You know, sometimes while you’re not looking, good things do happen…
Tim Blair directs us (via Instapundit) to another amazing column in the Guardian. This one is by Andrew Gumbel, who’s apparently a Brit expatriate forced to live among the colonials in Santa Monica, CA.
Now Santa Monica is one the places where I spend a lot of time and have many friends; I used to live just south of there is the somewhat more colorful neighborhood of Venice, and now live about thirteen miles away in the bucolic South Bay.
I know Santa Monica, and Santa Monica is just slightly to the right of Berkeley, Madison, and Cambridge. Their city council meetings are one the great sources of entertainment to the politically minded among us, as the council wrestles with weighty issues of international moral import while gradually approving the developments gentrifying the city – much like Berkeley, which has become the playground of the Peets-drinking, Sierra-Designs-wearing thoughtful class.
It’s the opposite of jingoistic.
But, according to friend Andrew, it’s waaay over the top. When the children sing a Barneyfied song that’s a ‘feel good’ version of America the Beautiful, he launches:
Granted, I’m not a big fan of patriotic sentiment in any context. But this got my goat in ways I just couldn’t shake. First, there was the niggly matter of historical accuracy. (What are black, Asian or Native Americans supposed to make of that line about welcoming all the races?) One also had to question the dubious taste of singing about a “do or die land” in the wake of a controversial war in Iraq that many parents in our liberal corner of Santa Monica had passionately opposed. What really riled me, though, was that the song had absolutely nothing to do with education.
…
With my son’s education at stake, I can’t help but ponder the link between what is fed to children as young as six and what American adults end up understanding about the wider world. There is much that is admirable in the unique brand of idealism that drives American society, with its unshakable belief in the constitutional principles of freedom and limitless opportunity. Too often, though, the idealism becomes a smokescreen concealing the uglier realities of the United States and the way it throws its economic, political and military weight around the globe. Children are recruited from the very start of their school careers to believe in Team America, whose oft-repeated mantra is: we’re the good guys, we always strive to do the right thing, we live in the greatest country in the world. No other point of view, no other cultural mindset, is ever seriously contemplated.
Go, on read the whole thing. But before you do, click over to this report, by the Albert Shanker Institute (am I the only one who thinks of Woody Allen when I hear that name?) – which completely sets out the case of the kind of education Gumbel disdains, and does so with the support of a broad spectrum of the national leadership:
Those who have signed on include former President Clinton; Jeane Kirkpatrick, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and U.N. ambassador during the first administration of Ronald Reagan; and David McCullough, the historian and author. Dozens of scholars, professors, labor leaders and representatives of school groups have backed it, too.
“It really shows the depth of concern across the country about the status of our civil society,” said one signatory, Lee Hamilton, president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. “How low voter participation can you have and still have a democracy?”
CNN goes on to say that
The nation’s schools are telling an unbalanced story of their own country, offering students plenty about America’s failings but not enough about its values and freedoms, says a report drawing support across the ideological spectrum.
Without a change of approach, schools will continue to turn out large numbers of students who are disengaged in society and unappreciative of democracy, the report contends.
and
“People have been so anxious to be self-critical, probably with good intentions,” said Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second largest union of teachers. “But we feel that’s just gone too far over in that direction.
“We definitely have had terrible problems as a nation, but we also have a society that is totally different than that of a totalitarian society. Children need to understand and value what has been built here,” said Feldman, also president of the institute, which is endowed by the AFT.
and concludes
The report says: “We do not ask for propaganda, for crash courses in the right attitudes or for knee-jerk patriotic drill. We do not want to capsulize democracy’s arguments into slogans, or pious texts, or bright debaters’ points.”
But it takes aim at a lack of teaching about non-democratic societies, saying that comparison could show the “genius” of America’s system. Sanitized accounts of real-life horrors elsewhere lead to the “half-education” of children, the report says.
The report calls for a stronger history and social studies curriculum, starting in elementary school and continuing through all years of schooling. It also suggests a bigger push for morality in education lessons.
“The basic ideas of liberty, equality, and justice, of civil, political and economic rights and obligations, are all assertions of right and wrong, of moral values,” the report says. “The authors of the American testament had no trouble distinguishing moral education from religious instruction, and neither should we.”
Well, Andrew might have trouble with that, but it’s just fine with me.
Here’s a quick explanation, in case anyone wants to forward this to him; we are citizens, not subjects. Our patriotism is associated with our shared belief in the core values of the American ideal, not with some garish jewelry stored in a Tower somewhere. In order to function as citizens, we need to raise our children to understand and make a commitment to those beliefs.
That’s not jingoism. That’s not indoctrination in “patriotic conformism.” We share certain things – a flag, a Constitution – and we revere both, often crudely.
That’s OK with me. we don’t need sophisticated patriots. We need thoughtful, honest, passionate ones; passionate enough to push us forward toward our ideals, and to pull along those who are willing to join us.
“patriotic conformism” in Santa Monica, California, or ANYWHERE in California is a hoot.
As a resident of nearby Brentwood, I have long said that Los Angeles is the least patriotic city in the Union (except Bezerkley of course).
After 9/11, I travelled to San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia. In each city, I saw American flags, signs of support and encouragement, and general patriotism.
When I returned to Los Angeles, I was surprised to be one of the FEW to have a flag or show the least bit of patriotism. It was only when I went downtown and drove through what I call Little Mexico did I see signs of support. Here among the Mexicans, the Spanish-only speakers and the many illegal immigrants was where I saw the most support and LOVE for the United States.
I dread to think of what this guy would say if he child were schooling in Dallas or Atlanta (much less Mobile or Columbia).
“Santa Monica is just slightly to the right of Berkeley, Madison, and Cambridge.”
You left out Boulder, you insensitive clod. 😉
True,I approach this from a typically knuckle dragging, jingoistic sentiment when I quote:
“Citizens, it turns out, are history’s deadliest killers” Page 131
Then write:
By the way, because I can see this coming up. I’m not a “priveleged White man/Neo-Colonialist/Oppressor”. I hope that frightens the friends of autocracy, collectivism and oppression even more.
I thank [insert here] for my American citizenship.
http://www.beetswerkin.org/archives/000084.html
That said, CNN-I had a bit on “That Day, Which Must Not Be Named”…sort of in the type of US College students, debating some (currently occupied) Lebanese College Students. Cringed, when I saw the line up. Yet, those Kids (the Americans)gave good. Good arguments, excellent points, and no rolling over to the “[Individual Person, Group, Agenda] Forgive of us our sins.”
I’m surprised it’s being sung. I never expected that out of CA.
First, there was the niggly matter of historical accuracy.
It is a good thing Andrew Gumbel is British and liberal or that N word would cause him a great deal of problems.
This from a guy whose countrymen voted Homer Simpson as the Most Admired American in a BBC poll.
He thinks Africans were treated badly in the US, true enough, and we fought out bloodiest war over two ideals specified by our Constitution. But obviously he never studied the history of Rhodes in Africa. Maybe he is an Oxford grad.
We sing to ideals, he sings to a Queen.
I think his relatives must have been in power when our forefathers wrote, “WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another…”
This is just way too easy. If you are a citizen of a nation that has a long history, and if Empire was a significant portion of that timeline, you should be real careful about pointing out the shortcomings of other nations.
The Brits have had plenty of heroes and many great individuals; Andrew Gumbel isn’t one of them.
Europeans tend to go berzerk when they hear of or think of American patriotism…Flag waving makes them scream “fascist proclivities”…
The are viewing American patriotism through the jaundiced eyes of their own experiences. Much of this began (in the UK) after WW1. When this war erupted, the populace cheered. Yes to war! They celebrated. This tragic war cost so many lives and so devastated the psyche that they vowed never again. They saw the “patriotism” expressed at the outset of the war with shame. This affected their view of “patriotism” forever more. They associate “patriotism” with the crass beliefs that propelled them into WW1. Combine this with the colonialism in the name of God and country – and one can see how they could associate “patriotism” with unsavory motives.
They apply their experiences and beliefs to us in the US. They don’t see that we didn’t have such experiences and hence don’t associate patriotism with anything other than love of country. (The leftist liberal Americans who loathe the flag do so precisely because they loathe this country.)
Now, this is only my opinion, but I have yet to meet a Brit that feels that waiving the British flag is a good thing. I have yet to meet a Brit that feels an American waiving the flag is not behaving like deluded sheep…
Suzanne, they’re not screaming, they’re foaming at the mouth w/major projectile spittle.
Peruse The Independent’s forum at delphi.com.
One of the threads is about US getting rid of our Constitution. So we can get along w/*the world* and not set ourselves up as betters/different. Especially now that we are the lone superpower.
The EU is quickly replacing (or trying to) all the traditional objects of patriotism in Europe, namely, independent nation-states with shared histories and familiar concepts of citizenship.
I consider myself a relatively patriotic Finn, but with the new EU constitution soon ratified, I probably won’t see a good reason to celebrate Independence day anymore. Nor will I have any interest in any nouveau-patriotism the EU might try to foster (with our tax money, no less). Not for a long time, anyway.
So, brace yourselves for a lot of patriotism-envy from the old continent, at least until our kids grow up to be good and patriotic EU citizens. (Shudder 😉
Sad that you can’t even tell the Guardian from the Independent, its rival!
Hi.
The most telling thing about this guy is that when he condemns the Americans for not organizing their self-perceptions and educational system around objective reality, the objective reality he has in mind is the anti-American view of the world advocated by Naum Chomsky.
“It was possible, Menand allowed, that “Chomsky’s interpretation will be the standard one among historians a hundred years from now”. But then his argument took on an almost surreal twist. Chomsky’s views, he said, were “a good reason never to worry about what future historians will think of us: they’ll despise us no matter what. It’s what we think of us that we need to be concerned about.” I had to read that last sentence twice to be sure I had understood it right. But there it was: it’s better to live in collective self-delusion, in Menand’s view, than to face up to reality. Or, as Kurt Vonnegut slyly pointed out in Breakfast of Champions, written in the midst of the neo-imperialist folly in Vietnam: “It was as though the country were saying to its citizens, ‘In nonsense is strength’.””
That’s right: he thought about it very carefully, and he’s quite sure that contempt for Chomsky’s interpretation of America’s role in in world history is the same thing as contempt for reality.
However, I would challenge another line of attack that’s come into this thread. Armed Liberal said: “Our patriotism is associated with our shared belief in the core values of the American ideal, not with some garish jewelry stored in a Tower somewhere.” (Which is fine as far as it goes.) And suzanne said: “Now, this is only my opinion, but I have yet to meet a Brit that feels that waiving the British flag is a good thing. I have yet to meet a Brit that feels an American waiving the flag is not behaving like deluded sheep…” (I faithfully promise you suzanne: there are Brits not ashamed of the Union Jack.) And JG said: “We sing to ideals, he sings to a Queen.”
Does he really? I don’t think so. He’s not the type. I sincerely doubt that queen-and-country patriotism is the source of his bad attitudes.
Bucolic describes El Segundo to a tee, but I think the rest of the South Bay would be more like “work, play, and spend $$” and don’t worry about anything else. I can’t think of the proper adjective. Maybe self absorbed.
Sammy, you need to get away from the west-of-PCH crowd in Manhattan, hermosa, and Redondo…the South Bay is much bigger and more interesting than that!
A.L.
Gumbel speaks of universities “revering” Noam Chomsky’s geopolitical views. That has to be a stretch. We’re talking about long-time Pol Pot & Khmer Rouge apologist Noam Chomsky. Chomsky’s interminable intellectual fawning upon those murderers of millions is always worth a reminder, especially for those who may be new to the discussion.
I went to a performance by the BBC Concert Orchestra last year at George Mason University here in Virginia. When they played Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance I [“Land of Hope and Glory”], I assure you that Britons in the audience waved the British flag.
As they should. Ahhh, Elgar. GREAT tune.
You Americans should start stealing it. I bet Santana could do great things setting it to a Latin rhythm with his guitar and some backup. Then along come hard rock versions (too bad Hendrix never covered this like he did the Star Spangled Banner), jazz…
Just seeing the expressions on the faces of some Brits would be worth it. Especially when other countries start playing these alternative versions, and they begin to encounter people around the world who (for instance) think that Sanatana’s version is the original.
I had a European friend once who was incredibly bothered that Disney took Europe’s Brothers Grimm fairytales, Americanized them, and made them popular around the world. Les Francais see a Taco Bell and think “f@$!#g Americans!” This pattern, too, is part of America’s genius – keep doing it.
Re: David Blue – While I don’t doubt that there are Brits who love the flag, I hang out at the Guardian (say no more…)
It never fails to amuse me how Brits (at the Guardian and other discussion boards) rant on about the US Consitution – how backward it is, yada yada yada. This presumptuous nature is mind-boggling. Then they are experts on the US election system…yada yada yada
Sweden is another country that disdains patriotism. My husband is Swedish, and he assures me that anyone waiving the flag in Sweden is look upon as a fascist.