Reclaiming Patriotism

It's not about taking America back

Moving toward an inclusive future.

Voice of the day (Sojourners) In Beloved Community, radically inclusive and resilient love is the norm. It is a community in which we are constantly seeking to build and restore right relationships. - Adam Russell Taylor, A More Perfect Union (2021) I remember a debate we had in college. It was about the Vietnam War. Was it a test of our patriotism to blindly accept the justification for the war? If I was opposed to the war because of racism toward Asians and African Americans. was I unpatriotic? Or was I the patriotic one who believed in the ideals expressed at our founding, that all of us are created equal. Dr. King had expressed his opposition to the war just a few years earlier. "On 4 April 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his seminal speech at Riverside Church condemning the Vietnam War. Declaring “my conscience leaves me no other choice,” King described the war’s deleterious effects on both America’s poor and Vietnamese peasants and insisted that it was morally imperative for the United States to take radical steps to halt the war through nonviolent means." The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute This issue of defining patriotism has come up again during the Trump administration and the months that followed. Communities and common interests lead to progress and hope for the future. It's a really radical concept for whose who believe in the lone wolf approach. Teddy Roosevelt used to talk about rugged individualism, but then became a leading proponent of progressivism. The four major goals of the progressives were to promote the ideas of morality, economic reform , efficiency and social welfare. This country became stronger in times of need because we were able to work together, not alone. For more on Adam Russell Taylor's essay on radical love's rebuilding our country see his article, Is Redemptive Patriotism Possible? “Patriotism comes in many forms. Its most destructive, often nationalistic forms erode the very foundation upon which the Beloved Community is built and suffocate efforts to form a more perfect union. Redeeming patriotism requires reframing our love for the best of America’s ideals and aspirations. It requires understanding that the right to critique America is part of the brilliance of America. … Redeeming patriotism requires greater willingness to have courageous and civil conversations about the very ideals that make us love America. It refuses pointless arguments over who loves America more. As a result, redeeming patriotism represents a vital part of creating the atmosphere in which a more perfect union and the Beloved Community can breathe.” Taylor “REDEEMING PATRIOTISM REQUIRES REFRAMING OUR LOVE FOR THE BEST OF AMERICA’S IDEALS AND ASPIRATIONS.” —ADAM RUSSELL TAYLOR IN A MORE PERFECT UNION

Making a Change

markus spiske

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

Inertia

A property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force.

"the power required to overcome friction and the inertia of the moving parts"

I talk about inertia when I teach people how to drive. There are only three things that you can control to change inertia when driving. You can steer, you can use your brakes, or you can use your accelerator. Sometimes it's a combination of all three. A small change can make a huge difference. Yet, there are a substantial number of collisions (around 30%) where drivers took no action.

But I digress. Back to Margaret Mead. Looking her up in Britannica, Margaret Mead was an American anthropologist best known for her studies of the peoples of Oceania. She also commented on a wide array of societal issues, such as women's rights, nuclear proliferation, race relations, environmental pollution, and world hunger. Her thoughts on social change made her a target of conservatives.

An essay in Scientific American by John Horgan posits that her bashers owe her an apology. Most attacks on Mead focus on her ethnographic writings, notably her classic Coming of Age in Samoa: A Psychological Study of Primitive Youth for Western Civilization. 

"Her book nonetheless posed a challenge to Western sexual mores, which according to Mead inflicted needless suffering on young men and women. The metatheme of Coming of Age and all Mead's subsequent work was that the way things are is not the way they must or should be; we can choose to live in ways that make us happier and healthier. Her writings helped inspire feminism, the sexual revolution, the human potential movement and other countercultural trends during the 1960s."

Margaret Mead was a political progressive. Horgan points out that mead was  an outspoken critic of social Darwinism and eugenics, which in this pre-Nazi era were still intellectually fashionable. As a result of these influences, Mead opposed genetic determinism, racism, sexism, militarism and stultifying religious morality. She was biased—and she was right.

But was she right about change? Does a movement begin with an idea and end with a small group of committed individuals? There needs to be a point where the commitment of a few  becomes something larger.

Pettus Bridge

The first protest on March 7th was small. Led by Hosea Williams, one of Martin Luther King's SCLC lieutenants, and John Lewis, some 600 demonstrators walked, two by two, the six blocks to the Edmund Pettus Bridge that crossed the Alabama River and led out of Selma. They were literally beaten back. Press coverage changed that dynamic. Lewis spoke of how the civil rights music was able to change the dynamics through press coverage. “Without the press, the Civil Rights movement would have been a bird without wings.” 

There were actually three marches. The second march had two thousand participants. Martin Luther King turned the marchers back fearing the same outcome. By the third march, there ended up being 25 thousand when they reached Montgomery. Those who crossed the bridge were protected by 1,000 military policemen and 2,000 military troops.

The march was a pivotal point in the civil rights movement. As the numbers grew, the momentum, the inertia of the movement, became a force to strong to turn aside.

There have been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will. -Sam Cooke

Reaching Across the Divide

Building Bridges not Barriers

In a discussion with a group interested in reaching across the political divide, I questioned, "How do you reach somebody who refuses to participate."

Recently, at Thanksgiving dinner, we were going around the table sharing things we're thankful for. Most of us talked about our family, pets and friends. One person decided to insert politics despite and agreement not to talk about partisan politics at the gathering. He boldly stated, "I'm thankful we have someone as president who is making America great again." The table went stone silent until his wife reminded him forcefully, "No politics!"  

Prior to that, talk around the table had been amicable with broad ranging discussions on a variety of topics including the environment, presidents past and present, food, movies and work. Fortunately, order was restored, and friendship prevailed despite obvious political differences.

I was reminded of an anonymous quote I ran across 30 years ago, "There's my informed and intelligent opinion, and anybody who disagrees is a brain dead zealot."

And then today, I saw this...

There needs to be a change. That change needs to come from us, because it's not likely to come from the top. There are wise words to follow from people much smarter than I.


You cannot reap what you have not sown. How are we going to reap love in our community if we only sow hate?
- Saint Óscar Romero


Now, this country is going to be transformed. It will not be transformed by an act of God, but by all of us, by you and me. I don’t believe any longer that we can afford to say that it is entirely out of our hands. We made the world we’re living in and we have to make it over.
- James Baldwin

People on opposite sides are going to need to to start talking with each other. Maybe that means listening to each other first. There's a book I've been reading, "Soul Force." The authors, Reesheda Graham-Washington and Shawn Casselberry, offer seven pivot points toward courage, community, and change.

The pivot points are:

1. From Fear to Freedom
2. From Barriers to Bridge Building
3. From Self-Centeredness to Solidarity
4. From Hurt to Hope
5. From Consuming to Creating
6. From Charity to Change
7. From Maintenance to Moving 

To me, it looks like the antidote to everything the Trumpians seem to stand for, but by saying this am falling into the same trap?

Be Heard - Vote

As I read, I move from moments of hopefulness to, "Oh, what's the use." I'm reminded of some of the great civil movements. It is not hopeless. Martin Luther King, Jr. responded to the idea that legislation could not be used to change hearts.  

"It may be true that the law cannot change the heart but it can restrain the heartless.
It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me but it can keep him from lynching me and I think that is pretty important, also.
So there is a need for executive orders. There is a need for judicial decrees. There is a need for civil rights legislation on the local scale within states and on the national scale from the federal government."

The time is right to listen, find common ground, and build coalitions that will bring about change. Maybe part of resisting is to resist the forces that would divide us. 

Cable News Coverage Can Distort (Update)

Are we missing the point in Baltimore? 

That would seem to be the case based on early coverage on cable news. So much of the coverage was based on speculation...looking for somebody to blame. The use of video wallpaper (The Burning CVS) shown for days distorts what is really going on. Politico's Jack Shafer points out that running the continuous loop of a burning store or burning car distorts coverage. The riot is real news, and it's good for ratings, but there is so much more depth to this story.

Poverty in Baltimore affects one in four, according to Census figures. 

More than 37 percent of Baltimore's children were living in poverty in 2011, up from 28 percent in 2007, according to Census Bureau estimates. The city's childhood poverty rate is unchanged from 2010.Sep 20, 2012

Unemployment in the poorer sections of Baltimore is around 19%.  Forbes published an article by Dan Diamond about why Baltimore burned, and it's really about the two Baltimores. There's a stunning graphic in the article that shows the difference between the two.

The issues surrounding poverty in Baltimore go back a long way. An article published by the Washington Post and Post tv found the roots of Baltimore's ills dating back to the 1950's when high paying jobs started leaving the city.

The riots are en expression of frustration. Martin Luther King, Jr. called riots the language of the unheard. King was not condoning riots, but he understood why they happen.

It Could Happen Anywhere

The poor conditions found in Baltimore exists in many urban centers in the United States. That means the potential for riots are embedded in communities across the country. For example, The median household income in Hartford is around $29,000. The median household income in Connecticut is around $69,000. It's a huge disparity in the richest state in the country. These statistics are based on figures published by the US Census Bureau in 2013. You can look for figures for your community at their website. I found Hartford's statistics on their Quickfacts page.

Some Go Deeper

Forbes, the Washington Post, NPR and others are taking a deeper look at the causes to the riots in Baltimore. It is easy to see it is about more than just race. It's about grinding poverty and the feelings of powerlessness that go along with poverty.

The Power of the Podium

Local public radio stations can take on the opportunity this presents to be involved in a meaningful way with their community. We have a bully pulpit and we can make a difference while serving the our listeners and the needs of the communities we cover. This issue calls for sustained coverage long after the cable networks have moved on to the next plane crash or back to Hilary Clinton's email or Benghazi.