the preponderance of these originated in the forgotten tradition of left-wing patriotism.
As I announced earlier this week, , I want to do something special for the 4th of July this weekend, and this is where it starts, I'm inviting everyone in the Open Left community to join me in taking back patriotism from the know-nothing rightwing jingoists, by sharing what America means to you, whether from your own direct experience, or from the lives or writings of others who have inspired you.
As I said in that earlier diary, our country has always had its flaws--and below the fold, in my personal sharing to kick things off, I'll have more to say about that. Here, I just want to invite join with me, posting your stories or thoughts about what being an American means to you, what it should mean to all of us, or anything else you wish to write on a truly patriotic theme.
It's okay to respond to one another, of course. But mostly, I hope that people will use the comments to speak to us all. Sometime tomorrow, after people have had sufficient time to contribute, and to rate each others contritubions, I will repost the most recommended comments--plus, perhaps, my own personal favorites--either as separate front page entries, or in thematic groupings if that seems more appropriate, to spur further discussion of what true patriotism means to all of us.
So, start your patriotic juices flowing, folk. This is a Fourth for all of us to hold forth.
Most Americans are unaware that much of our patriotic culture--including many of the leading icons and symbols of American identity--was created by artists and writers of decidedly left-wing and even socialist sympathies. A look at the songs sung at post-9/11 patriotic tribute events and that appear on the various patriotic compilation albums, or the clips incorporated into film shorts celebrating the "American spirit," reveals that the preponderance of these originated in the forgotten tradition of left-wing patriotism.
I want to do something special for the 4th of July this weekend. I want to invite everyone in the Open Left community to join me in taking back patriotism from the know-nothing rightwing jingoists.
Of course our country has always had its flaws--slavery and genocide are pretty hard to overlook, just for starters. But we were the very first modern democracy, and the first geographically extensive republic in all human history, as well as the first secular republic. Although imperfect, we were from the beginning profoundly liberal, which means that we were prepared, at some level, to own up to our imperfections, and do something to about them.
And so, the Declaration of Independence was a liberal document, as was the Constitution. But not only that, as the article quoted above reminds us. The Pledge of Allegiance was written by a Christian socialist, as an antidote to the the selfish, robber baron-worshiping mentality of the day. "America, the Beautiful" was written by an anti-imperialist lesbian. And so I want to invite you to join in that tradition.
I invite you to start thinking and writing in advance, and then, on July, post your stories or thoughts about what being an American means to you, or if you prefer, what it should mean to all of us, or anything else you wish to write on a truly patriotic theme.
At midnight on the 4th, I will post a diary where people can make their entries as comments, and the most recommended comments--plus my own personal favorites, will then be reposted, either as separate front page entries, or in thematic groupings if that seems more appropriate.
So, start your patriotic juices flowing, folk. This is a Fourth for all of us to hold forth.
You can watch Naomi Wolf interviewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... on her new book "Give me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries" and the recent materialization of the "coup" in the US.
Wolf has made a study of how democracies are subverted and ultimately "shut down". She wrote this up in "The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot"
"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." - Samuel Johnson, April 7, 1775.
"In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce, 1911
Obama's sudden lunge to the right has many facets to it. For one thing, as Arianna Huffington argued, it was supremely stupid politically, going against everything that had previously distinguished him-which only intensified the question of why he did it. This short diary series is an attempt to answer that question in terms of the larger history of American politics that shaped this political moment-a larger history that has shaped Obama in ways he seems quite ignorant of.
It also draws on concepts of cultural hegemony and culture war as originally conceived by the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci, particularly a concept of "culture war" much deeper and more penetrating than is generally connoted by the term.. Although Gramsci was clearly a man of the left, his formulations have been widely embraced. No less a figure on the right than Rush Limbaugh wrote about him in his 1992 book, See, I Told You So. And Limbaugh, unlike Obama, actually understood what the term "culture war" means-it is a struggle for control over the cultural institutions whose influence determines what is taken for granted in talking about political reality.
The rightwing control of talk radio is a perfect example of such control, an example that crucially depended on Reagan's FCC overturning the decades-old "Fairness Doctrine." Using the public airwaves to repeatedly demonize large segments of the American people without opportunity for a reply is the sort of fundamental abuse of the public trust on which conservative power is based. This single example alone should suffice to show that the idea Obama promulgates, that we can simply put the culture wars behind us by an act of political will, is both enormously appealing and utterly deluded.
After watching that last ABC debateerr... talkerr... mud wrestling extravaganza “about” politics, I wanted to cling to my gun, but since I don’t have one and the bible was out of reach I’ll just use this computer to show how “bitter” I am. I’ve been sitting on these thoughts for a minute now, I didn’t think it needed to be stated because it was so obvious but apparently I was wrooooong so here goes. The theme building up lately has been to paint Barack as unpatriotic, the republicans have been working this angle for literally years now. I saw it coming a mile away but I didn’t really expect democrats to hop on board this idea. I could go on and on about how blatantly racist it is that the black guy with the Arab sounding name is the only person who is getting beat over the head with a flag, even though the other two people probably have alot more to answer for equally. And I could go on and on about how ridiculous it is that Barack Obama is the only person who (it seems) has to answer for what every black guy with a microphone thinks or says like he is their publicist. Or I could go on and on about how stupid it is that he is the only person who (it seems) has to answer for everybody he ever worked with, met on the subway, sat down next to at a diner, opened a door for, you catch my drift. The fact that these superb scientific benchmarks are only “applicable” to him has restored all my faith if in 4th estate better known as main stream media. And I appreciate every waking hour they have devoted to this in depth investigative research that has been used for years to determine who the next commander in chief will be. If you detected the slightest bit of sarcasm please continue reading on, if you didn’t I would suggest you go back to your elementary school and punch every teacher in the face for failing you.
John McCain's campaign is reeling, but you'd never know it from dominant M$M narrative. Not only was the NY Times somewhat muddled, but still significant story about McCain's Iseman/Paxon/Etc. connections a damning reminder that McCain is really not that removed from the Washington norm, it brought forth a response from McCain that was--quickly and easily--proven false, by way of further illustrating the underlying point--McCain's coziness with his own circle of lobbyists and special interests. The story of McCain's corruption--and even the Iseman romantic rumors--is nothing new, but it's never gotten this much play.
At the same time, the Democratic Party is filling a complaint about McCain's attempt to withdraw from public financing--which is about a good deal more than the loan he secured--it's also about securing a ballot slot in Ohio. And--oh yes--McCain's Arizona co-chair, Rick Renzi, has just be indicted for wire fraud, money laundering and extortion. Howard Dean has shown how this should be handled, but he's just one man, not a multi-billion dollar infrastructure of media, think-tank and "independent" ideological front groups. Similarly, Glenn Greenwald notes how easily Barack Obama swats down the attempted rightwing smear of his patriotism (the M$M's preferred fantasy obsession in place of reality-based coverage of John McCain)--but again, just one person doing it.
The point is simply that if we had even half the coordinated infrastructure the conservatives have in place--along with the mindset, and internal organization behind it--John McCain would be finished as of this weekend.
Just think about that. Long-term counter-hegemonic organizing matters, folks. This weekend proves it.
Well once again it's 'Veterans Day', I'll borrow a description of another holiday that really has lost it's meaning, Bah - Humbug!!
Lets take a look at how a Country "Supports it's Veterans", a Country of citizens whose greater majority never serve in it's Military, a majority who never do much of anything of service to Country, a majority who don't even bother to Vote, and a majority who readily bitch about paying their contribution to it's Society, not about how that money is spent just that they have to Contribute.
Huge Defense Budgets means a Strong National Defense! At least one political party takes that Mocho stance.
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