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Four Questions for “I Love America” Progressives
On almost any important policy—taxes, transfers to the poor, abortion, military interventions, etc.—the U.S. is approximately the least progressive of all economically advanced countries. Given this, if American progressives were truly principled, then they should hate America. At a minimum, they should least have serious mixed feelings about the country.
By contrast, if I, as a conservative, lived in France or another progressive country, I don’t think I could love the country. If someone asked me about my love or patriotism for the country, I hope I’d have the honesty to say, “No, I’m actually not very patriotic. France [or whatever progressive country in which I lived] doesn’t deserve my patriotism.”
My first question for American progressives is: “Why can’t you be as honest about your patriotism as I would be if I lived in France?”
For 27 years I’ve been a professor or grad student within a social-science department at a university. Thus, I’ve interacted with lots and lots of progressives. I’d estimate that at least half, and maybe something like three-quarters, favor a one-world government. That is, in contrast to the status quo, they’d prefer a situation where a body like the U.N. governed the entire Earth, and all countries, including the U.S., ceased to exist. My second question for progressives is: “How deeply can you love something if you prefer that it not exist?”
As Jonah Goldberg has recently noted, when progressives say things such as “I love America just as much as you” or “How dare you question my patriotism?” they are usually playing a rhetorical game, one that involves a slippery definition of “patriotism” or “love.” The game begins with a criticism of America. The progressive then explains that, through his criticism, he’s actually trying to improve America. Therefore his criticism, he explains, is an expression of love, not hate, for his country.
My third question for progressives is: “But if that’s true, by the same argument wouldn’t it be true that—when Rev. Jeremiah Wright suggested that God should damn America—he was expressing his love for America?”
Of course, some progressives would say “yes,” however most progressives recognize how ridiculous the above argument becomes when it is examined through the Rev. Wright lens. Most retreat and admit that—although maybe Rev. Wright does not love America—Pres. Obama does not share those views.
But that leads me to my fourth question, “Are the views of Obama really so different from those of Rev. Wright?”
This video shows the main parts of Wright’s sermon. One aspect of the video is very remarkable, yet almost no one seems to have noticed it. This is the reaction of the parishioners. As you can see in the video, the parishioners agree with Wright. Indeed, they agree enthusiastically. Several cheer when he reaches his climax—that God should damn America. Approximately half clap or stand up during the crescendo. As best I can tell, none of the parishioners are bothered by Wright’s words.
As any reasonable person would conclude, those parishioners do not love America. Even if Obama did not attend the sermon, and even if he never became aware of it, he had to know about the anti-American attitudes of his fellow parishioners. Yet he still chose to attend the church for some two decades.
I believe Obama’s love for America is about the same as any other progressive’s—which means at best tepid, if he’s principled.
Published in General
This is the first time anybody made me curious to find out for myself what “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is about.
Yes, I think that’s true. And can be pretty confronting.
Sure, but relatively few individuals coldly assess their own nation’s totemic values and judge them intrinsically awful.
Most individuals buy into their nation’s value system, even when they oppose their rulers’ expression of it. Or, more typically, oppose their ruling dispensation because they feel that it’s diverged from these values.
It’s impossible to be objective about who you are – and your nation is part of that. Even if you’re hypercritical you’re compensating, not being detached or impartial.
Americans on the Left and the Right have far far far more in common with each other, at an instinctive level, than either group does with its political sympathisers in other countries.
Or to put it another way, Americans, act, communicate and understand distinctively and in some ways similarly regardless of their overt political views.
That’s a good thing if you want to change their minds and take those fools with you, not just defeat them and make them eat crow. Right?
This rings true to me – the only similar nations I can think of are Switzerland and (maybe) France.
Would you say that the Constitution’s unique position in American life is because the nation was formed by it rather than the other way round like in most other countries?
Dude – this is the most inaccurate statement I have ever read.
Pro(re)gressives like taxes and the US is the only nation on the planet that taxes its citizens on the income they make worldwide.
The US has eliminated poverty within its borders – Poor, being a relative measure, will always exist – but the term poverty within the context of the US must be so spindled, folded and mutilated as to be unrecognizable in any meaningful way.
Every other country on the planet (with a decent human rights record) imposes limits on abortion – but any limit here goes through such strict scruitny that it doesn’t happen.
Even in the field of military intervention the US prostrates national interest to that most Pro(re)gressive of all institutions, the UN.
Spend the few hours to watch it.
The Swedes loved it so much they kept it in the movie theaters for 11 years. 11 years!
More here.
Good point. Indeed, I’ve lived a large fraction of my life in California. But my feelings about California have always been mixed – there are lots of aspects I don’t love. But consistent with the main point of my post, I’ve always been willing to be honest about those mixed feelings. I think that the average progressive has feelings toward America that are very similar to my feelings toward California. I wish they could be more honest about those feelings.
Good points. Still, the Heritage Foundation currently ranks the U.S. number 12 on its economic freedom index (out of 178 total countries that it ranks). Maybe the U.S. isn’t number one – but that still leaves plenty for progressives to dislike. And when you throw in foreign policy (e.g. Hong Kong and Singapore are number one and two on the economic freedom list; I don’t hear progressives calling them “hegemonic” or “war mongers”) the U.S. looks even less progressive.
And this set of ideals I include as an important aspect in the concept of ‘American Exceptionalism’, so I cringe when some Americans deny there is such a thing. It is exactly what makes us unique in the world.
Here’s a thought that is always on my mind whenever the notion of one world government is raised. The Founders made Federalism, specifically a separation of powers between what was delegated to the Federal government and what was reserved to the States and the People, a principal part of the Constitution. We, over time, have allowed that to be emasculated and let Washington assume many roles reserved to the States and the People. One of the delights of Federalism is the choices it provides to the citizens from state to state or region to region. We have forfeited much of this benefit. Imagine where the world would be if we had one world government that fell under the influence of a dictator like Hitler or Stalin, and there was no place of refuge like America. What we actually have in the world today with diverse nations and governments is a larger version of what Federalism was designed to provide Americans, CHOICES!
I realized recently why Animal Farm didn’t have the intended effect on the left. The pigs don’t scare them; they think they are the pigs.