Does patriotism have a political party? Some might say so.
Last Thursday night at a fundraiser in Greensboro, N.C., Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was quoted as saying that “we believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard-working, very patriotic, very pro-America areas of this great nation.” She went on to add that this is where we find “those who are protecting the virtues of freedom.”
Palin was no doubt referring to the small, conservative towns that will provide much of the Republican support in the upcoming general election. These comments left me wondering: does that mean the rest of us live in the phony, unpatriotic “pockets” of America?
In recent years, it seems that Republicans have staked their claim as the party of patriotism. After all, GOP members traditionally support the notion of war, along with the idea of spreading democracy to foreign countries. And many pride themselves on their traditional “American” values, whether those be family, religious, or otherwise conservative beliefs.
But wait a minute. Since when did supporting wars and embracing old-fashioned values become synonymous with being pro-American? What about liberals, independents, libertarians, and smaller third-party supporters – are these individuals somehow anti-American?
To me, patriotism is about wanting what’s best for one’s country, and working to achieve that vision. This includes the willingness to push for change if needed, and perhaps even more importantly, to challenge the words and actions of our leaders. As students of a university, we are taught to become critical thinkers; we are encouraged to ask questions, and to analyze issues from all angles. So how can it be that daring to disagree with the actions of government can suddenly make us unpatriotic? Do we have to take our degrees to small towns and find working-class jobs in order to discover the “real” America?
It seems to me that those who question the necessity of sending Americans to risk their lives overseas, or those who want to offer the benefits of healthcare to all Americans by establishing a universal system, or those working tirelessly to promote third-party candidates who may realistically never serve a day in office, are simply exercising their patriotism. These individuals want to protect and improve our country just as much as those who send their sons and daughters to war, and just as much as those “hard-working, very patriotic” Americans that we’re always hearing about.
In fact, our nation was founded by a group of individuals who dared to stand up and speak their minds. Our Founding Fathers certainly did not take things sitting down. They fought boldly for change at a time when doing so put them against the status quo. I’ve never heard anybody dismiss them as a bunch of unpatriotic liberal-thinkers.
Sorry Gov. Palin, but those small-town, hard-working Americans are not the only patriots in our country. To suggest that this is the real America, and the best of America, is simply not true. If you really think so, then you haven’t been looking hard enough.
Nicole Bridgeman is a business senior and a guest columnist for the Mustang Daily.