American Patortism - a State-sponsered Religion

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TheVegetarianHumanist1996's picture
American Patortism - a State-sponsered Religion

I've noticed lately how American patriotism shares various qualities with mainstream religion.

Both want unquestionable allegiance. Both want worship of symbols.

When I tried protesting the anthem, I was viewed as disrespectful. Who's more disrespectful, a sitter or those who commit war crimes?

Both want people to "Just follow orders."

Both frown upon those who don't agree or partake in rituals. Mainly due to the current political climate this was a larger thing.

Now to get into the nitty-gritty of why I'm saying this. I tried sitting down during my brother's high school graduation and my parents lost their stuff. I cited the 1st amendment but it wasn't enough. I was being "disrespectful."

As a former SJW, it never turned out well on college campuses. The philosophy that involves protecting feelings over facts is what lead to stuff like trigger warnings and banning public speakers on campus.

My protest was because I'm against what the Trump Administration stands for. I'm against racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, blaming the other, cis-sexism, compulsory heteronormativity, and anti-atheist bigotry among other things. I'm against our money funding endless wars. I'm against Republican Congress members screwing over military people. I'm against how Congress and the White House resist clean energy. I'm against banning refugees on the basis of religion.

The 1st amendment is in trouble because of the respect thing. Part of the reason I protested was that of how Hitler demanded absolute loyalty. His strategy made the masses okay with genocide and other war crimes. I was inspired by the late Muhammad Ali and the leaks that Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden brought to the public.

I didn't use violence, nor did I make any threats to do so. I wasn't trying to stop others from standing should they choose to stand. As a left-libertarian, I don't believe in using violence to support a cause. I wanna protect free speech, not feelings.

I'd email my Congress reperesenatives in both houses if they weren't sellouts. They're not beholdent to the American people, but rather their rich doners. That's part of the reason we're an oligarhy and I attempted a non-violent protest.

I firmly believe it's more American to raise a country of freethinkers rather than a country of sheep.

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Endri Guri's picture
Patortism?

Patortism?

algebe's picture
Maybe your parents thought

Maybe your parents thought you were disrespecting your brother's graduation ceremony. Those rituals and events are very important to most people, and they can't be repeated. There are times and places for protesting. That isn't one of them. Nor are funerals.

When I was a kid, the British national anthem was played before every movie show, and the audience was expected to stand to attention and sing along. That's the sort of situation when it's ok to protest, and we did. It was funny, because everyone so busy standing stiffly to attention and facing the Queen's picture on the screen, that they couldn't look around to see who was jeering and throwing popcorn. A movie show is a trival event. A graduation ceremony isn't.

TheVegetarianHumanist1996's picture
Thanks for your insight. :-)

Thanks for your insight. :-)

I've been thinking that was what was going through their minds. Prior to that, I thought they were acting like triggered snowflakes (If you're familiar with that term).

algebe's picture
"acting like triggered

"acting like triggered snowflakes"

I'm familiar with the word "snowflakes," but I think it's mainly used in the U.S. in that meaning.

Actually, your parents were acting like parents. You have to be a parent to understand. The emotions a parent feels whenever a child reaches an important milestone go far deeper than patriotism, politics, or religion. In fact, the feelings are so deep that we sometimes struggle to express them, and then we get into fights with our kids.

"Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you would cry. Just look at them and sigh, and know they love you." That comes from this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztVaqZajq-I

TheVegetarianHumanist1996's picture
Thanks for your insight. I

Thanks for your insight. I always appreciate it. :-)

Sky Pilot's picture
The Pledge of Allegiance is

The Pledge of Allegiance is the American version of a peer pressure religion, like Islam. When it comes time to do the ritual everyone has to participate of else... And like other peer pressure religions it was started by a couple of bullies, Francis Bellamy and Edward Bellamy. They wanted America to adopt a program of National Socialism (like Germany later did with the Nazi program).
http://rexcurry.net/book1a1contents-pledge.html

http://rexcurry.net/pledge-allegiance-pledge-allegiance.jpg

LogicFTW's picture
I am with Algebe,

I am with Algebe,

A time and a place.
You can even more peacefully silently protest by simply standing up, but not putting your hand over chest, in those situations I stand and in my own mind I respect the family member for his hard work graduating, not the flag/pledge allegiance. Plus I hate the current administration, and hate the god mention in pledge allegiance, but, I do not hate the original idea of America.

Sky Pilot's picture
TheVegetarianHu...,

TheVegetarianHu...,

So which part of the Pledge of Allegiance do you disagree with?

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

TheVegetarianHumanist1996's picture
I disagree with the "Under

I disagree with the "Under god" part.

Also, I disagree with schools and other places shoving down patriotism down my throat.

The Nazis did a similar action and look at the result. I disagree with patriotism being a like a religion. I disagree with being bullied into it.

America doesn't have liberty & justice for all. What I mean by that is that the LGBT community is still oppressed by religious fundamentalists and people like Vice President Pence. The indigenous community is still attacked by the government. The Standing Rock protests were proof of that. People of color are more likely to be arrested or turned down for jobs than their white counterparts. The rich have more representation in Congress than the not-so-wealthy. POTUS 45 is against women's rights. The government is involved in 7 interventions in countries that we have no reason for going to. Many people who are killed in these offensive attacks are civilians and first responders. There's still voter suppression including felon disenfranchisement, superdelegates, gerrymandering, the Electoral College, and closed primaries to name a few. Another form of voter suppression is what happened to Bernie Sanders during the delegate count. He was cheated out of the race in favor of Clinton because of former DNC Chair, Debbie Wasserman Schutlz. America is the only industralized nation to not have a single-payer healthcare system. Muslims and people from Muslim-majorty countries are scapegoated. The American Goverment has a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia. The Government supports Israeli Apparthied. Republicans in Congress freqeuntly votes to screw over military people. POTUS 45 had a vet give him a purple heart that didn't belong to him. He told a family of a soilder that he didn't scarfise anything. He also said that he "didn't like people who were captured." That remark was about Senator McCain.

Sky Pilot's picture
TheVegetarianHu...,

TheVegetarianHu...,

Everything you wrote is true but you should have experienced it before decades of indoctrination altered attitudes. Your current beliefs are based upon the appeal and desire to realize the ideas expressed in the Pledge of Allegiance. It sets the standard for what our society should become.

charvakheresy's picture
Nationalism being promoted as

Nationalism being promoted as patriotism is not something new..... It is the start of fascism. Its the same all the way over here in India as well, maybe a bit more violent. A handicap man (who had represented India on an international level) was beaten up in a movie theatre for not standing up for the national anthem...... He was Handicap!! He couldn't stand. He didn't need to be reminded of that, much less of his patriotism. It made headlines. But soon the government passed a law mandating that you stand for the anthem before the movies.

TheVegetarianHumanist1996's picture
I heard about the law on The

I heard about the law on The Young Turks. It made me fearful for the future of Indian democracy. As of now, they can't pass it in America.

It still frustrates me that it's becoming a religion at all. Part of the reason I attempted sitting was that it opens the door to fascism. My brother graduated from a Jewish high school. I tried sitting for Israel's anthem to protest apartheid, but I still couldn't.

Forcing people to stand for a national anthem will create more harm than good. More division than unity.

Sky Pilot's picture
TheVegetarianHu...,

TheVegetarianHu...,

People are property of the State, whatever State they live in. The universal rule is to obey or get beaten.

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