38 America in close-up

° Put Out No Flags

by Matthew Rothschild

■

Patriotic Americans celebrating their country's independence

Patriotism is like religion; those who believe in it view the rest of us as sinners, condemned to purgatory — or at least to an uncozy predicament in trie Viere and now. . . .

Rejoice, ye sinners! Fear not! This patriotism thing is a hoax.

. . . Patriotism and nationalism are identical twins. They infect people with a feeling of superiority, of belli¬cose pride, that translates into war slogans easy as apple pie.

Trying to extricate the virtues of patriotism from the vice of national¬ism is like trying to pluck the quills from a porcupine. It can't be done. Or if it can, you won't be left with a porcupine.

Still, we are implored to embrace patriotism. Many good-hearted souls survey the political horizon and de¬spair. They see a rolling conservative tide, with Ronald Reagan riding its crest. The only way to survive, they say, is to get on that wave. And so, we are told, we must be more patriotic than our right-wing neighbors. No

matter the duplicity involved, if we want to effect political change and gain the support of our unenlightened fellow citizens, we should wrap ourselves in trie flag.

Unfortunately, we'd succeed only in suffocating ourselves. When the Left, the radicals, the superliberals join the patriotic chorus, it reinforces the message that America is on the side of virtue. . . .

Our more philosophical friends tug us from the opposite direction. They tell us that the concept of patriotism — as distinct from nationalism — transports us from petty individualistic concerns to an awareness of a greater, more noble identity that is communal. They utter starchy, upright phrases about indi¬viduals not existing in a vacuum but in a social framework of family, community, and country. From this, they conclude that our identities are entwined with these institutions and, to some extent at least, owe them an obligation.

This is sheer folly. . . .

Free will and individual liberty are forsaken in this repressive philos¬ophy, which denies the individual the right to create and develop his or her own identity. . . .

The notion that one owes an obli¬gation to one's country is absurd. Like the defenders of family, church, and community, the champions of the modern nation state want us to believe that inanimate objects — mere social sandboxes — deserve to com¬mand our respect, love, and loyalty. This is reification of the highest order.

Our obligations should be to our¬selves and our fellow living beings, not to some bloodless concoction of bygone rulers. Our identities should be of our own making, not imposed by an ancient cartographer. And our loyalties should not stop at the border.

Once we recognize this, we won't fall into the good old American trap of caring solely for U.S. citizens and not a whit for inhabitants of other countries. The United States can kill two million Indochinese, but Americans concern themselves only with the less than 60,000 U.S. soldiers who fell in the fetid conflict of Vietnam. Something's not right about that, and that something is patriotism.

Yet it's not ^ust a Uome-grown affliction. Always a dutiful and willing servant, patriotism has carried the body bags for every modern ruler from Napoleon to Hitler, Stalin to Pol Pot.

"Patriotism is the most primitive of passions," Jorge Luis Borges has observed. It's been around for thou¬sands of years, and these days the sentiment is transmitted in the home, the classroom, the assembly hall, the athletic field, as well as on the radio waves and television screens. No day passes without our being bombarded by some patriotic message or symbol.

It's a tough bug to shake, but that doesn't mean we should celebrate the disease. Nothing justifies a salute to patriotism. It is too dangerous a con¬cept to be toyed with. And by playing the silly game of capture the flag, we only capture ourselves.

39

PART C Exercises

1. Previewing and Anticipation

The American Idea

Try to get a global idea of what the text is about by first looking at the headline, introduction and source. Then quickly read the beginning (first three paragraphs) of the article.

1. Where, when, and on what occasion was the

article published?

2. Why could the information given about the

author be of interest to the reader?

3. What is meant by "The American Idea" and

who was the first to formulate it?

2. Scanning

Now go quickly through the text to extract information to answer the following questions:

1. Which basic motives of the first European

settlers for coming to America are mentioned

in the text?

2. According to Т. Н. White, what was it that

made the American volunteers persevere in

their revolutionary war against the

better-equipped English soldiers?

3. What would have happened to the colonial

leaders if the war had been lost?

4. Which decisive difference between the

American nation and other nations does the

author point out?

5. What does the author want to convey to the

reader by writing this article?

3. Comprehension

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Which way of completing each of the following sentences agrees with the text? Some sentences may be completed in more than one way.

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger dreamed of being the best body builder in the world

a) when he was a little boy.

b) when he was fifteen.

c) when he was twenty.

2. He stopped taking part in body-building

competitions because

a) he believed he had won the

championship too often already.

b) he was afraid that he might lose the title if

he tried again.

c) he had no serious competition.

3. According to Arnold Schwarzenegger,

America is the country where

a) nothing can prevent people from fulfilling

their dreams

b) everybody is Number One.

c) the chances to be economically successful

are better than in any other country.

4. Arnold Schwarzenegger became a successful

businessman because he

a) was business-minded.

b) took courses in English and business.

c) became a real estate agent.

5. Schwarzenegger maintains that emotions

a) provide the energy that leads to success.

b) have to be suppressed if you want to be

successful.

c) prevent you from concentrating on your

primary goal of making money.

6. Schwarzenegger thinks that popularity

a) is the key to success.

b) has to be subordinated to success.

c) is as important as being successful.

7. Schwarzenegger believes

a) that poverty and hunger make people

dream of success.

b) that people should never be content with

what they have achieved.

c) that hungry people are dreamers unable to

achieve anything.

Florence Scala

Which of the following statements are true and which are false according to the information given in the text? Correct the false statements.

1. When Florence Scala was young she did not

'believe in the American Dream.

2. As a small girl she was afraid of school

because she could not speak English.

40 AMERICA IN CLOSE-UP

3. When Florence Scala thinks of her childhood,

nostalgic memories come to her mind.

4. Her parents worked for a tailor who lived on

the same street.

5. They were afraid that their children might

turn into hooligans.

6. During the trade union wars in the cleaning

industry her father went on strike.

7. Her father avoided getting involved in the

fights that took place in the neighborhood.

8. Her father was unusually well-educated.

9. He never really had the time to fulfill his

dream of going to the Grand Canyon.

10. Her parents were somewhat prejudiced

against black people.

11. Today the community she grew up in has

changed a lot.

12. Looking back on her efforts to save the

neighborhood, Florence Scala now thinks

she wasted her energy.

13. Florence Scala thinks that the American

Dream promotes selfish attitudes.

14. She believes that technical progress has led

to a less humane world.

4. Evaluation

Use the following scale to determine to what extent Arnold Schwarzenegger, Florence Scala and her parents would agree or disagree with the following statements. How do you feel about these statements?

strong agreement agreement undecided disagreement strong disagreement

1. All people are given equal opportunity in

life.

2. Everybody has a chance to succeed if he or

she only works hard enough.

3. Money and material wealth are what matters

most in life.

4. Winning in competitions is one of the most

important things in life.

5. Self-reliance is more important than concern

for others.

6. Being popular is as important as material

success.

5. Comment on a Cartoon

Comment on the following cartoon and show how it relates to the American Dream. Give the cartoon a title.

THE JOV NINTHS a AflN6

WHAT HAPPEN5 IF fOU PRACTICE FOR TUI£NT'CYEAR5,ANP THEN ENP UP NOT 0EIN6 RICH ANP FAMOUS

Reproduced by permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

AMERICAN BELIEFS AND VALUES 41

6. Comprehension Survey

A Discussion of American Beliefs and Values —Section 1

Let us find out how the value systems of Andrew, Mark, and Mike differ. Have a look at the statements below and decide who holds which view.

Andrew Mark Mike

1. By spreading the gospel of success, the media greatly influence the American value system. )

2. People who fail are not accepted by society. / у

3. Society considers happiness to be as important as material success. 1

4. Happiness is not a question of money. /

5. The yuppie's philosophy revives the traditional value of success. / )

8. Cloze Summary

A Discussion of American Beliefs and Values—Section 3

This paragraph summarizes part 3 of the discussion. Find the missing words.

The participants agree that the notion of being "& is a ik that a great number of their fellow students "& to. They consider this value so important that they give up their "& and adopt the habits of "& and "& prescribed by their peers. A minority of students "& this peer pressure and prefer more "& relationships which they "& higher than a large circle of so-called friends. To those young people who have developed their own "& it is more important to be W for their independent TwT than to be well-liked as a reward for their ■& They unanimously "£r that respect is the most important "& in human relationships.

9. Summary

A Discussion of American Beliefs and Values—Section 4

Summarize how the following aspects are related to the ideal of "equal opportunity":

ethnicity

law

education

money family social background

10. Discussion

7. Comprehension questions

A Discussion of American Beliefs and Values —Section 2

1. How does Mike think the Vietnam War

affected America as a "nation of winners"?

2. Shannon thinks that, "winning is different

things to different people." What examples

does she give to support her opinion? What

does "winning" mean to her?

3. How does Andrew view the concept of

cooperation and rivalry in society?

To what extent can the values discussed by these four young Americans also be found in your country? What is your personal attitude towards them?

42 AMERICA IN CLOSE-UP

11. Structural Analysis

Put Out No Flags

Let us examine how the author structures his argument in this article.

1. Matthew Rothschild makes two comparisons

to defend the thesis that patriotism is

harmful. He then develops his argument by

drawing consequences from these

comparisons. Find the comparisons in the

text and show how they are used as a basis of

his further argumentation.

2. He then raises two objections to his thesis

but immediately refutes each of them. What

are the objections he mentions and how does

he refute them?

3. Why does he mention the names of four

"modern rulers"?

4. The author supports his argument with a

quotation which he further illustrates by

examples of patriotism in contemporary

America. To what extent is the average

American exposed to sentiments and

symbols of patriotism?

5. What is the conclusion the author finally

draws?

12. Style

Let us now have a closer look at the stylistic means the author employs to convey his opinon to the reader.

1. The text is full of comparisons, especially similes and metaphors. A simile is a figure of speech in which two things or actions are compared because they have something in common, although they are unlike in many other respects. A metaphor is a simile condensed. Whereas in

a simile the imaginative comparison is expressed by the words like and as, in a metaphor the comparison takes the form of an identification of the two things compared. So when the author says that "patriotism is like religion" he uses a simile. When he says that "patriotism and nationalism are identical twins" which "infect people" he uses metaphors. The author uses the first metaphor in this sentence to illustrate the identical nature of patriotism and nationalism. The second metaphor suggests patriotism's harmful effects through the use of the word "infect," meaning to spread disease.

Look for more similes and metaphors in the text and explain their function. 2. This text has many satirical features because the author often uses irony and sarcasm to expose the "folly" of patriotism. Irony is a figure of speech in which the author stresses his point by saying the opposite of what he means. Sarcasm is aggressive and intended to injure. When the author ironically refers to the community as an institution providing a "noble identity," he actually regards this as a nonsensical idea. He is also being sarcastic when he compares patriotism with a disease. What other examples of irony and sarcasm can you find in this text?

13. Comment and Discussion

1. Do you think that the author's viewpoint is

logically consistent?

2. What role does patriotism play in your

country?

3. How do you feel about patriotism?