Bruce Springsteen, interviewed by Jeffrey Brown on the PBS News Hour tonight:
I believe in critical patriotism. I believe that’s the definition of a patriot, you know, that you love your country so much that you are willing to look at it clearly, recognize its faults, encourage it to be a better place, and believe that you carry in your heart the country that is waiting.[My transcription.]
I respect him and I wish I could feel the same way. But after the last election, which was unforgivable, I can't find much about this country to love. The geography, the people (some of them), the culture (some of it), yes, but our institutions, our flag, our constitution, our self-congratulatory national pride, no, I just can't do it. As far as I can see patriotism is nothing now but a cloak for 250 years of sustained injustice. People should love each other and love ethical behavior, not flags and nation-states.
ReplyDeleteI think I’d say that I love the idea of what this country could be. But right now, it’s a nightmare.
ReplyDelete