Blurring the line between patriotism and nationalism

Blurring the line between patriotism and nationalism

Patriotism. What is it really? Why is it important, or is it?

Recently it seems that some view patriotism as an endorsement of the Trump presidency. That to be patriotic is to be unyieldingly in support of President Trump. I even spoke with someone who was hesitant to put up American flags on the Fourth of July because he didn’t want to be confused as being a “Trump supporter.”

There seems to be a blurring of the lines between what is better called “nationalism” and “patriotism.” And in my opinion, they are both important perspectives for every American to hold.

Starting with patriotism, one could argue that our country was founded on patriotism. George Orwell defined patriotism as a “devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force upon other people.” My mother’s family immigrated to this country in the 1700s so that they could be a part of building a country where religious freedom was a founding principle.

Like many immigrants for generations, they abandoned their native language and adopted an “English only” household. In taking this step to fully embrace the norms of America, they truly became American.

Centuries later, my father-in-law’s family immigrated from Sweden.

They were so determined to be American that no Swedish was ever spoken once they set foot in America. My father-in-law, who was by definition Swedish, never learned a word of the language.

What glued these varied immigrant communities together was their strong devotion to becoming American. They were all willing to abandon practices from their country of birth to adopt new American practices.

United, they built a country where their varying beliefs were respected and yet replaced by the new American fundamentals.

These Americans were and are the most patriotic and nationalistic people I have ever met.

Their pride in being an American runs deep. Many served our country in wars driven by an intensely strong desire to protect and preserve our values. And this is where we began to blur the line between patriotism and nationalism. While we as a nation became more solidified in our national direction, we also became one of the most powerful nations in the world. This was powered by American ingenuity and nationalism and produced a complex national identity.

Nationalism is the glue that holds our varying beliefs together into one country.

It is what helped create an American identity. Over the centuries the subsequent generations of immigrants blended ideals and beliefs into a common concept. This became the American way of life, the American dream for some. It also firmly planted in us the desire to believe that this way of life is superior. We commonly agreed not to endure oppression or dominance by other nations or even the wealthy and politically powerful.

This last point is what people tend to forget.

The opening of our Constitution says it all, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, … promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity...” We the people. Not the rich, not the powerful, not the bullies, the people. Just regular folks who generally fear God and don’t shy away from hard work in pursuit of their personal goals and dreams. Immigrants.

This is also where we seem to be getting stuck as a nation. The timeless clash of the old and the new.

Some of the people marching in Charlottesville are stuck in an odd belief of superiority and prejudice. Relying on values that were never a part of America’s ever-evolving identity. Never. As evidence, we have a generation of veterans who fought the horrible inhumane actions of Nazi Germany. American soldiers, sons and daughters of immigrants, who believed so strongly in our way of life that many gave their own lives to protect the rights of others.

Then there are others who boast of superiority simply because of the color of their skin. The war relic heroes that they “honor” are a part of our past. Part of our struggle as we blended our ideals into a common ideal. While we should not forget that struggle, we must also remember that our past is our past. That as a nation we decided to change. We the people decided to change clearly declaring that we do not want to value one citizen differently than another. And all but a handful of us are the progeny of immigrants.

And like Charlottesville, the rancor between members of our major political parties is mindful of the 1860s.

People are at odds with one another in a bitterly deep and confusing manner. When people equate alliance to our nation with blind faith in our president, there is a major disconnection.

The decision to fly an American flag on our national birthday is nothing more than someone expressing gratefulness for being here. It is both nationalism and patriotism. It is not a political stance. It is a custom long honored in this nation.

Without national pride and patriotism, our nation will crumble and fail.

There is no more room for political oppression today than when we founded this nation. We the people are still the drivers of our future. Together we can continue to shape our country. But as always, we must blend our ideals in a genuine manner and not trample the principles that we have all adopted as Americans.

Terry Sexton Segerberg is chief executive officer of East End-based Mesa Industries