Patriot Games

I can understand why people feel the need for patriotism. A sense of belonging, a cause to fight for, something to be proud of, right? That's fine if it works for you personally, but some of the worst crimes in human history have been committed in the name of patriotism. I have no problem with your personal need to be a patriot. This piece merely explains where I am coming from.

Lets deal with the three things I outlined above in reverse order. Firstly, this need to have something to be proud of. I believe that for a lot of people this is tied up in identity. I'm British, working class, heterosexual, white, atheist and have some basic university education. What does this mean to me in terms of my identity? I'll tell you - absolutely nothing. I'm not ashamed of any of it, nor am I proud of it either.

Some people believe vehemently that I should be proud to be British, and will actually look down on me for my lack of pride! I find this astonishing, although sometimes understandable. I find this attitude prevalent almost exclusively among the older generations, the baby boomers. In order to understand their stance I find myself accepting that their pride is based largely on the promises of post-war Britain. They believe that Britain is great because of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the subsequent recovery and perceived prosperity of the nation, Britain's standing in the international community etc.

The certainties that one finds oneself clinging to as one gets older seem to these older generations to form a solid identity for them. Great Britain, with its Queen and royal family, successive neo-liberal governments with their hawkish foreign policy and 'special relationship' with the US, personal prosperity based on home ownership and rising house prices and the availability of cheap credit, jobs for life - all of these things and more contribute to their identity as proud British citizens. Add into the mix the toxic austerity dogma of the current Conservative government and a good number of them seem to feel they are the hard-working 'strivers' who have earned the right to be considered better than those younger 'snowflakes', with their complaints and work-shy, 'shirking' nature and 'sense of entitlement'. My certainties in life are death and taxes. That's it, and I accept it.

What does the royal family mean to me? Nothing, except when there is some wedding, or a baby is born, or whatever, and the mainstream and even social media is awash with intrusive 'royal news' and shows of blind patriotism from Joe public. I just switch off. The coverage overtakes all else, important news is harder to find, government uses the distraction to bury their bad news or push some dodgy piece of legislation through parliament. I have nothing against the royal family per se. One or two of them even make some contribution to the causes I hold dear, but then so do a hundred thousand unsung heroes in the general population who neither get nor desire public recognition of their amazing work. I just don't care about a family of entitled rich people or their 'news'.

As for being a proud supporter of a political party, well, it saddens me to have to say that that is just a bad joke. If you really pinned me down and nailed a label on me, my political compass identifies me as a left-libertarian. I take the test and check my position on the compass at regular intervals, and in the last few years there's been barely any movement from this position. (You can check yourself on the political compass at https://www.politicalcompass.org/). My views are such that I definitely identify most closely with this position, so I guess it forms some part of my identity to an extent, but I don't go around proudly stating it. Why would I? To me, that is pushing my viewpoint on others, something I try to stay clear of. There is no politician or party in the UK that represents me. I am automatically disenfranchised.

So, how about having a cause to fight for? Well, the way I see it I have many views on many things, mainly to do with the injustices and wrongs I see in the world. I guess I am a kind of 'armchair activist'. I post on social media about issues of concern, sign petitions, share links to groups that fight for certain causes, try to spread any truth I find on the most lied about matters, approach social media companies with complaints about hate speech on their sites etc. In some small way I like to think I am making a difference, but am I fighting for a cause? I guess the answer is yes and no, but there's no pride involved. And as for being a patriot, well, many 'patriots' would judge me to be a traitor to be honest. I rail against the lies, propaganda and crimes of the government, criticise their policies and their ideology and frankly despise their whole movement. I sow seeds.

War is often the chalice of blind patriotism. We are supposed to be proud of our fighting men and women and the armed forces as an institution. I have a lot of respect for the underpaid people who chose to fight the wars that our politicians in their ivory towers will never have to endure, but they are not conscripts. Serving is a choice. It gives people a cause and direction. Most are indoctrinated into the culture of killing. Sadly modern warfare is not about keeping our country safe, we are not the 'good guys' and you will return home to no real accolade or gratitude for your sacrifice. Look no further than the way veterans are treated by the government. I will never understand how a person can be proud to kill for a country that doesn't actually give a shit about them. I will never disrespect those who march, wave flags or salute in patriotism. It's their choice, but for me all that stuff is for the birds.

And what of this 'sense of belonging'? I believe that this is the most common reason why so many seem to fall into blind patriotism. Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting to feel proud of your roots, your racial origins, your family ties. My nieces have an African father, my daughter an Asian mother. Some of my closest friends are from places as far apart as Zimbabwe and Hungary. My son is a duel Australian/British citizen. For many immigrants I understand that a sense of pride in their country of origin is important. For British citizens who have immigrant parents their racial mix is a part of their identity. No one can say they aren't right to feel proud of that.

The problem is that the world has historically been carved up by militant men (and women) of violence who place arbitrary lines on a map and divide people. The crimes of the British Empire are a powerful example of this. Of course there are many, many more 'empires', past and present, forcing their will on the world in a continuing cycle of division of humanity. I'm not proud of a country that has raped and pillaged two thirds of the globe. A country which tags onto the shirt-tails of America and all its empire-building and quest for hegemony. A country run by a government that systematically targets the poorest and most vulnerable whilst enriching the elite. I'm not proud at all.

Patriotism is at its very worse when it becomes a tool in the hands of extremists. From Islamists to the far-right, nationalism to fascism, and all the myriad shades of shit in between, these people band into groups and organise to spread their doctrines at an alarming rate, and people fall for their lies. They hijack people's beliefs and scaremonger to spread fear, purely to divide people. They kill, torture, rape and destroy humanity for their own ends without a second thought. The scary thing is that the response of most governments is to go to war - the 'war on terror'. In the end, as we see played out on our TV screens night after night, an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.

Ultimately, what I see when I look at the globe is one race of people - humanity. I don't see borders and flags. These are tools of division that have no place in the world if we are to survive as a species. I identify simply as a citizen of Earth. A member of a global family. I celebrate the diversity of life and am enriched by the differences between people. I accept my fellow humans in all their wonderful, flawed glory. We are all capable of love. We are all capable of hatred. We are all human.

“Patriotism is the principle that will justify the training of wholesale murderers" - Leo Tolstoy

Copyright © Richard C. Greenlow. All rights reserved.