On Tyranny - Lesson 19: Be a Patriot

 Lesson 19 of 20 from the 20th Century On Tyranny is to be a patriot by setting an example for what America should be for the next generation. 

Snyder distinguishes between what it means to be a patriot and what it means to be a nationalist. He says nationalists aren't based in reality, only superiority, and that patriots must focus on the real world in order to love and sustain their country. Nationalists say America's democracy could never fall, while a patriot says that it could but we won't let it. 

This is a line I've had a hard time drawing in the past. It seems clear to me that we've never lived up to our own values as a nation, and that makes it difficult to be proud to be an American. We were founded on the notion of liberty and justice for all, of all men having been created equal, and yet not once in our history has that actually been the case. We have a consistent and ongoing history of racial, gender, and class discrimination.

It's easy to be a nationalist; it takes next to no critical thought whatsoever. We have the best country because we live here and we enjoy many core freedoms, and we have the most powerful military and one of the biggest global economies. Done. Yay America! It doesn't get any better, and if you don't like it, leave.

But to be a patriot, we have to acknowledge the short-fallings of our country, so that we can work to address them. We have to love our country, despite those flaws, and commit to making it better. It's patriotic to stay and engage in solving problems to make our country a better place. No place is perfect, right? There are always ways to grow and improve, and it takes a true patriot to be willing to roll our sleeves up and do the hard work to create positive change. 

It's important to acknowledge the ways in which we need to become a greater nation, and it's not even about comparing ourselves to other countries for better or for worse. We deserve universal healthcare because our medical system is rife with class discrimination and medical debt is absolutely crippling millions of Americans. And just because there is racism in other countries too, doesn't mean we shouldn't be working to address the systemic oppression of people of color within our borders. 

Today, we face a crucial moment to hold America to account, for its own good. We need to acknowledge the backslides as they occur, and chart a course for the betterment of our society. And we need to be loud in our declaration that we're doing so because we love what our country has always aspired to be. We're willing to fight to live up to aspirations because we are patriots.