Will McAvoy, The Newsroom, http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0308974/quotes
It is not just conservatives who do it though. My American (ex) brother-in-law is very liberal, and a very smart and successful lawyer, who is very knowledgeable about U.S. history, but he has his own version of deification of the Founding Fathers (or the right ones, especially Jefferson) that often seemed quite bizarre to (British) me. Although I often agreed with his political conclusions, it was weird to me that the main support he would offer for them was largely along the lines of “this is what Jefferson would have done (as I can can show by reference to such-and-such passages in his writings), and/or what Hamilton would have opposed.”
Actually, it was a lot more nuanced than simple hero-worship of Jefferson, but, nevertheless, he really did seem to conceptualize present-day constitutional and politico-ethical disputes largely in terms of the positions and arguments of the various Founding Fathers, and would quote their arguments, at length, in support of his own views. To me it was bizarre, as if someone in contemporary Britain took their political and ethical cues from Pitt the Younger, or Walpole.
News programs being wall to wall in red, white and blue and every other splash screen being a flag backdrop is pretty weird. Even weirder when supposedly progressive, independent channels like TYT do the same thing. Don’t want to be accused of being unpatriotic I guess. Daily Show does it too. At least Colbert does it semi-ironically.
The combination of militarism and sports is skeevy too. National anthem before each game, soldiers in uniform, jets flying overhead, dudes belting out battle cries as the singer holds the last note…settle down guys, we’re not charging over a hill yet. Reminds me of a comment from IOZ I think, something like, “I was watching a military commercial and a football game broke out.”
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The combination of militarism and sports is skeevy too. National anthem before each game, dudes belting out battle cries as the singer holds the last note…settle down guys, we’re not charging over a hill yet. Reminds me of a comment from IOZ I think, something like, “I was watching a military commercial and a football game broke out.”
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Don’t forget teams wearing camouflage uniforms.
True camouflage would be red, white and blue to blend in with the rest of the crowd.
Yes. All bow before the Holy Woodcuts of the Prophecy of Allegiance!
Actually (and speaking as a Brit), yes it does. America may not be number one in as many ways as many Americans like to think, but is still far and away the most militarily and financially powerful country in the world, and the most internationally influential, even without having to noticeably flex its military of financial muscles. What is more, it has achieved that level of military and financial power while still retaining an enviable degree of political and social liberty and openness. (It may not be quite the beacon of liberty that it likes to imagine it is, but it manages a lot better, in that regard, than most other military superpowers have done throughout history.) There is reason to think it is on the downward slide in this respect, but it has quite a long way to fall.
America almost certainly still has the best higher education system in the world, too, (although how much longer it can sustain that position is questionable) and, largely as a corollary of that, it easily leads the world in scientific research (although partly for merely quantitative reasons).
There are probably also several other ways that America really does remain number one. In a lot of areas of international sport, for instance (and not just the sports that the rest of the world isn’t interested in). A lot of its dominance (in science, sport, etc.) arises from sheer size and wealth, but those are real enough things, and are especially significant in combination. America may not be the wealthiest country in per capita terms, but it is pretty darn wealthy even per capita, and it is by far the largest (in terms of population) of the wealthy countries.
There is a lot wrong with America, and things may be getting worse, but ther is still a lot right with it. (And, just to make it clear, I am not American.)
Like that matters to a 7 year old being told to recite it. It’s just the beginning of the jingoism that we face all our lives.
I like to go to NY Yankee games and absolutely despise being ‘asked’ to stand and remove my hat during the seventh inning stretch to listen to “God Bless America”. Always time for a bathroom break - just wish I could find the player and do my business on it. I also have an issue with the National Anthem before any sporting events, but not as much as being expected to give that other og-awful song the same respect.
This rant by Bill Maher was suggested as I watched the above. I like Bill Maher.
Do they still chain people in during the song?
nm
Maybe it depends where you are in Texas, because they sure as shit did it every day when I was in school. We even had a pledge for the Texas flag. “Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible.”
As if we needed another reason to despise George Steinbrenner.
I thought the pledge was creepy when I was in grammar school in the 60’s. After I read Catch 22 in HS I knew it was creepy. BTW I went to a Catholic school and we did NOT say “One nation under GOD” we said “One nation indivisible”. After I read Catch 22 in HS I knew it was creepy.
I just recently found out that boomer seniors in that Palin loving town of “The Villages” in central Fl. say the pledge before almost every recreational meeting. Wanna play bingo: say the pledge. I can’t tell you how creepy I feel about that.
When did you go to school? The part about “under God” was not in the original pledge. It was added in 1954. And it was Catholics (specifically the Knights of Columbus) who had pushed for the change.
eta: I just noticed you had said you went to school in the 60’s so I guess that answers my question. I don’t know why your school decided to pass on the change.
South Chicago burbs.
NETA: The church and school were pretty liberal, my nun teacher in 1968 quoted “Cool Hand Luke” on one her poster boards and also referred to S&G’s “I am a Rock” and “Sounds of Silence” in her lectures although she said nothing about “Mrs. Robinson” hee.
Not anymore. I was just there this weekend and forgot to get up and leave at 2 outs, so only started moving when Kate Smith’s warbling started. No one tried to stop me. I do remember the chains, more in the lower sections, where there are more ushers to help keep the riff-raff out. This past weekend, I was in the lower section.
The fact that anyone, from anywhere can come to this country illegally and you will get cheap housing, free food, free cell phone, free education for your kids. In many states you now get a college education that costs less than American citizens pay. You can buy a car drive around with no insurance, no license, not bother to register the vehicle. When you get in an accident or pulled over by the police just tell them you’re an illegal and off you go no worries and no bother.
Tell me of another country that does this ??? Name one…………
America, what a country.