terrible. when, oh when, will they put this guy out to pasture?
38
Mr Brooks, I think the best illustration of you missing the point was when you said, "When we sing the national anthem, we’re not commenting on the state of America. We’re fortifying our foundational creed..." You have completely missed the point that what they hear is not what you sing. Maybe you should direct your opinion at those who are appropriating the national anthem and twisting national pride into something which we should all be afraid of.
64
Dear Mr. Brooks,
Spend one work week with this amazing woman. Commute with her, work alongside her. Then write about what you learned.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/nyregion/a-93-year-journey-from-a-form...®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
Spend one work week with this amazing woman. Commute with her, work alongside her. Then write about what you learned.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/nyregion/a-93-year-journey-from-a-form...®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
15
Mr. Brooks, your columns of late have become so cloyingly nostalgic for an America that only existed between 1946-1960 and only for white folks that I can't decide if you are Pollyanna or Big Brother.
77
Brooks is an amazing idiot. It's as if he just types out whatever crosses his mind the Times sends it to the presses. How does he still have a job?
58
Mr. Brooks, is it really so hard to comprehend why some African Americans have mixed feelings about the country? In your piece, you take a nostalgic stroll through US history and focus on the striving Europeans who colonized the Americas. When I take that same stroll, I see those same Europeans and their nasty habit of doing terrible things to Black people. Only recently did the country stop doing explicitly terrible things to Black people (remember it was only about 50 years ago,that White people decided that Black people would be allowed to vote in every state). Given Black people's history in the US, what's truly remarkable is that so many African Americans profess deep love for the country. Throughout US history, African Americans struggled to be accepted into the fabric of a nation that repeatedly rejected us and sought to limit our economic and political prospects. But whenever an African American mentions the simple truth that the US isn't always kind or fair to Black people, he or she is met with some version of "you're ungrateful", "love everything about us or leave". Mr Brooks, can you understand why some Black people have mixed emotions on Independence Day? Can you understand why some Black people find it impossible to share your reverence for our nation's founders? And in a country, where young African Americans are met with scorn for simply saying Black lives matter, can you understand why some of them might take a knee during the national anthem?
119
Interesting: Mr. Brooks is using his right to free speech to tell others to abandon theirs. The bow is listing.
39
If I were a yong black man who used to stand for the national anthem, I'd start taking a knee after reading this saccahine, out of touch drivel.
50
"...they sang the national anthem and said the Pledge in unison;..."
I don't know if this is happening elsewhere in the country, but lately around here when the Pledge is said, the phrase "under God" comes out twice as loud as the rest of it. Nobody seems to complain, but I wish "one nation", "indivisible", or especially "for all" was the phrase being emphasized.
I don't know if this is happening elsewhere in the country, but lately around here when the Pledge is said, the phrase "under God" comes out twice as loud as the rest of it. Nobody seems to complain, but I wish "one nation", "indivisible", or especially "for all" was the phrase being emphasized.
20
Amusing.
Its OK to have third-world cities in American (Baltimore, baton Rouge, ST. Louis). Its OK to have depressed and destroyed hinterland in W. Virginia and rural Ohio or penssylvania. We don't need to do anything about that.
But we should fake being "united" at sports events and deny reality!!
Its OK to have third-world cities in American (Baltimore, baton Rouge, ST. Louis). Its OK to have depressed and destroyed hinterland in W. Virginia and rural Ohio or penssylvania. We don't need to do anything about that.
But we should fake being "united" at sports events and deny reality!!
49
I teach American History. I've taught it since 1997, and I teach it virtually every semester. And I will go out on a limb and argue that in virtually all colleges and universities it is still taught, and the majority of students are still taking it.
I can't speak for high schools, because I don't teach in high schools. But I think that it is incorrect to blame a lack of knowledge of American history or a lack of patriotism on colleges and universities. World History, American History and the History of other regions and time periods are ALL taught side by side. A broader focus on many cultures WITHIN all of these historical genres has made ALL of them more complete, and I don't believe its made more young people "post national".
Honestly, I think if we want to find out why patriotism is on the decline, we should look at what has been happening since 2003 in our politics and in how our government (at all levels) has behaved, and in particular how its treated its own citizens. Look for the MULTIPLE causes of political polarization also, and you'll have a better explanation. And you just might find that many Americans have good reasons to defend their racial, gender and ethnic identities, given the climate we live in.
But I think there is a more basic and simple explanation. Most immigrants from the very beginning came here for greater economic opportunities, more so than religious freedom. Look for ECONOMIC causes of declining patriotism as well.
I can't speak for high schools, because I don't teach in high schools. But I think that it is incorrect to blame a lack of knowledge of American history or a lack of patriotism on colleges and universities. World History, American History and the History of other regions and time periods are ALL taught side by side. A broader focus on many cultures WITHIN all of these historical genres has made ALL of them more complete, and I don't believe its made more young people "post national".
Honestly, I think if we want to find out why patriotism is on the decline, we should look at what has been happening since 2003 in our politics and in how our government (at all levels) has behaved, and in particular how its treated its own citizens. Look for the MULTIPLE causes of political polarization also, and you'll have a better explanation. And you just might find that many Americans have good reasons to defend their racial, gender and ethnic identities, given the climate we live in.
But I think there is a more basic and simple explanation. Most immigrants from the very beginning came here for greater economic opportunities, more so than religious freedom. Look for ECONOMIC causes of declining patriotism as well.
35
You nailed it with this line - "If these common rituals are insulted, other people won’t be motivated to right your injustices because they’ll be less likely to feel that you are part of their story. "
Kaepernick has helped to alienate people from his cause, obscured the issue and made any solution that much more difficult.
Worse, he cedes patriotism to the opposition. America stands ALSO for the march towards progress and reform.
In 1984, I remember commentators remarking on the sea of American flags which were being waved at the Democratic National Convention, as if it was remarkable that liberals could be so openly patriotic. And this year, the same comments accompanied the same display at the DNC.
I am SICK of liberals giving up ground to the opposition by such short-sighted and wrong-headed means of protest. Let's stop playing defense. Let's stick to the point!
Kaepernick has helped to alienate people from his cause, obscured the issue and made any solution that much more difficult.
Worse, he cedes patriotism to the opposition. America stands ALSO for the march towards progress and reform.
In 1984, I remember commentators remarking on the sea of American flags which were being waved at the Democratic National Convention, as if it was remarkable that liberals could be so openly patriotic. And this year, the same comments accompanied the same display at the DNC.
I am SICK of liberals giving up ground to the opposition by such short-sighted and wrong-headed means of protest. Let's stop playing defense. Let's stick to the point!
11
In other words, stand up and be good boys. This logic is racism! You are trying to preach to a world you have never, and can never, be a part of. It is a fact that systemic racism exists. It is indisputable. Are these athletes supposed to continue going along in a society that actively discriminates against them? Are these athletes supposed to keep their heads down and not make trouble in order to solve "their" problems? Are these athletes supposed to express solidarity with a country that kills and jails them? No, good for them for making a statement that they're tired of being told to be good boys. Good for them that they want to highlight the lack of solidarity they feel from their country! Good for them that they recognize they don't have to express solidarity with a system that works against them! Keep on kneeling!
38
I wonder how many of these people who are upset with Kaepernick stand up for the national anthem when they are not attending games.
It appears that their interpretation of patriotism is standing up in silence only when you attend a game, not in the privacy of your own house or when you are out at a bar watching the game.
I have watched games with Republicans, both in private homes and bars, and never saw one stand up in silence when the National Anthem was played over the TV. Heck, many are not even silent and continue on with everyday conversation.
Does David Brook stand up in silence and revere the flag when he watches sports games in private houses or at the bar? Or does he break his vow of solidarity?
It appears that their interpretation of patriotism is standing up in silence only when you attend a game, not in the privacy of your own house or when you are out at a bar watching the game.
I have watched games with Republicans, both in private homes and bars, and never saw one stand up in silence when the National Anthem was played over the TV. Heck, many are not even silent and continue on with everyday conversation.
Does David Brook stand up in silence and revere the flag when he watches sports games in private houses or at the bar? Or does he break his vow of solidarity?
17
No matter how erudite your column is written, Mr. Brooks, you are exceedingly unconvincing. Over the past 40 years scoundrel dome reigned supreme when the Republican Party brainwashed its adherents into believing that patriotism equates with being a good American and protest is being viewed as sacrilegious.
I seriously doubt that anyone of the rapidly growing number of the underclass (formerly called middle class) feels a stirring of solidarity when hearing the National Anthem. In reality it is a phony exercise in pretending that all is well and that the greatness of this country will trump (no pun intended) all accomplishments of the rest of the world.
I think you need to write about the true reality we live in instead of regaling us with tortured arguments as to how our society ought to have this collective lump in its throat and close ranks when the Star Spangled Banner is played.
I seriously doubt that anyone of the rapidly growing number of the underclass (formerly called middle class) feels a stirring of solidarity when hearing the National Anthem. In reality it is a phony exercise in pretending that all is well and that the greatness of this country will trump (no pun intended) all accomplishments of the rest of the world.
I think you need to write about the true reality we live in instead of regaling us with tortured arguments as to how our society ought to have this collective lump in its throat and close ranks when the Star Spangled Banner is played.
14
Dear Mr. Brooks, I have rarely read such a disappointing column from you for so many different reasons. Your framing of the reasons that Europeans came to these shores is narrowly cast and you seem to forget the large number of people who came to these shores by force and not from Europe. How do you see them fitting into the American Dream, where were their opportunities for a shared understanding of our patriotic values? Second, your reductionist stances as to what it means to be patriotic in a democracy seems confused with the very nationalism is that fear from Trump and his followers. It is the cacophony of voices, ideas, and beliefs that forged America not the monolithic Jeffersonian vision of yeomen farmers or the misplaced emphasis on a song, a pledge, or a 4th of July picnic. Finally, it is as embarrassing to have a middle-aged white man lecture young black men about patriotism, equality and justice for all as it is for middle-aged white men to lecture women about the definition of rape.
Perhaps instead of these young athletes standing and singing in solidarity with us we should kneel and reflect in solidarity with them.
Perhaps instead of these young athletes standing and singing in solidarity with us we should kneel and reflect in solidarity with them.
21
Thank you, Mr. Brooks, for wiriting such a well considered essay. America as it stands has multiple flaws, but I still firmly believe it's the best game going. I remember back in '68, when the European countries were snickering at America's problem with racial/cultural division. Well, now it's THEIR turn, and they don't seem to be handling it any better (and, perhaps, much worse). Thank you for reminding us that there is still the America-ideal to which we should always strive.
6
People are not checking their cellphones, or slipping off to use the facilities during the anthem. They are kneeling. This still treats it with reverence, but also shows a note of dissent.
19
Mr. Brooks, With respectful appreciation for your years commenting on the public stage, I believe your editorial is about 50 years too late. Your voice, while articulate and thoughtful, has been sadly out of tune with reality for too long.
I believe it's time for a new voice on this page.
I believe it's time for a new voice on this page.
19
I haven't stood for the National Anthem or sang " We Shall Overcome" for 30 years. I never felt a need to explain why. I don't need nor do I need to be validated by white opinions - opinions of people who enjoy the fruits of this country generally unimpeded and will never understand. If I had a son out there kneeling, I'd me hella proud of him. The time is never right for protest according to the people who feel there js nothing about which to protest. You dont like riots and you don't want peaceful protest either. Sounds as if , once again, we should just shut up and be happy we are living in the USA. And no, I'm not going anywhere. Anyone who suggests otherwise should be ready to send me where they deem fit as well as pay for it and set me up both financially and functionally. Short of that, keep your opinions about the method of protest to yourself because I don't need your opinion or validation.
32
The smallest quibble: "the nation's ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled." That should have been, "will never completely fulfill." We're humans, and the beauty of our country is that we will continue until our dying breath to strive to meet the impossibly high standards we've set for ourselves. God bless America.
3
Someone said that political puritanism reigned in England for about a decade, but has never been deposed in America.
4
The flag means too many things, to too many people, for any one group to preempt its meaning. Of course, they can try; are trying. But the 'meaning' I'm referring to is hard-wired in many others minds. I think, in particular, if you've marched into battle with only that flag as a reason 'Why?', seen comrades die there, lost limbs there, it's just silly for someone to expect you to make the mental stretch that it represents Black Lives alone. It's not part of your mental vocabulary and no amount of kneeling will make it so. But what it will do, instead, is wither your respect for a movement you may agree with.
2
David you are simply wrong, removing the confederate flag from national and state houses is "expressing commitment to the nation’s ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled", just like the political protest you so abhor, you seem to lack a basic understanding of the expressed ideals of our system.
11
Well, that was quick. Nowadays, you don't need a Paul Revere galloping through the night on the empty streets of town to disseminate your message. There was one time, you'd written before this column, that David was wearing his green jacket everywhere feeling patriotic. It's symbolic here more than the value of its content, in as much as sitting for "Occupy Wall Street," online imagery of the Arab Spring, Music of the 60's, Rap, Tebowing, the "Hope" poster during the 2008 campaigning in solid red, beige, and blue, etc. Its longitudinal affect is limited and tends to fizzle out, but its immediate effect is profound, and in an election year, its timing could affect the swing votes.
It was easier to be a Puritan or a Protestant back then when the country had about 2 millions of people, everybody acted and looked the same, and the opportunity for economic growth was as far as your horse can run. To get the job done nowadays is like coordinating a wedding party of 330 million gatherers, so you can't really compare the two time period.
The US millennials, this year have surpassed as the largest living generation, also has recently matched the baby-boomers' share of the electorate. There's a lot of millennials working in the NYT building, or your Yale class, as well as in my work place. I would like to pass on the baton of wisdom and experience, but they are not buying it. Perhaps they got it from the middle-age parents, but they already told me, "economic is everything."
It was easier to be a Puritan or a Protestant back then when the country had about 2 millions of people, everybody acted and looked the same, and the opportunity for economic growth was as far as your horse can run. To get the job done nowadays is like coordinating a wedding party of 330 million gatherers, so you can't really compare the two time period.
The US millennials, this year have surpassed as the largest living generation, also has recently matched the baby-boomers' share of the electorate. There's a lot of millennials working in the NYT building, or your Yale class, as well as in my work place. I would like to pass on the baton of wisdom and experience, but they are not buying it. Perhaps they got it from the middle-age parents, but they already told me, "economic is everything."
1
Patriotism means nothing if everyone is required to express it.
I'm certain that everyone in East Germany stood for their anthem.
I'm certain that everyone in East Germany stood for their anthem.
33
Perhaps there is a crisis of solidarity because not everyone has had the same experience of America as you have had? This is a peaceful protest- not a way to say, "I am not part of America" but a way to say, "My America is not represented in this song." These are young people who are engaging. It is so exciting to be at a time in history when people feel like they can stand up for themselves and their communities- to express their feelings-- and not just go with the status quo. Part of our "shared loyalty" has to be the freedom to express negative thoughts- and the freedom to make every voice heard.
Patriotism isn't defined by loving a song or following all the rules. It's about feeling free to make a stand, to try to make some of unfulfilled into reality. That's how we move forward.
Patriotism isn't defined by loving a song or following all the rules. It's about feeling free to make a stand, to try to make some of unfulfilled into reality. That's how we move forward.
36
Brooks gives us his Hallmark card while missing completely the point of kneeling. I, too, question the playing of the national anthem at sporting events. I also question the singing of "God Bless America" at any political rallies or functions. "Deutschland Uber Alles" was mandatory at Nazi rallies. More false equivalences advanced by Republicans and their candidate for president.
17
There is no contradiction between being a citizen of the world and a patriot. Civic rituals exist in every country and it is simply polite to observe them while you are in this country. If I happen to be present at the singing of the national anthem in Italy, I'll stand up, even though I'm not Italian, just as I'll behave respectfully in a church, even though I'm not a Christian. Patriotism is much more complicated. It is patriotic to protest what you see as as injustice, just as it is patriotic to disagree with the protest if you consider it unwarranted. I do not support the BLM movement but I believe they have the right to express their grievances in whatever symbolic way they choose.
5
The American flag is plastered all over the place, even, especially, when our own home grown demagogues speak.
From yelling 'Love it or leave it' to claiming we should build a wall, how does the sight of the flag associated with these vile statements of hatred engender respect?
From yelling 'Love it or leave it' to claiming we should build a wall, how does the sight of the flag associated with these vile statements of hatred engender respect?
2
What a ridiculous column. You don't even engage with the reason, cited repeatedly by everyone involved, for this protest against this supposedly shared symbolism. Instead you cite Dr. King, but fail to acknowledge in any way that nearly 50 years after Dr. King's violent death this country has continued to failed to live up to the words and sentiments expressed in all that patriotic symbolism. In fact, in many ways, we have gone backwards from those promises.
The fact that African-Americans are still treated like targets rather than human beings by many of the people charged with enforcing our laws goes wholly unmentioned by you. As does the fact that those peacefully protesting that state of affairs have been met by much the same vulgar and resentful reaction as Dr. King's protests were met with all of those years ago. Except this time they have also been met with the most openly racist major party presidential candidate and campaign within living memory.
So, the question shouldn't be why all these people are "disrespecting" the symbols of a country that has consistently and systematically denied them fair and equal treatment, but what took them so long. And why do so many clueless, head in the sand, educated white people like Mr. Brooks still act as if the problem is in the protest and protestors and not in the behavior of those who would protect only the symbols but will not act to turn the sentiments of those symbols into reality with meaningful actions?
The fact that African-Americans are still treated like targets rather than human beings by many of the people charged with enforcing our laws goes wholly unmentioned by you. As does the fact that those peacefully protesting that state of affairs have been met by much the same vulgar and resentful reaction as Dr. King's protests were met with all of those years ago. Except this time they have also been met with the most openly racist major party presidential candidate and campaign within living memory.
So, the question shouldn't be why all these people are "disrespecting" the symbols of a country that has consistently and systematically denied them fair and equal treatment, but what took them so long. And why do so many clueless, head in the sand, educated white people like Mr. Brooks still act as if the problem is in the protest and protestors and not in the behavior of those who would protect only the symbols but will not act to turn the sentiments of those symbols into reality with meaningful actions?
8
The flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the National Anthem are nothing more than symbols for principles enshrined in our Constitution. The flag is, in fact, just a piece of cloth, the Pledge, just words, and the Anthem is just a song (written originally to be played in March tempo). To "honor" the flag, the symbol, while denying the First Amendment Right of freedom of expression and the right to gather to demand redress of our grievances, is to show a profound misconception about the Constitution and democracy in general. People have it backwards. A flag becomes meaningless when you don't honor the principles it is supposed to stand for by criticizing another person's legitimate expressions of dissent.
BTW, according to the flag statutes, using the Stars And Stripes on clothing, as decoration, or anything other than on the flag itself is forbidden - a breach of proper respect seen in great numbers at both conventions and throughout politics. So is using it as a drape, as many athletes just did in Rio.
Oddly enough, burning the flag is not only NOT forbidden in the flag code, but is the recommended way to destroy an old flag, as long as accompanied by "suitable ceremony." It leaves the definition of "suitable ceremony" up to the people burning the flag.
When we start denying the actual Rights and Freedoms in order to "defend" a mere symbol of those Rights and Freedoms, we are in extreme need of a good class on civics.
BTW, according to the flag statutes, using the Stars And Stripes on clothing, as decoration, or anything other than on the flag itself is forbidden - a breach of proper respect seen in great numbers at both conventions and throughout politics. So is using it as a drape, as many athletes just did in Rio.
Oddly enough, burning the flag is not only NOT forbidden in the flag code, but is the recommended way to destroy an old flag, as long as accompanied by "suitable ceremony." It leaves the definition of "suitable ceremony" up to the people burning the flag.
When we start denying the actual Rights and Freedoms in order to "defend" a mere symbol of those Rights and Freedoms, we are in extreme need of a good class on civics.
2
Brooks: "We have a crisis of solidarity."
Yes, we do; and the reason we do is because individualism is trumping community and all the implications that community has for building solidarity. We do not see ourselves as being our "brother's keeper" and having responsible for one another, a theme articulated so effectively by Dr. Martin Luther King. Instead, we are embracing social Darwinism, which is the antithesis of community and patriotism. This is making for national destruction.
Yes, we do; and the reason we do is because individualism is trumping community and all the implications that community has for building solidarity. We do not see ourselves as being our "brother's keeper" and having responsible for one another, a theme articulated so effectively by Dr. Martin Luther King. Instead, we are embracing social Darwinism, which is the antithesis of community and patriotism. This is making for national destruction.
8
"By 1776, this fusion of radical hope and radical self-criticism had become the country’s civic religion. This civic religion was based on a moral premise — that all men are created equal — and pointed toward a vision of a promised land — a place where your family or country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities."
Mr. Brooks argues that this country has a historical tradition of and therefore duty to honor a sense of solidarity. But the above paragraph should be followed by a sentence pointing out that the so-called "moral premise" of "all men are created equal" specifically applied to white, land-owning men. In fact, many of the founders of this country owned slaves, and would have been disgusted by the prospect of black men and women enjoying the same rights guaranteed to white men.
This "vision of a promised land" where "your family or country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities" was similarly a vision absent of non-whites.
Mr. Brooks fails to realize that this country was not in any respect founded on some ideal fantasy of a utopia filled with equal opportunities for all. The sense of solidarity he imagines has never existed, specifically because of the fact that the United States was legally established as a nation which bestowed different rights to different types of people, separated by gender and race.
It's a nice fantasy, though.
Mr. Brooks argues that this country has a historical tradition of and therefore duty to honor a sense of solidarity. But the above paragraph should be followed by a sentence pointing out that the so-called "moral premise" of "all men are created equal" specifically applied to white, land-owning men. In fact, many of the founders of this country owned slaves, and would have been disgusted by the prospect of black men and women enjoying the same rights guaranteed to white men.
This "vision of a promised land" where "your family or country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities" was similarly a vision absent of non-whites.
Mr. Brooks fails to realize that this country was not in any respect founded on some ideal fantasy of a utopia filled with equal opportunities for all. The sense of solidarity he imagines has never existed, specifically because of the fact that the United States was legally established as a nation which bestowed different rights to different types of people, separated by gender and race.
It's a nice fantasy, though.
6
Extending the metaphor of a civic religion would have to accommodate the idea that there are privileged pews in the front of the church; I do not think this is disputable. It would seem then to be a moral responsibility to make all equally welcome....
1
And why isn't American history being taught anymore? Because the full story doesn't fit the Republican mythology. Lincoln freed the slaves but institutional structures have kept them "enchained." The national anthem doesn't ring true until those structures are torn down.
3
We Americans are to me inherently contradictory, and (seemingly) the divisive Vietnam episode has been a disunifying "stressor" that (seemingly) catalyzes some non-consensi values to this day, at least for the now aged baby-boomers composing in large part today's leaders and reigning establishments.
But, very frankly, our overall racial dichotomy remains problematic if not hopeless, and the football players' demonstrations are surely about our incurable imperfections/realities.
The Obama Presidency has been an attempt at unification.
I'm not denying whatever progress that's been made in my lifetime (born in 1944), while I am as frustrated as I've always been by racial (aka class) phenomena.
But, very frankly, our overall racial dichotomy remains problematic if not hopeless, and the football players' demonstrations are surely about our incurable imperfections/realities.
The Obama Presidency has been an attempt at unification.
I'm not denying whatever progress that's been made in my lifetime (born in 1944), while I am as frustrated as I've always been by racial (aka class) phenomena.
As a so called Black American under a continuing oath to a constitution that considered me to be but three fifths of a man at its founding, I rely upon the notion of the constitution as a living document capable of evolving. Far from perfect as it was built upon unsustainable compromises which we contend with still – it contains the seeds of a better future, should we collectively awake to our responsibilities. I recently heard a Hopi Elder contend that the Bill of Rights should have been a Bill of Responsibilities but then they view each decision for its consequences seven generations hence and treat the earth with gratitude and respect. So whereas I will agree that someone has the clear right to sit during the anthem, they have an inherent responsibility to their fellow citizens to work towards the promise of America. In protesting a Government comprised of we the people, or so it says, you are protesting yourself. I would propose that you instead stand with your Government in making it a more representative body.
1
Mr. Brooks,
I agree with the essence of your editorial. Our country, as a people with a unique and separate government and set of laws, needs to have rituals of reverence for ideals that lie in the foundation of this democracy. However, in an act like Kapernick's, flag burning, refusing to say "god" in the pledge, or black fists raised during a ritual, awakens those of us who are privileged and therefore asleep to the atrocities of the system. It was not a polite editorial that stimulated the conversation that is happening now. It was the courageous expression of freedom of speech by Kapernick. Habitual reverence can become blind faith and needs to be shocked back into an awake and intentional reverence. Jesus challenged every ritual of the established church and government by tearing the temples asunder. A non-violent expression of frustration like Kapernick's will hopefully wake us up so that the temples may remain standing.
I agree with the essence of your editorial. Our country, as a people with a unique and separate government and set of laws, needs to have rituals of reverence for ideals that lie in the foundation of this democracy. However, in an act like Kapernick's, flag burning, refusing to say "god" in the pledge, or black fists raised during a ritual, awakens those of us who are privileged and therefore asleep to the atrocities of the system. It was not a polite editorial that stimulated the conversation that is happening now. It was the courageous expression of freedom of speech by Kapernick. Habitual reverence can become blind faith and needs to be shocked back into an awake and intentional reverence. Jesus challenged every ritual of the established church and government by tearing the temples asunder. A non-violent expression of frustration like Kapernick's will hopefully wake us up so that the temples may remain standing.
9
I am as liberal as they get, but I agree with David on that one.
It's unfortunate that we often realize the value of what we had only after losing it. That's why it is so important to give the credit where it's due.
It's unfortunate that we often realize the value of what we had only after losing it. That's why it is so important to give the credit where it's due.
5
I agree with David Brooks. The biggest issue I have with progressive Democrats, of which I consider myself one, is their apparent abhorrence of patriotism. I almost became a Republican this past February when I attended a voter registration meeting of local Democrats and suggested that, rather than dive right into the agenda, we begin the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. If I flipped the room off I wouldn't have gotten worse stares. The Pledge went unsaid, and I'm sure I haven't been missed at subsequent meetings.
5
The Seattle Seahawks have it right. Their demonstration during the national anthem is to stand proudly together, linking arms, as brothers in solidarity. Only together can we solve our deepest seated problems.
1
I agree that protesters should claim American ideals as part of their argument rather than seem in opposition. I have only a few subtle points of disagreement.
A "globalist mentality" is not inconsistent with American patriotism; at least not a patriotism based upon America's ideals. Indeed, Trump's antiglobalism represents a fearful and self-absorbed form of Americanism that I find inconsistent with with America's ideals.
I agree that a "multiculturalism" that emphasizes the centrality of racial and ethnic identity is not useful and actually provides an ideological support for the white-identity politics of Trump's Alt-Right base. But acceptance of most cultural differences is very American so long as it is combined with American individualism so that individuals are free to choose which traditions they wish to follow. I don't think that everyone who uses the term "multiculturalism" gives it the same hardline meaning that it has in this essay.
My type of American conservatism has always emphasized individualism. While much of Trump's disturbing nationalism has an ethnic/racial emphasis, some of its nativism seems to form a bigotry around an American race. That type of group identity is destructive even if it defines all citizens as the "us" that needs defense from "them".
A "globalist mentality" is not inconsistent with American patriotism; at least not a patriotism based upon America's ideals. Indeed, Trump's antiglobalism represents a fearful and self-absorbed form of Americanism that I find inconsistent with with America's ideals.
I agree that a "multiculturalism" that emphasizes the centrality of racial and ethnic identity is not useful and actually provides an ideological support for the white-identity politics of Trump's Alt-Right base. But acceptance of most cultural differences is very American so long as it is combined with American individualism so that individuals are free to choose which traditions they wish to follow. I don't think that everyone who uses the term "multiculturalism" gives it the same hardline meaning that it has in this essay.
My type of American conservatism has always emphasized individualism. While much of Trump's disturbing nationalism has an ethnic/racial emphasis, some of its nativism seems to form a bigotry around an American race. That type of group identity is destructive even if it defines all citizens as the "us" that needs defense from "them".
3
Is it not possible to have a heartfelt belief in a set of ideals and still kneel in silent protest at their as yet unfulfilled promise for all? Their acts underscore and give proof to the importance of the ideals and our evolution as a nation. Facing our national imperfection will make us stronger, fairer. It may not always be pretty or comfortable doing so, but it's the truth. We can handle it.
9
The first verse of the national anthem (the one sung most often) isn't about the greatness of the USA. It's about the flag flying despite the war going on around it.
Patriotism expressed by singing the Star Spangled Banner or waving the flag is easy, which is why these expressions have been hijacked by the right wing. It is a bit ridiculous that whether or not someone wears a lapel flag pin is a true gauge of patriotism. So many of those who condemn Kaepernick have lost sight of what truly makes American great - the freedom to speak one's mind. The freedom to criticize our government and our country. To be truly patriotic is to care about its institutions and governance, to know the words in our Constitution, and care deeply about its citizens. The flag and the national anthem are symbols. It's what they are symbols for that need nurturing.
Patriotism expressed by singing the Star Spangled Banner or waving the flag is easy, which is why these expressions have been hijacked by the right wing. It is a bit ridiculous that whether or not someone wears a lapel flag pin is a true gauge of patriotism. So many of those who condemn Kaepernick have lost sight of what truly makes American great - the freedom to speak one's mind. The freedom to criticize our government and our country. To be truly patriotic is to care about its institutions and governance, to know the words in our Constitution, and care deeply about its citizens. The flag and the national anthem are symbols. It's what they are symbols for that need nurturing.
12
Brooks is saying that a certain tradition should serve as an iconic definition of patriotism, and is therefore above reproach. He is promoting the idea of an unalterable archetype, which regrettably leads to the notion that there are sacred cows that cannot be blasphemed. Thomas Jefferson, who influenced the U.S. Constitution, would have disagreed with this conservative view, when he said, "Question everything, even your God."
9
So what would you have people do, Mr. Brooks?
Suffer injustice in silence (which is interpreted as acceptance, especially in your privileged eyes)?
Go out and wreck storefronts?
Or kneel for the national anthem (set to the tune of an old drinking song, incidentally)?
Suffer injustice in silence (which is interpreted as acceptance, especially in your privileged eyes)?
Go out and wreck storefronts?
Or kneel for the national anthem (set to the tune of an old drinking song, incidentally)?
40
Mr. Brooks describes "When we sing the national anthem..." as a "common ritual." As someone who attends many sporting events, I can tell you that we almost never sing the national anthem together. Some good-to-middling singer performs the national anthem, most often to showcase their vocal prowess and ability to turn one note into many. We applaud and mentally rate the performance. It's no longer a common ritual. When I tuned into a recent soccer match in an international tournament, I heard fans lustily singing their national anthems. I realized how much I miss being able to sing the anthem together. The cheapening of the anthem into an individual singing spectacle is a sad thing indeed.
16
I believe the United States is the greatest country on Earth, and I would defend it to the death. I think that makes me a patriot. One of the things that distinguishes us from most countries and makes us great is the First Amendment. It makes no sense to play the national anthem before sporting events, but -- if it must be done -- it provides an opportunity for peaceful but visible exercises of First Amendment rights. One of the things I would defend to the death is their right to protest, whether or not I agree with it. The fact that we are discussing it shows that kneeling during the national anthem is an effective way to protest. It is not anti-American. It is what defines America which, by the way, has always been great but can be better.
49
Even by David Brooks' standards, this paternalistic, overly simplified version of reality is stunning. Don't lecture America's youth about a "crisis of solidarity" when the nation has never treated a wide swath of citizens as its own. Further, the current election demonstrates just how much one part of the nation longs to dominate the others.
63
Those asking their country to be better than it is, rather than blindly participating in a ritual drummed up and inserted into totally unrelated events, is a higher form of patriotism than just stating how extremely proud one is of their nation.
I look forward to the day when we can all stand and celebrate a country that fully celebrates all of its citizens. Until then a rich white guys asking why we can't all just get along sounds rather tone deaf. Perhaps read some Coates, rather than just toss off his viewpoint as dangerous.
I look forward to the day when we can all stand and celebrate a country that fully celebrates all of its citizens. Until then a rich white guys asking why we can't all just get along sounds rather tone deaf. Perhaps read some Coates, rather than just toss off his viewpoint as dangerous.
27
Real patriotism should not be measured solely by one's military service, standing for the playing of the national anthem at sporting events, or otherwise genuflecting before the flag. No, real patriotism, not the kind that scoundrels like Trump bandy about in order to procure the votes and financial support of older vets and right-wing zealots, can also be expressed by holding government officials, from the president on down to the local police, corporations and individuals accountable for their actions or inaction that constitute violations of our Constitution, the document upon which our singular democracy, myriad freedoms and basic rights are based.
When expressing one's patriotism becomes a matter of rote behavior, it becomes a meaningless gesture. Standing at attention, with or without one's hand over the heart, during the pregame playing of the national anthem has become precisely that: a mindless, mechanical display of one's purported patriotism. Requiring or peer pressuring someone to demonstrate his or her patriotism on a repetitious, unthinking basis every time the "Star Spangled Banner" gets played cannot be an effective way to teach or encourage love of country and the making of personal sacrifice on its behalf--surely the main purposes instilling patriotism in the citizenry.
Real patriotism can best be learned not from one's parents, or even less so from politicians, but from the real history of one's country--not the pablum we are taught in most schools.
When expressing one's patriotism becomes a matter of rote behavior, it becomes a meaningless gesture. Standing at attention, with or without one's hand over the heart, during the pregame playing of the national anthem has become precisely that: a mindless, mechanical display of one's purported patriotism. Requiring or peer pressuring someone to demonstrate his or her patriotism on a repetitious, unthinking basis every time the "Star Spangled Banner" gets played cannot be an effective way to teach or encourage love of country and the making of personal sacrifice on its behalf--surely the main purposes instilling patriotism in the citizenry.
Real patriotism can best be learned not from one's parents, or even less so from politicians, but from the real history of one's country--not the pablum we are taught in most schools.
20
Let us all kneel with them--and hold hands.
30
Have you read
Martellus Bennett's explanation? Don't think your views are very far from his.
Martellus Bennett's explanation? Don't think your views are very far from his.
1
Being a citizen of the world and an American citizen is not a contradiction. Making a show of patriotism obligatory is not patriotic or American.
49
I lived in lower Manhattan on 9/11 and for about a month afterwards I had an American flag on my door, the only time in my life I've felt moved to express my patriotism in that way. But soon I saw that patriotism exploited in ways I did not agree with. I took the flag down. I love this country but expressions of patriotism have been hijacked by the right for so long that I just don't feel myself when I participate in these "shared experiences." Singing the anthem at sporting events seems like something that's being forced upon me by right wingers. I go along with it reluctantly but I never feel I own it, that it's my anthem too. And that's because this is how I've been made to feel about it by a Republican Party that's taken ownership of patriotism and identified it with a whole host of values that I simply don't share.
It's sad because for one bright shining moment I truly felt so proud and patriotic about America and all it stood for, before Bush and his gang exploited that sentiment to advance their own political ends.
I understand why some people are sitting it out. But don't blame the left. We've been made to feel "unAmerican" and unwelcome for as long as I can remember.
It's sad because for one bright shining moment I truly felt so proud and patriotic about America and all it stood for, before Bush and his gang exploited that sentiment to advance their own political ends.
I understand why some people are sitting it out. But don't blame the left. We've been made to feel "unAmerican" and unwelcome for as long as I can remember.
52
Wonderful post, Robert. I feel the same as you.
4
The kneeling players in that photo seem to be expressing solidarity, except the one who stands. Solidarity is comforting, but is not always the answer. Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons had something interesting to say about it:
Duke of Norfolk: Why can't you do as I did and come with us, for fellowship!
Sir Thomas More: And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?
Duke of Norfolk: Why can't you do as I did and come with us, for fellowship!
Sir Thomas More: And when we die, and you are sent to heaven for doing your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?
8
I love you man! More than the chest pounding guy in the old Bud Light beer commercials. Perhaps eschewing the one (ok, often two) sentence paragraphs will help you sound less like a parade of churchy epithets. You come off as more pan(ning to) religion and hitting of the multi-cultural notes for effect than a PBS kids Barney episode. Can't Trump it, man.
1
How interesting that this editorial runs on the same day as a Time article about a 93 year old black woman who will cast one of New York's electoral college votes. In part, it says "In 1940, 75 years after the end of the Civil War, just three percent of the eligible African-American voters in the South were registered to vote. Full citizenship was a phantasm. Ms. Ingram did not vote in Georgia, and as far as she knows, neither did her mother, her father, nor her grandmother. “They weren’t able,” she said."
That says a lot about the US's status as an aspirational state...is this the type of progress Kaep and others want to dishonor? Surely not. C'mon Kaep, pick a statement that keeps the focus on the issue you care about.
That says a lot about the US's status as an aspirational state...is this the type of progress Kaep and others want to dishonor? Surely not. C'mon Kaep, pick a statement that keeps the focus on the issue you care about.
3
Except when my solidarity "trumps" yours.
2
I've rarely read a more vacuous column of Brooks's than this gem. Way back in my childhood, people who believed they were not racist, called on black Americans to "take it more slowly and not rush integration" because it would make the racists angrier. The same kind of people in Germany in the 1930's pretended that Hitler was not really a racist and that German Jews were "asking" for too much. The truth is that the kids who are kneeling are showing more courage and compassion than Brooks has ever felt in his entire life. When you support the racists who are outraged by people kneeling you are behaving like a racist pure and simple.
48
David Brooks, until you are reincarnated as a Black man you have no standing in this argument. After hundreds of years, we are sick of being abused and we ,especially our Black men and boys, have the right and duty to speak on it in which ever way we feel is necessary. We do not need or want your paternalistic pater.
42
David, You’re known as a ‘keen observer’ of the American scene. But you missed the most significant fact here. It’s right under your nose.
You write in this column - when we sing…. when you stand and sing… and you’re singing a radical song.
But David, your patriotic privileged Americans are NOT singing. The vast majority of these ‘spectators’ are standing silent - no words, no sound comes from them. They stand, they look, they listen.
We went to an NHL game in Phoenix a few years ago. The Coyotes were playing the Montreal Canadians. And a large group of ‘snowbirds’ from Canada were present in the Gila River Arena. When they played the Star Spangled Banner there was silence. When they played ‘Oh, Canada’, the arena echoed with the snowbirds loudly, proudly singing their anthem.
We’ve been at Cornell for the past four years. The patriotic privileged students at Cornell do NOT sing. They shout out one word where it comes in the song -RED! But apart from the one word, the crowd is silent. No singing.
Maybe it is time to change to a new anthem. Maybe it is time to change our country. To make our nation a more perfect union. To feed the hungry and lift up those who are down. How about something from Woody Guthrie - This Land is Your Land. I guess you probably would not want to see any change. You love your America - the America that gives special privileges to your special people. But your people don’t like to sing.
Joe Boys
Syracuse, NY
You write in this column - when we sing…. when you stand and sing… and you’re singing a radical song.
But David, your patriotic privileged Americans are NOT singing. The vast majority of these ‘spectators’ are standing silent - no words, no sound comes from them. They stand, they look, they listen.
We went to an NHL game in Phoenix a few years ago. The Coyotes were playing the Montreal Canadians. And a large group of ‘snowbirds’ from Canada were present in the Gila River Arena. When they played the Star Spangled Banner there was silence. When they played ‘Oh, Canada’, the arena echoed with the snowbirds loudly, proudly singing their anthem.
We’ve been at Cornell for the past four years. The patriotic privileged students at Cornell do NOT sing. They shout out one word where it comes in the song -RED! But apart from the one word, the crowd is silent. No singing.
Maybe it is time to change to a new anthem. Maybe it is time to change our country. To make our nation a more perfect union. To feed the hungry and lift up those who are down. How about something from Woody Guthrie - This Land is Your Land. I guess you probably would not want to see any change. You love your America - the America that gives special privileges to your special people. But your people don’t like to sing.
Joe Boys
Syracuse, NY
23
Mr. Brooks...
I'm taking a knee...and then another....praying that you might see the light of true patriotism at work right before your eyes -- whether it's kneeling during the so-called national anthem, joining Bernie's Revolution, or rallying for "Black Lives Matter".... Those (and more) are what being American is all about.
I'm taking a knee...and then another....praying that you might see the light of true patriotism at work right before your eyes -- whether it's kneeling during the so-called national anthem, joining Bernie's Revolution, or rallying for "Black Lives Matter".... Those (and more) are what being American is all about.
21
Personally I dislike this quirky American custom of having the national anthem before sporting events. There's no inherent reason it should be this way. It's just something that developed. And what I don't like about it is that it feels like forced patriotism. "You have to express your patriotism in this way at this moment". That's not patriotism. That's paternalism.
15
Knowing the just behind this protest, to make America a better safer place for all, equality, is exactly what we fought for 240 years ago and continue to fight and die for. It is unpatriotic to say the act of this protest is counterproductive, knowing the just and reason and evidence behind it. As it plays out, this is exactly what America is all about; the American experiment continues, to form a more perfect union. Challenging and questioning authority is the foundation of that right, and not going lock step or following tradition simply because others (including Op-Ed columnists) and authority expect you to. Someone that is non-white or maybe not a heterosexual wants the same lessor amount of ill-judgment passed that Mr. Brooks has experienced, or same opportunity, while driving a car or applying for a job or trying to rent an apartment or get a loan. Equality is the goal. To say this protest is counterproductive, knowing the just reason behind it, expects that we citizens should just follow in line - shut up - what are we, China? Russia? To do so, to expect so, moves the needle towards tyranny, exactly what we fought against and continue to fight against. The right to protest is sacred; if just reason behind it, it is righteous. You may not feel same, may not feel the passion, may chose to honor and obey, based on how you feel (based on how you've been treated), that is your right.
5
Oh, and standing during the national anthem will weaken "Donald Trumps's ethnic nationalism"? Bizarre column -- the thought that Colin Kaepernick-inspired protest will destroy our patriotism and give succor to the far-right wing. I think just the opposite. The right wing is here, right now, embodied by Trump and his supporters. It doesn't matter whether anyone sits or stands during the national anthem to them, they will find their way to hate either way.
10
Very tendentious -- we have a civic religion because we engage in rituals therefore we should engage in rituals and... it's good.
Vote, argue, read the news, START a newspaper or blog -- that's American. Reciting a canned patriotic ritual is not. Believe me Silver and Skelos were probably the biggest 'Pledgers' there were. And now they've been unmasked. Same for all the killer cops (as well as the better ones...).
My schools on Long Island eliminated the Pledge during the Vietnam War. I still sit it out or say nothing. I grew up that way and I am an extremely active democrat working for a better society. That's American.
Vote, argue, read the news, START a newspaper or blog -- that's American. Reciting a canned patriotic ritual is not. Believe me Silver and Skelos were probably the biggest 'Pledgers' there were. And now they've been unmasked. Same for all the killer cops (as well as the better ones...).
My schools on Long Island eliminated the Pledge during the Vietnam War. I still sit it out or say nothing. I grew up that way and I am an extremely active democrat working for a better society. That's American.
16
Torchlight rallies certainly "built solidarity." And they undoubtedly also reflected a "crisis of solidarity." Patriotism has always been a two-edged sword, and many people have been sacrificed to its sharp blades over the course of human history.
4
I sympathized with Kaepernick until I heard him quoted as saying that both presidential candidates are equal, one an open racist and the other belonging in jail. No wonder he feels sad. How stupid is a richly-paid celebrity athlete allowed to be, Mr. Kaepernick? I still sympathize with him a little bit, but he strikes me as kind of a self-important ignoramus. It seems like everybody at the moment is huffing and puffing and spouting off, following the liberating example of the Great Orange Tea Kettle.
6
Excellent article David. And I'm neither an R or a D but for this far left liberal bunch is way out of bounds. And that's sad to be honest.
3
It's true we have a crisis of solidarity. But the problem is not that these high schoolers are kneeling while everyone else stands. It's the exact opposite problem: no one is kneeling in solidarity with these high schoolers.
23
This is one of the most patronizing columns I've read of yours Mr. Brooks. What a nice perspective you have from your white male hill.
The creed you speak of wasn't exactly true for black men, or women of any color, was it? And here we are over 200 years later and our country is still not fulfilling this dream for many of the disaffected. (And what did we not see for all those years before everyone had a video camera In their hands?)
I find it very curious that people, not necessarily you Mr. Brooks, who are such strident supporters of the second amendment are having such difficulty with a peaceful first amendment protest.
The creed you speak of wasn't exactly true for black men, or women of any color, was it? And here we are over 200 years later and our country is still not fulfilling this dream for many of the disaffected. (And what did we not see for all those years before everyone had a video camera In their hands?)
I find it very curious that people, not necessarily you Mr. Brooks, who are such strident supporters of the second amendment are having such difficulty with a peaceful first amendment protest.
26
Mr. Brooks, you're worrying about " a crisis of solidarity" while others are worrying about actual important things, like not getting shot because of their skin color. You have the luxury of pontificating in the editorial pages of the Times when others have substantially more pressing matters to concern themselves with.
21
Mr. Brooks, I respect your work and enjoy reading your articles, but today I believe you got it wrong, and you did yourself no favors by coining the phrase "pulling a Kaepernick" in the process. This brave football quarterback is bringing to the fore a conversation that ebbs and flows in the media but fails to ever be formally addressed - the topic of racial disparity in America. Just look at the NFL: as of the year 2014, almost 70% of NFL athletes were black. Compare this with a few other staggering facts: during the same time period, 24% of NFL general managers were black, just 13% of NFL coaches were black, and zero - yes, ZERO - general owners were black (source: https://goo.gl/hPonnP). And yet this is a microcosm of the fundamental racial disparity that exists in the United States. So to Kaepernick and all other athletes out there, please continue peacefully and bravely acknowledging this fact until we can make some concrete progress with racism as a country.
6
Mr. Brooks,
I Read your column twice a week to become more aware of the opposite view point of my own. In this way reading your column has been very useful over the years. I don't like this pro military salute before every sporting event. I recall the Vietnam War, Watergate,The Regan Years ( Wars in Central America ),Cocaine smuggling into the inner cities to pay for the dirty little wars, The Iraq wars, " Operation Iraqi Freedom", militarized police forces as an after effect, Black men and women shot down for no reason, the ongoing rise of the Corporate culture, shipping our most precious resource "Water" to foreign countries to maximize Corporate profits while in the midst of a severe drought. And you want me to stand for, " Bombs bursting in air"? Stop the nonsense and give me " This land is your land" and I'll think about standing. Until then I'll do my patriotic duty and keep my seat.
I Read your column twice a week to become more aware of the opposite view point of my own. In this way reading your column has been very useful over the years. I don't like this pro military salute before every sporting event. I recall the Vietnam War, Watergate,The Regan Years ( Wars in Central America ),Cocaine smuggling into the inner cities to pay for the dirty little wars, The Iraq wars, " Operation Iraqi Freedom", militarized police forces as an after effect, Black men and women shot down for no reason, the ongoing rise of the Corporate culture, shipping our most precious resource "Water" to foreign countries to maximize Corporate profits while in the midst of a severe drought. And you want me to stand for, " Bombs bursting in air"? Stop the nonsense and give me " This land is your land" and I'll think about standing. Until then I'll do my patriotic duty and keep my seat.
9
Dear God, Brooks, are you really that blind and supercilious? This is a new low of patronizing, even for you.
"This civic religion was based on a moral premise - that all men were created equal - and pointed toward a vision of a promised land - a place where your family and country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities" Except, of course, that's a bald-faced lie. And you have the gall to claim that modern teens aren't being taught American history! Men of African origin were specifically excluded from that promise, even before we had an independent nation. The Puritan's descendants were quite happy to buy & sell them, even if they didn't own them themselves. After all, it's tight there in the bible, isn't it?
Your misappropriation of Dr. King is even worse. You might want to recall that your beloved mentor, William F. Buckley, wanted Dr. King executed as a traitor. If you think that he wouldn't be right there beside those kids right now, you need to take off your blinders. Ta-Nehisi Coates lives in a very different world than yours. You just haven't a clue, do you, that your experiences aren't the same for everyone, and that the America that fulfills the promises it makes to you is a totally different place than the one in which even the most privileged African Americans reside. So your remedy is to sit back down at the back of the bus and wait until change happens. Our Black citizens have been waiting for 250 years - I think that's long enough.
"This civic religion was based on a moral premise - that all men were created equal - and pointed toward a vision of a promised land - a place where your family and country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities" Except, of course, that's a bald-faced lie. And you have the gall to claim that modern teens aren't being taught American history! Men of African origin were specifically excluded from that promise, even before we had an independent nation. The Puritan's descendants were quite happy to buy & sell them, even if they didn't own them themselves. After all, it's tight there in the bible, isn't it?
Your misappropriation of Dr. King is even worse. You might want to recall that your beloved mentor, William F. Buckley, wanted Dr. King executed as a traitor. If you think that he wouldn't be right there beside those kids right now, you need to take off your blinders. Ta-Nehisi Coates lives in a very different world than yours. You just haven't a clue, do you, that your experiences aren't the same for everyone, and that the America that fulfills the promises it makes to you is a totally different place than the one in which even the most privileged African Americans reside. So your remedy is to sit back down at the back of the bus and wait until change happens. Our Black citizens have been waiting for 250 years - I think that's long enough.
13
Mr. Brooks,
I well remember attending city council meetings as a traffic consultant after 9/11. The sense of community, of patriotic feeling was visceral. No one needed to say anything, you could see the emotion on people's faces.
Fifteen years on and you wish to force that same feeling upon others. This is ridiculous. We are a free people, and as free people, we should do what is in our hearts.
I well remember attending city council meetings as a traffic consultant after 9/11. The sense of community, of patriotic feeling was visceral. No one needed to say anything, you could see the emotion on people's faces.
Fifteen years on and you wish to force that same feeling upon others. This is ridiculous. We are a free people, and as free people, we should do what is in our hearts.
3
Mr. Brooks, how can you attempt to impart wisdom on young people by invoking your understanding of the origins of this country and not even mention slavery? Don't you think a whitewashing of the historicity of racial tensions is part of the problem? Because your perspective here seems laughably narrow, how is it that your intended audience is supposed to get any value from it? You've instantly defeated your own point, that a lack of unity, and not the factors that may have made your concept of unity impossible, is the problem. And when I say "your concept of unity", what I mean is the idea put forth here that people should be silent and compliant so as not to be provocative, even if their observations of injustice are legitimate.
6
I still don't understand what are all these guys are angry about here and abroad.. it's pathetic though especially if anger is unrealistic expectations.
get real man you get what you need.
get real man you get what you need.
Mr. Brooks,
Yes it is a good thing that a people reach for more than they can grasp and yes it is true that in the last 40 years or so Americans have begun to see themselves as citizens of the world; do you really find these two views to be at odds with one another?
A few weeks ago you wrote an article blaming identity politics for many of the ills our political discourse faces yet only cursorily examined the role of the most dominant political identity in America, white males. In your piece today you speak of how we don't teach American history but you stop short of saying who is responsible. In case you don't know it has occurred because well funded school boards have been white-washing our history of slavery, removing self critical words like massacre when examining westward expansion and dropping entirely from the curriculum examining the laws that were expressly made to isolate and leave unprotected certain races of new arrivals in America.
Where is the courage of honest self criticism you so rightly trumpet at the beginning of your editorial? It went the way moral principal usually goes when a religion is successful; we give self congratulatory speeches on the 4th, America's high holy day, we are smugly sanctimonious about our progress and are outraged when anyone points out our failures.
Yes it is a good thing that a people reach for more than they can grasp and yes it is true that in the last 40 years or so Americans have begun to see themselves as citizens of the world; do you really find these two views to be at odds with one another?
A few weeks ago you wrote an article blaming identity politics for many of the ills our political discourse faces yet only cursorily examined the role of the most dominant political identity in America, white males. In your piece today you speak of how we don't teach American history but you stop short of saying who is responsible. In case you don't know it has occurred because well funded school boards have been white-washing our history of slavery, removing self critical words like massacre when examining westward expansion and dropping entirely from the curriculum examining the laws that were expressly made to isolate and leave unprotected certain races of new arrivals in America.
Where is the courage of honest self criticism you so rightly trumpet at the beginning of your editorial? It went the way moral principal usually goes when a religion is successful; we give self congratulatory speeches on the 4th, America's high holy day, we are smugly sanctimonious about our progress and are outraged when anyone points out our failures.
6
The biggest problem with Kaepernick is he is perpetuating a false narrative. Of course he has freedom to protest, but when the protest is uninformed, then it can create harm.
There is no evidence that cops are targeting Blacks and killing them -- despite a few sensationalized cases. The violent crime rate for Blacks (per the FBI) is multiples of the White rate (7x the murders for example) so that figure by itself explains why Blacks may be disproportionately the targets of cops. You commit violent crimes, resist arrest, what do you think is going to happen?
Most homicides committed by cops are not murders, they are justified. There are a handful that may be the result of bad decisions by cops, but intentional murder is simply conspiracy theory run rampant. When the Dallas cops killed the shooter who had gunned down their colleagues, was that a murder? Don't think so.
Distracting people's attention away from the serious problems in the inner city -- the high crime rate in particular -- and focusing on a false narrative -- does not solve the issues facing the Black community.
And by the way -- if you want to have a laugh with some serious social commentary -- go to You Tube and watch Chris Rocks' vid called "How Not to Get your xxx Kicked by the Police."
There is no evidence that cops are targeting Blacks and killing them -- despite a few sensationalized cases. The violent crime rate for Blacks (per the FBI) is multiples of the White rate (7x the murders for example) so that figure by itself explains why Blacks may be disproportionately the targets of cops. You commit violent crimes, resist arrest, what do you think is going to happen?
Most homicides committed by cops are not murders, they are justified. There are a handful that may be the result of bad decisions by cops, but intentional murder is simply conspiracy theory run rampant. When the Dallas cops killed the shooter who had gunned down their colleagues, was that a murder? Don't think so.
Distracting people's attention away from the serious problems in the inner city -- the high crime rate in particular -- and focusing on a false narrative -- does not solve the issues facing the Black community.
And by the way -- if you want to have a laugh with some serious social commentary -- go to You Tube and watch Chris Rocks' vid called "How Not to Get your xxx Kicked by the Police."
3
One of the single worst op-eds I've ever read in the New York Times, starting with the implication that this country was founded by solely by Puritans, through its failure to mention the deep moral failing of slavery and the forced immigration of millions of Africans who helped build this country every bit as much as the Puritans, right through to its repetition of the extreme view that schools no longer teach American history (please show me one state in which American history is not a required subject for high school graduation) to its attempt to bully young people out of civil protest by implying such actions will help elect Trump to its completely unsubstantiated assertion that the Star-Spangled Banner is a "radical" song (has Mr. Brooks read past the first verse?). I expect better from the New York Times, but probably should not any more given the clear bias shown during the Democratic primaries.
11
Frankly, just token gestures like waving the American flag or a flag pin on the lapel or even singing the National Anthem, by themselves is not patriotism. If these gestures are not followed by actions, behooving a model citizen, then those gestures are moot. Today's news about Missouri's new gun laws is a case in point. Yes, there is the 2nd Amendment but what about the 1st? Hypocrites!
8
Mr Brooks, while what you say is right about the Puritans and the stream they started of fearless moral self-inventory and criticism, you are ignoring the British immigrants to Jamestown, 1607, who brought the full-on intent to turn the natives to "civilized" and religious ways, which of course failed, and thus began both the attempts to enslave or eliminate them--shortly followed by the mass importation of African slaves. I proudly sing the national anthem (few still do--hand per tradition not over my heart), BUT I respect the right and sentiment, as many other commentators have said, for young people to see things the way they do and protest in the quiet on-the-knee way that they do. Yes, make it a teaching moment about US history, civics, and the still unfulfilled pledge of our great country's noble quest for freedom and equality of opportunity.
6
Brooks, Kaepernick, and Patriotism.
Brooks is not suggesting that one's love of one's own country is more important than one's love of all humanity. However, he needs to emphasize that the former--love of one's own family, community, state, and country should form the basis of the latter. He also needs to emphasize that, instead of viewing Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand up when the national anthem was being sung as an unpatriotic or anti-American act, we should appreciate
and applaud his courage in calling attention to the injustices African Americans and other minorities are being subjected to even in the 21st century. His act of protest in their behalf is designed to urge the U. S. government, state governments, and the rich in America, including professional football, baseball, and basketball players, that they should combine their efforts to create a truly egalitarian society as envisaged in the revered document, the Declaration of independence and the Constitution. By exercising his First Amendment Right at grave risk to himself, Kaepernick is drawing attention to the plight of his country's second class citizens who are unable sing honestly, "This land is our land."
We need more athletes like Colin Kaepernck in America; their patriotic actions will receive media attention and analysis.
Brooks is not suggesting that one's love of one's own country is more important than one's love of all humanity. However, he needs to emphasize that the former--love of one's own family, community, state, and country should form the basis of the latter. He also needs to emphasize that, instead of viewing Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand up when the national anthem was being sung as an unpatriotic or anti-American act, we should appreciate
and applaud his courage in calling attention to the injustices African Americans and other minorities are being subjected to even in the 21st century. His act of protest in their behalf is designed to urge the U. S. government, state governments, and the rich in America, including professional football, baseball, and basketball players, that they should combine their efforts to create a truly egalitarian society as envisaged in the revered document, the Declaration of independence and the Constitution. By exercising his First Amendment Right at grave risk to himself, Kaepernick is drawing attention to the plight of his country's second class citizens who are unable sing honestly, "This land is our land."
We need more athletes like Colin Kaepernck in America; their patriotic actions will receive media attention and analysis.
2
Why do so many people refer to the national anthem as a "mindless" ritual? Standing for the anthem is one of the most mindful moments I experience. I am mindful of my responsibility as a citizen. I am mindful of those who have sacrificed their lives for this country. I am mindful of the promises of this nation and what me must all do to keep them. I take this moment of mindfulness seriously, and would ask those who call it "mindless" to consider whether they would speak to the rituals of other cultures and countries in such dismissive terms. I'm guessing not, because that would be intolerant.
2
Dear David,
An America that enslaved me, then used me, then systematically excludes me in the most basic ways of keeping me safe, allowing me access to equal opportunity, recognizing me as fully human, is not an America I'm proud of. I sometimes feel nauseated when I have to stand next to the "deplorables" in this country who ware determined to keep it that way - and too many in our law enforcement establishments are in that basket.
Your vision is one that I had as a young person growing up in a completely "white" environment ignorant of what so many in our society experience. During and after college i lived in or near African Anerican communities in Chicago. Every white person in this country could do that and just watch, listen and allow their hearts to break for an American culture that can be so cruel.
An America that enslaved me, then used me, then systematically excludes me in the most basic ways of keeping me safe, allowing me access to equal opportunity, recognizing me as fully human, is not an America I'm proud of. I sometimes feel nauseated when I have to stand next to the "deplorables" in this country who ware determined to keep it that way - and too many in our law enforcement establishments are in that basket.
Your vision is one that I had as a young person growing up in a completely "white" environment ignorant of what so many in our society experience. During and after college i lived in or near African Anerican communities in Chicago. Every white person in this country could do that and just watch, listen and allow their hearts to break for an American culture that can be so cruel.
3
Neo liberalism needs to be re-evaluated. Next we have to face what it is we define as Democracy. Is it right to set standards, of what it is you as a citizen must abide by, or do we prefer multiculturalism where we have no particular identity, and just 300 million plus people living in the continental US, practicing whatever ideals they prefer. Brooks article I feel is timely, because that is what this election is all about. Brexit comes to mind. The majority of Britsh against all odds feared for the culture. Trump supporters are looking way past the person, they fear for their identity.
1
This is an embarrassingly ignorant piece and it deserves all the criticism it will get. Of course, there would be no America without a 3/5 compromise and America has been getting rid of Black people ever since. Since Brooks only seems to think of racism in ideals and symbols without any reference to the longstanding economic sacrifice Blacks and other minorities in America have been forced to make, allow me to introduce him to just a little economic despair by cancelling my subscription to this newspaper.
3
Brooks and his ilk continue there arguments for symbols over substance and feel over fact. According to Brooks if we're not all doing the same thing at the same time, were losing our identity. The thing that makes this country great is that as long as we're not hurting anyone, we can pray or not pray, speak or not speak and protest or not protest how we choose. Respect for such actions is the true measure of American patriotism, something that Mr Brooks is unaware of.
Kaepernick's peaceful protest should be celebrated. He is an American and he can peacefully protest without fear of being imprisoned. Perhaps singing of the national anthem should be replaced with a recitation of the fundamental principles contained in the Constitution. Flags and anthems become an occasion for empty "chest pumping" if those waving and singing no longer know, understand or care about the underlying message. I see Mr. Kaepernick's action as a reminder of what America is striving to perfect. His protest has brought national attention and he is forcing people to think (I hope) about whether flags and anthems actually move America along the road to perfecting the ideals set out in the Constitution. There is a choice to be made in responding to his actions. The discussion can be simple: he is disrespectful, undermining America and threatening the social fabric. Or it can be purposeful: what does the Constitution give to and demand of citizens. I think, Mr. Brooks, you have given us the "simple". A "purposeful" approach would further the discussion.
American History is an important subject, and so is Biology.
Human tendency towards tribal behavior is encoded in our DNA and is not going anywhere any time soon. Singing the anthem before a football game is just a manifestation of biology, not the other way around. Suggesting that singing the anthem determines our ability to function as a tribe, is like saying that our ability to procreate will be threatened if women stop wearing skirts.
Biological instincts are powerful determinants of human behavior and can manifest in both, beautiful and ugly ways. Tribalism, for example, underlies altruistic behavior, and sacrificing one’s own life for the country is an ultimate expression of altruism. At the same time tribalism allows us to dehumanize members of another tribe and to commit horrible atrocities. Furthermore, it serves as a powerful tool of state control . Noam Chomsky suggested that singing the anthem at sporting events is part of indoctrination into “irrational submission to authority”.
Human tendency towards tribal behavior is encoded in our DNA and is not going anywhere any time soon. Singing the anthem before a football game is just a manifestation of biology, not the other way around. Suggesting that singing the anthem determines our ability to function as a tribe, is like saying that our ability to procreate will be threatened if women stop wearing skirts.
Biological instincts are powerful determinants of human behavior and can manifest in both, beautiful and ugly ways. Tribalism, for example, underlies altruistic behavior, and sacrificing one’s own life for the country is an ultimate expression of altruism. At the same time tribalism allows us to dehumanize members of another tribe and to commit horrible atrocities. Furthermore, it serves as a powerful tool of state control . Noam Chomsky suggested that singing the anthem at sporting events is part of indoctrination into “irrational submission to authority”.
2
Brooks is conflating the destruction of the American middle class (and the essential social contract that was it's framework) with a decline in "patriotism".
Domestic manufacturing, progressive taxation, sensible government regulations and personal liberties- all sacrificed to right-wing, Corporate forces in a hostile takeover of what was left of our Republic (circa 1980). If there is something that can account for Brooks' elegy, then there you go- as Reagan might say.
In the face of such dispossession (and fed a steady media diet of faux-patriotism and distortions) many Americans are simply unconcerned with whether Mr Brooks' sense of burnished privilege is intruded upon. Their lives have been placed on a razor's edge by white men enamoured of authoritarianism, economic chicanery and who are held to no account- seemingly, even when it comes to murder.
When too many unarmed American black citizens are being shot by police or dying in their custody it is incumbent upon every truly patriotic American to register their moral and ethical objections in a non-violent expression of their own free choosing.
This is what truly honors "America’s traditional universal nationalism" while Brooks can only register his distaste by dismissing "all the high school football players around the country who are pulling a Kaepernick".
Those American high school football players are patriots- as is Colin Kaepernick, Mr Brooks.
From a Long American Tradition.
Domestic manufacturing, progressive taxation, sensible government regulations and personal liberties- all sacrificed to right-wing, Corporate forces in a hostile takeover of what was left of our Republic (circa 1980). If there is something that can account for Brooks' elegy, then there you go- as Reagan might say.
In the face of such dispossession (and fed a steady media diet of faux-patriotism and distortions) many Americans are simply unconcerned with whether Mr Brooks' sense of burnished privilege is intruded upon. Their lives have been placed on a razor's edge by white men enamoured of authoritarianism, economic chicanery and who are held to no account- seemingly, even when it comes to murder.
When too many unarmed American black citizens are being shot by police or dying in their custody it is incumbent upon every truly patriotic American to register their moral and ethical objections in a non-violent expression of their own free choosing.
This is what truly honors "America’s traditional universal nationalism" while Brooks can only register his distaste by dismissing "all the high school football players around the country who are pulling a Kaepernick".
Those American high school football players are patriots- as is Colin Kaepernick, Mr Brooks.
From a Long American Tradition.
3
Oh come on, Brooks. The national anthem is just a song. It may be a song with symbolic meaning to many, but that makes it all the better to be a subject of protest. The athletes who kneel to the anthem are exercising the right to freedom of expression and dissent that is an important, core part of the American being. I am proud of my country precisely because we allow them to protest,
Also, in other situations thousands of people have not shown "respect" for the anthem but because they did not do it in protest, no one called them out for it. At NY Knicks' games in the 1980s back when they were a good, exciting team, thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden would start screaming and cheering for the home team well before the anthem finished. I remember one key playoff game when the screaming started at the 5th word of the anthem ("see"). There were plenty of reporters and media people of all types at those games, but no one called the fans unpatriotic or disrespectful. Maybe because, after all, it's just a song!
Also, in other situations thousands of people have not shown "respect" for the anthem but because they did not do it in protest, no one called them out for it. At NY Knicks' games in the 1980s back when they were a good, exciting team, thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden would start screaming and cheering for the home team well before the anthem finished. I remember one key playoff game when the screaming started at the 5th word of the anthem ("see"). There were plenty of reporters and media people of all types at those games, but no one called the fans unpatriotic or disrespectful. Maybe because, after all, it's just a song!
3
Right on Mr. Luettgen!
There are true patriots: Those who authentically understand, value and courageously defend their own rights to life, liberty, equality of opportunity and the pursuit of happiness, and who thoroughly acknowledge and take on the duty to defend those rights as inherent within others.
There are false patriots: Those who thoroughly misunderstand these rights as inherent to themselves and who would never dream of acknowledging or defending the authentic rights as resident in "Others".
Among the false patriots: Virtually every member of the "Freedom" Party and so many other GOP politicians who endorse voter suppression, gerrymandering, emotional appeals to the worst instincts of the electorate, etc.
These false patriots all hide behind American Flag lapel pins and then become highly incensed when some citizens view our national symbol as a distraction from, rather than as a symbol of, authentic patriotism.
True patriots liberate. False patriots coerce, manipulate and demand a conformist defense of "my military, right or wrong". The symbols and rituals of patriotism, for the false patriots, are objects and practices of an idolatrous civil religion--of a religion to which all must conform.
There are true patriots: Those who authentically understand, value and courageously defend their own rights to life, liberty, equality of opportunity and the pursuit of happiness, and who thoroughly acknowledge and take on the duty to defend those rights as inherent within others.
There are false patriots: Those who thoroughly misunderstand these rights as inherent to themselves and who would never dream of acknowledging or defending the authentic rights as resident in "Others".
Among the false patriots: Virtually every member of the "Freedom" Party and so many other GOP politicians who endorse voter suppression, gerrymandering, emotional appeals to the worst instincts of the electorate, etc.
These false patriots all hide behind American Flag lapel pins and then become highly incensed when some citizens view our national symbol as a distraction from, rather than as a symbol of, authentic patriotism.
True patriots liberate. False patriots coerce, manipulate and demand a conformist defense of "my military, right or wrong". The symbols and rituals of patriotism, for the false patriots, are objects and practices of an idolatrous civil religion--of a religion to which all must conform.
7
"Crisis of Solidarity"...
Really?
A federal court recently cited an entire state government for the "systematic and with surgical precision" effort to suppress the African American vote. The GOP nominee for President led a racist birther campaign against the first African American President. He insinuated that another federal judge might not be credible because of his ethnicity. All the while being staunchy supported by people who have even more extreme views. Solidarity or the real truth about real Americans being revealed?
Really?
A federal court recently cited an entire state government for the "systematic and with surgical precision" effort to suppress the African American vote. The GOP nominee for President led a racist birther campaign against the first African American President. He insinuated that another federal judge might not be credible because of his ethnicity. All the while being staunchy supported by people who have even more extreme views. Solidarity or the real truth about real Americans being revealed?
10
Without this patriotic bond, and without pride and love of country, you cannot ask individuals to make any personal sacrifices for the betterment of others. Whether you are talking about military duty, paying more in taxes, welcoming a homeless shelter or even re distributing health care, there will be resistance unless there is a prevailing sense of togetherness or nationhood. Traditions and gestures, such as standing for the national anthem, and respect for the flag, in themselves empty ones, are still necessary to maintain that sense.
2
This column seems like a gross overreaction to very mild protests. We are a divided nation, but that's because the Republican Party has been on a fifty year campaign to exacerbate our divisions.
8
Pride in one's country is subjective. I consider myself lucky to be white for obvious reasons of how one is perceived, lucky to be born here and lucky to have the opportunities I've had. That said, this is not 'my country right or wrong' to me.
One of the wonderful things about this country is being able to express one's opinions and being able to participate in the things we support and enjoy.
I can understand what frustrations a young black man can feel when there is a long history of mistreating and denying black equality. Protest is a right we all have and refusing to stand for the national anthem is a choice just as displaying the flag on your lawn on the 4th of July.
The pride I feel in my country is when we produce gifted people who contribute to the betterment of society, science, the arts and education. I feel pride in the military who stood up and took care of business while 99% did nothing but applaud. I feel pride in the teachers who carry a lot of the burden of encouraging and educating and shaping young minds.
Solidarity comes from respecting the rights and opinions of others and their religious beliefs, their skin color and their different languages.
We have always been a melting pot and we have always disagreed on things. A talented quarterback is entitled to show his feelings by electing not to stand. That to me is respecting oneself.
Those who have gone crazy over this are hypocrites and phonies, protest is patriotism.
One of the wonderful things about this country is being able to express one's opinions and being able to participate in the things we support and enjoy.
I can understand what frustrations a young black man can feel when there is a long history of mistreating and denying black equality. Protest is a right we all have and refusing to stand for the national anthem is a choice just as displaying the flag on your lawn on the 4th of July.
The pride I feel in my country is when we produce gifted people who contribute to the betterment of society, science, the arts and education. I feel pride in the military who stood up and took care of business while 99% did nothing but applaud. I feel pride in the teachers who carry a lot of the burden of encouraging and educating and shaping young minds.
Solidarity comes from respecting the rights and opinions of others and their religious beliefs, their skin color and their different languages.
We have always been a melting pot and we have always disagreed on things. A talented quarterback is entitled to show his feelings by electing not to stand. That to me is respecting oneself.
Those who have gone crazy over this are hypocrites and phonies, protest is patriotism.
6
"If we don't transmit that creed through shared displays of reverence..." Seriousy - reverence??
This whole crisis is a result of pseudo patriots who, like David, demand that nobody ever pierce the bubble they seem to live in. The flag worship and the shared display of reverence is just the obverse of the "Two Minute Hate". It feeds the illusion that all is well. We ALL have the same opportunities. We are ALL equal before the law. Protests disrupt our solidarity as we all strive for equality for ALL.
Toss in a flyover of multimillion dollar military hardware and how can anyone not be stirred to super patriotism? Unless someone wonders if just a little bit of that money might have been used to actually do something patriotic such as improving access to things such as education. Things that actually will improve America.
This whole crisis is a result of pseudo patriots who, like David, demand that nobody ever pierce the bubble they seem to live in. The flag worship and the shared display of reverence is just the obverse of the "Two Minute Hate". It feeds the illusion that all is well. We ALL have the same opportunities. We are ALL equal before the law. Protests disrupt our solidarity as we all strive for equality for ALL.
Toss in a flyover of multimillion dollar military hardware and how can anyone not be stirred to super patriotism? Unless someone wonders if just a little bit of that money might have been used to actually do something patriotic such as improving access to things such as education. Things that actually will improve America.
9
I am really shocked and stunned by this opinion piece. The right to protest in this country is a fundamental 1st amendment right. Anyone choosing to protest (peacefully) makes our country stronger not weaker. You mention MLK JR singing the national anthem before his I Have a Dream speech. He stood and proudly sang it because he made change in America through peaceful protest. His voice and those of thousands of downtrodden blacks were heard. His peaceful protest brought about the Civil Rights Act. That never would have happened had he followed your course of action. I for one support Kaeopernick. He has a valid point for which he is protesting and I support him. Any sports players, even those in high school, have the right to peacefully protest about those values which are important to them and to help make this a stronger nation. They are not misguided, but feel the national anthem and their support of it does not represent them today in our country. I have no problem with nationalism. These players want to be sure they are a part of that nationalism and that their country respects them as citizens of this country. It is about the WHOLE population being respected for who they are. Everyone blindingly standing to sing the national anthem rings of Nazism, fascism, and communism. Peacefully protesting insures our democracy keeps living not becoming some platitude we blindly accept.
3
If "pulling a Kaepernick" is "extremely counterproductive," the primary reason is that those taking mindless reflexive offense are intolerant. Using mass intolerance to stifle dissent is unAmerican, if anything is.
The "American creed" seems to include an unmusical national anthem (1931) that contains a verse defending slavery; a pledge of allegiance from the 1890's fear about immigration by "those people," with an "under God" portion added in 1954 as a sop to McCarthyism and a supposed defense against communism; hand over heart; and the wearing of flag lapel pins (another gift from Richard Nixon). Couldn't we develop a creed based more on "good, crowned by brotherhood and sisterhood"?
As a former American history teacher, I am surprised to learn that "many schools no longer teach American history. . . and a globalist mentality teaches students they are citizens of the world rather than citizens of America." A globalist mentality holding the chalk in service of one-worldism!
How can one honestly be "extremely proud" of the USA when its mass culture generates figures like Donald Trump, who might even become our supreme leader?
I see your main point. I hope you can see these.
The "American creed" seems to include an unmusical national anthem (1931) that contains a verse defending slavery; a pledge of allegiance from the 1890's fear about immigration by "those people," with an "under God" portion added in 1954 as a sop to McCarthyism and a supposed defense against communism; hand over heart; and the wearing of flag lapel pins (another gift from Richard Nixon). Couldn't we develop a creed based more on "good, crowned by brotherhood and sisterhood"?
As a former American history teacher, I am surprised to learn that "many schools no longer teach American history. . . and a globalist mentality teaches students they are citizens of the world rather than citizens of America." A globalist mentality holding the chalk in service of one-worldism!
How can one honestly be "extremely proud" of the USA when its mass culture generates figures like Donald Trump, who might even become our supreme leader?
I see your main point. I hope you can see these.
3
CK's "protest" is absurd on the face of it. Here's a multi-millionaire complaining about "oppression" surrounded by other black players making similar salaries. in a country which allows such protests without restriction, unlike truly oppressive countries where such actions would result in a quick removal to an unpleasant unknown location for some "re-education".
1
I applaud the majority of commentators who understand this country and what it takes to continue to make it great. Brooks dropped a dud.
3
Maybe more of us should take the knee in respectful, peaceful protest of the distinct imperfections of our mostly great society!
1
Expressing respect and loyalty for the symbols of a failing society strikes me as blind faith, rather than patriotism. It's time to admit that this "greatest country on earth" is heading downhill fast, and that what is called for is radical reform, not empty gestures.
10
For how long have we all watched Republicans wrap themselves in the flag and push all sorts of hateful and dopey agendas like Jim Crow disguised as the campaign against non-existent voter fraud, spying on citizens in the "Patriot" Act" and of course let's not forget "Freedom Fries".
Basically "Do it my way because uh, Americuh."
Phony unthinking patriotism like that has done far more harm to national unity than any kneeling football player.
Basically "Do it my way because uh, Americuh."
Phony unthinking patriotism like that has done far more harm to national unity than any kneeling football player.
11
Jim Crow laws were passed by Democrats, there wasn't a Republican in the south for 100 years following withdrawal of Federal troops. Next try and learn some history before yelling racist.
2
Yes, southern democrats were some of the biggest racists who ever walked the earth, and when they switched to the Republican Party after a southern democrat pushed through a Civil Rights bill to afford a discriminated and abused section of our American population the most basic of rights, the Republican Party welcomed those former democrats with open arms. They also accepted their beliefs and "values" and have done everything they can to perpetrate the belief that there are classes of people in this country that shouldn't have the same rights afforded to themselves. This present republican platform is the culmination of those radicals taking complete control and distorting the American system.
Jim Crow was a 100% Democratic Party institution. It is still is in the form of racial set asides that make Asians third class citizens in higher education.
3
The University of Chicago survey of patriotism referred to in the article asked two questions, one of which was "whether they considered their own countries superior or inferior relative to other countries". That's a measure of nationalism not patriotism. Flag waving, anthem singing and Pledge reciting are not intrinsically patriotic. Doing things for your country -- which really means doing things for other people -- is the measure of patriotism. It is for that reason possible to be patriotic as an inhabitant of the lowliest nation. Pride is not a particularly attractive quality. Let's cultivate service.
5
Lets cultivate freedom. Freedom requires on justification other than itself. Shout out the word "Liberty" in the pledge, then go practice daily petty civil disobedience to the degree that it is not intruding on the freedom of others. If you are a police officer, be a true patriot and turn the other way when you see someone selling loosies.
Colin Kaepernick has found a means to express his objections to ills rooted in American life. We read that it has been salient; after all, he has started a discussion about the issues. Really?
The narrative at the moment remains stuck on who will or won’t be standing the next time we hear the anthem. Okay. But are we, any time soon, going to move past symbolism and re-engage to start talking about what divides us instead of fixating on who is upright and who isn’t?
The narrative at the moment remains stuck on who will or won’t be standing the next time we hear the anthem. Okay. But are we, any time soon, going to move past symbolism and re-engage to start talking about what divides us instead of fixating on who is upright and who isn’t?
It's funny how much time and energy people expend fighting those whose patriotism they deem insufficient, as compared to the time and energy they expend making a just society worthy of our admiration.
5
But, David Brooks, if those Puritans & our present day "Puritans" spend all their time gnashing their teeth & wailing about their sinfulness, there's not a lot of time & energy left over to organize one's life, make a living, love one's children & spouse, run a business, write a column, keep the government running & keep the world spinning on it's axis.
Oh, Say Can You See ... , America the Beautiful ... & "I pledge ... " just don't do it for me; don't thrill me, don't inspire me.
I think actions speak louder than words or symbols.
Oh, Say Can You See ... , America the Beautiful ... & "I pledge ... " just don't do it for me; don't thrill me, don't inspire me.
I think actions speak louder than words or symbols.
3
"But the answer to what’s wrong in America is America."
This is the closest to accuracy that this piece gets. America has both problems and, at least theoretically, the mechanisms to move beyond them. Respectfully signalling that there is still work to be done on the American Experiment is the very embodiment of America as the solution to America the problem.
This is the closest to accuracy that this piece gets. America has both problems and, at least theoretically, the mechanisms to move beyond them. Respectfully signalling that there is still work to be done on the American Experiment is the very embodiment of America as the solution to America the problem.
2
This is almost astonishing in its narcissism, David. "We" are "expressing gratitude" for what those who came before us left us? What exactly does Black America have to thank us white folk for? Not getting lynched so much lately? Not getting shot by police in quite such an offhand matter as before? Not being discouraged from voting -- oh, wait, that one's making a comeback.
The point, David, is that the promises, the principles, on which this country claims to be based are reserved for white people (and not all of them, either, as a lot of poor and downtrodden white folk will agree). Those ideals you talk about are a hell of a lot more fulfilled for some, and the disparities seem to be something that white America just doesn't want to admit exists, much less talk about. The demonstrations around the anthem seem to me to be quite restrained, a cleared throat in the midst of celebration, to remind us that there's a lot of work to be done.
The point, David, is that the promises, the principles, on which this country claims to be based are reserved for white people (and not all of them, either, as a lot of poor and downtrodden white folk will agree). Those ideals you talk about are a hell of a lot more fulfilled for some, and the disparities seem to be something that white America just doesn't want to admit exists, much less talk about. The demonstrations around the anthem seem to me to be quite restrained, a cleared throat in the midst of celebration, to remind us that there's a lot of work to be done.
6
David, very well put. I've felt, since Kaep started his well intentioned actions, that he'd picked the wrong instrument. For now, the discussion is about standing (or not) for the National Anthem, not about racial injustice. When I see Kaep and his sympathizers, I think not about racial injustice, but about those dishonoring the many ways in which our country is still a model, dishonoring how far we've come in so many ways. Did Catholics kneel or sit out the anthem pre-1960s, when some in our country openly questioned JFK's loyalties in his Presidential run? No...did Irish or Chinese any other immigrant group opt out of the anthem when facing nasty ethnic bias? Of course not. The US and its founding, unlike any other country on earth, is an aspirational statement of what we want to be...which, by definition, means we will always fall short and remain a work in progress. But opting out, as Kaep and his supporters are doing, is not the answer. To dishonor all that is right in our country to (poorly) highlight an area in need of greater work is counterproductive. Pick a political action or statement that keeps the focus on race relations, not on the founding principles which enable and protect your statements.
4
"If we don’t transmit that creed through shared displays of reverence we will have lost the idea system that has always motivated reform. We will lose the sense that we’re all in this together. We’ll lose the sense of shared loyalty to ideas bigger and more transcendent than our own short lives."
This assume facts not at all in evidence. We are not all in this together, and the system has not motivated reform. We have few or no shared loyalties as well.
This assume facts not at all in evidence. We are not all in this together, and the system has not motivated reform. We have few or no shared loyalties as well.
2
@Cate_Delia
"We have few or no shared loyalties as well."
If you really believe that, you have my pity. And disdain, as well...
"We have few or no shared loyalties as well."
If you really believe that, you have my pity. And disdain, as well...
2
The European colonists were white anglo-saxon protestant males who set up and still control the political, economic and religious institutions we have today. In the early 19th century, the God of Christ gave these men the idea of Manifest Destiny, which "gave" them the right to exterminate Native Americans,bring Black Africans here as slaves, and treat women as servants. Since then, the notion of "Patriotism" has unfortunately been constantly misused by the powers-that-be in America to justify war-mongering, genocide, predatory business practices, and racism. Let's come up with a new word to describe what we mean by being dedicated to the American experiment of a civil democratic society, a society in which every citizen has equal protection under the law and the economic opportunity to work for the resources they need to make a decent life.
3
So - are these young men thinking about what their actions mean in a digital age? The picture in the article basically puts each kneeling player at risk - with future colleges, employers, etc.
1
I am dismayed by this super simplistic account of America's civil religion. It fails to take into account the tension created by allowing and protecting the institution of slavery. Both sides, slave holders and abolitionists, found Biblical support for their positions. Both sides appealed to founding documents for support. When the Civil War broke out, the Colonial Protestant denominations divided in the same fashion as the States separated. Patriotism, firing on Fort Sumter? Working on the Underground Railroad? Writing and publishing "Uncle Tom's Cabin"? No mention was made how "Manifest Destiny" affected the civil religion excusing the extradition of Native Americans from their homelands and numerous treaty violations. The Pledge of Allegiance talks about "liberty and justice for all" and that has not been the case for many Americans and maintaining the status quo trivializes the pledge and the lives of those experiencing liberty denied and injustice. I recall a scene with Henry David Thoreau in jail for civil disobedience Ralph Waldo Emerson visits him and asks, "David, what are you doing in there?" Thoreau answered, "Why are you out there?" Woven into the fabric of American Patriotism are the threads of civil disobedience.
4
Perhaps, David Brooks, you may want to see the landscape through the prism of those who choose to kneel for the National Anthem. That will show you that their vision of the country is one where their personal protest is not simply acceptable; it is required -- essential. The consistent truths of their lives are that they are under siege by an America that regards them as eternally "less than" and thus wholly dispensable. This has always been the case, with some rare exceptions, duly noted and listed on a wall somewhere in the white patriot poet's imagination. They kneel to draw attention to that issue. King (who was widely demonized in his day) chose non-violent direct action, which included breaking the law. All the time. These young people are also choosing non-violence, but no direct action, and obeying the law to get attention -- the light focused on what they see -- and quite reasonably so -- as their endangered state in America -- where even a routine traffic stop could mean death. The whites who demand our young black men and women Anthem and Pledge attention forget that there is a lot of long, past and continuing history of government sponsored abuse, degradation, outright terror and hostility and unrequited love to swallow before the words of "pledge allegiance" and "so proudly we hail" can soar from young black hearts. Stop the finger-wagging and think with them, as their protest demands.
6
"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox (NOT Abraham Lincoln)
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox (NOT Abraham Lincoln)
5
David;
The national anthem is about a symbol that represents an idea of shared idealism and pride. It is entirely American to demonstrate that the idea is disintegrating as the integrity of our political system is destroyed by political careerism and partisanship. Pretending we have solidarity by standing and singing in unison will not repair our social fabric. The idea of America will stand, even as forces destroy that idea. The repairs you desire may happen when the citizens of the US elect leaders who are brave enough to challenge the greed-driven billionaires that currently dominate our discourse, and work instead on behalf of all of us.
The national anthem is about a symbol that represents an idea of shared idealism and pride. It is entirely American to demonstrate that the idea is disintegrating as the integrity of our political system is destroyed by political careerism and partisanship. Pretending we have solidarity by standing and singing in unison will not repair our social fabric. The idea of America will stand, even as forces destroy that idea. The repairs you desire may happen when the citizens of the US elect leaders who are brave enough to challenge the greed-driven billionaires that currently dominate our discourse, and work instead on behalf of all of us.
1
Saying that ignorance of history is the source of our lack of pride in the United States is patronizing and misleading. In fact, the exact opposite is true.
We, young people with a deep awareness of our country's historical flaws as well as it's continual push to be better, to live up to its promise, we are simply continuing that tradition. We aspire to greatness as a nation, and constantly fall short. That's no reason either to blindly love our country (as you seem to call for here) or to give up on it, but we must continue to try. That's real patriotism, David.
We, young people with a deep awareness of our country's historical flaws as well as it's continual push to be better, to live up to its promise, we are simply continuing that tradition. We aspire to greatness as a nation, and constantly fall short. That's no reason either to blindly love our country (as you seem to call for here) or to give up on it, but we must continue to try. That's real patriotism, David.
4
David Brooks should read Jennifer Rubin's columns in the WAPO to get some idea of an intelligent way of writing about the disaster called Trump that has destroyed his political party and is doing untold damage to our great country.
Worrying about and lecturing young football players on proper etiquette when the national anthem is played are so far removed from the real problems that confront us in this election year that I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry over "The Uses of Patriotism."
Worrying about and lecturing young football players on proper etiquette when the national anthem is played are so far removed from the real problems that confront us in this election year that I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry over "The Uses of Patriotism."
5
"I hear you when you say you are unhappy with the way things are going in America."
Maybe you hear, but you don't listen. Sometimes when people whose experience you cannot possibly understand speak or act in a way you disagree with, you should just listen and say nothing. This is one of those times.
Maybe you hear, but you don't listen. Sometimes when people whose experience you cannot possibly understand speak or act in a way you disagree with, you should just listen and say nothing. This is one of those times.
9
Surely, we have seen too much vice and folly committed in the nam of patriotism? Yes, Johnson was right that "patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." I also appreciate Goethe on patriotism: "The only patriotism is the patriotism of the truth." Not much of that on the American Right.
8
Mr. Brooks, that is all fine and dandy until the vast majority of the devastated former middle class woke up and pulled back the curtain to reveal that the American ideal was not reachable due to many things occurring around them beyond their control. It didn't matter who was in office, the result kept turning out the same for the past 30 years. Sing all you want, it doesn't make the reality of the situation change for those left behind. They are more concerned with their next meal rather than their next holiday to ponder the American ideals and the history of this "great for some people" country.
1
Kneeling down shows more reverence than standing up.
Period
Period
1
Brooks finally shows his true colors. He believes in all the Constitutional freedoms as long as they do not apply to people of color. There is no other way to read his column. Freedom of speech, particularly political speech, is our country's crown jewel. Ironically, our right to free speech is what allows Brooks to write this nonsense.
3
David,
Before you start talking about the plight of black people in this country and telling them how they should be protesting, perhaps you should read MLK's Letter From Birmingham Jail....
Before you start talking about the plight of black people in this country and telling them how they should be protesting, perhaps you should read MLK's Letter From Birmingham Jail....
3
Kneeling during the National Anthem is a respectful way of showing there is something wrong in our country that needs fixing, to make our country a better place for all.
5
Please check your white privilege David--the aspirations are not sung in unison week by week.
2
How dare you? No seriously, how dare you have the gall to bring up Martin Luther King Jr, and explicitly ignore "Letter from a Birmingham Jail".
No worries I'll remind you:
"First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."
This is you, you question the black man's motives when he riots in the face of injustice, you denigrate the black man's message when he exercises his freedom of speech. The black man waited 245 years to gain freedom of speech, that you think they should just "shut up & play the game" is a testament to your privilege sir.
No worries I'll remind you:
"First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."
This is you, you question the black man's motives when he riots in the face of injustice, you denigrate the black man's message when he exercises his freedom of speech. The black man waited 245 years to gain freedom of speech, that you think they should just "shut up & play the game" is a testament to your privilege sir.
41
"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." Has Mr. Brooks never heard Samuel Johnson's famous quote? His tone-deaf and blinkered column shocks not only for his self-righteous indignation that African Americans are exercising their First Amendment rights, but that he is embracing the same arguments that dictators within his lifetime (Castro, Putin, et al.) have employed to quash dissent and achieve "commitment to the nation's ideals." Because Brooks frequently promotes his supposed literacy and erudition by selectively quoting from far-right intellectuals, it should come as no surprise that he ignores the U.S. Supreme Court's definitive, eloquent, and liberal opinion on civil dissent (read it here: https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/319/624 which, as Jeffrey Toobin pointed out in The New Yorker, reminds us "that freedom demands that those in power allow others to think for themselves." In exhorting African American athletes to conform to his preposterous view of "America's traditional universal nationalism," Mr. Brooks is no different than Donald Trump: They both value loyalty over freedom.
5
In your columns, Brooks, who are you talking to? Who are you writing for?
The country in many ways in crumbling, especially socially.
Major problems are being left unattended and they are worsening.
The country HAS TO come together and toward this coming together you're either part of the solution or part of the problem.
Writing PR copy for your buddies, hacks against Obama and Hillary, and shills for the Republicans, you're part of the problem.
The country in many ways in crumbling, especially socially.
Major problems are being left unattended and they are worsening.
The country HAS TO come together and toward this coming together you're either part of the solution or part of the problem.
Writing PR copy for your buddies, hacks against Obama and Hillary, and shills for the Republicans, you're part of the problem.
1
Heh! Readers await report from DB's first police encounter of being stopped for DWB - Driving While Brooks.
But then when has DB ever done anything that was even remotely defiant of or confrontational to any systemically-oppressive community convention? Concept of bravely or defiantly on independently standing or kneeling or representing in opposition to anything is way beyond DB's theater of concepts or comfort zone.
So why expect more or differently from him here today or ever?
Corrections invited from any who know differently of DB.
But then when has DB ever done anything that was even remotely defiant of or confrontational to any systemically-oppressive community convention? Concept of bravely or defiantly on independently standing or kneeling or representing in opposition to anything is way beyond DB's theater of concepts or comfort zone.
So why expect more or differently from him here today or ever?
Corrections invited from any who know differently of DB.
1
I'm not sure how David Brooks knows what the Europeans who settled here were thinking, when it's hard to discern exactly what people are thinking who are alive right now. I don't think specific, internal thoughts are ever truly knowable in others, so I always pay attention to what they do. What those Europeans did was found a nation in genocide, and grow it's wealth through slave labor.
Now Brooks thinks he needs to tell young people of color how they're supposed to feel about all of this?
How about people do what they want during the song? These kids are taking a knee-maybe it's an acknowledgement of the anthem, along with a statement that they take the narrative of the United States with a giant grain of salt. People feel how they feel, and they don't need old people who have never and will never share a similar experience to tell them how to feel about it.
Now Brooks thinks he needs to tell young people of color how they're supposed to feel about all of this?
How about people do what they want during the song? These kids are taking a knee-maybe it's an acknowledgement of the anthem, along with a statement that they take the narrative of the United States with a giant grain of salt. People feel how they feel, and they don't need old people who have never and will never share a similar experience to tell them how to feel about it.
1
"I’m going to try to persuade you that what you’re doing is extremely counterproductive."
I don't know if I'd use the word "extreme", but by & large, I agree. The act itself has eclipsed it's raison d'être, in my opinion.
Additionally, not really one to protest perceived injustices in my own life (& they exist), it's difficult for me to grasp the idea of agitating &, even angering, people into seeing things my way. Regardless how justified I may be, so doing.
In summary, I take no issue with the protesters tactics. I just can't help but think "they're doing it wrong".
I don't know if I'd use the word "extreme", but by & large, I agree. The act itself has eclipsed it's raison d'être, in my opinion.
Additionally, not really one to protest perceived injustices in my own life (& they exist), it's difficult for me to grasp the idea of agitating &, even angering, people into seeing things my way. Regardless how justified I may be, so doing.
In summary, I take no issue with the protesters tactics. I just can't help but think "they're doing it wrong".
1
Your ancestors were enslaved and suffered unimaginable brutality and the legacy of racism makes you fear for your life everyday, but you should happily join in the rituals of a "civic religion" (did NYT just get rid of its editors?) that propagates those things, otherwise all the nice white people won't help you with your problems?
Mr. Brooks, you might want to spend some time in quiet reflection in front of a mirror.
Mr. Brooks, you might want to spend some time in quiet reflection in front of a mirror.
3
100% agree with their right to protest, to kneel or even sit during the pledge or anthem. I don't always get up for them, mostly because I'm uncomfortable with public displays of patriotism, but also because sometimes I'm just too tired.
However, I despise the messages of Black Lives Matter and Ta-Nehisi Coates, which is about victimization, separationism and is racist, in my view. I was very young when MLK, JR. was alive and carried his message of judging people by the quality of their character instead of the color of their skin, and protesting after being sure there is injustice and purification of self. I think he would deplore today's methods and self-pity.
However, I despise the messages of Black Lives Matter and Ta-Nehisi Coates, which is about victimization, separationism and is racist, in my view. I was very young when MLK, JR. was alive and carried his message of judging people by the quality of their character instead of the color of their skin, and protesting after being sure there is injustice and purification of self. I think he would deplore today's methods and self-pity.
1
What a bunch of baloney. Now we have Kim Jong Brooks telling us that patriotism should be mandatory because it is good for the country and good for the culture. The very idea that all men --all people -- in America are created equal is a joke. From the elitist founding fathers to the present-day income inequality, that has never been the case, except in romanticized high school textbooks.
I say good for the kneelers. At least they recognize how low this country has sunk (thanks in part to the views of people like Mr. Brooks) and understand their responsibility to help make it a much better place in the future. I wish we could only say the same for members of the Republican Congress and the Supreme Court, where they salute the flag and then spend their days trying to destroy what it's supposed to represent.
I say good for the kneelers. At least they recognize how low this country has sunk (thanks in part to the views of people like Mr. Brooks) and understand their responsibility to help make it a much better place in the future. I wish we could only say the same for members of the Republican Congress and the Supreme Court, where they salute the flag and then spend their days trying to destroy what it's supposed to represent.
3
This would be a good time to mention the change in national anthem at sporting events. When I was a kid, the announcer always said "Please rise and join in the singing of our national anthem." And it was sung at a good, andante pace. Now when I go to a sporting event, the announcer says "Please rise and shut your mouth while some person sings this beautiful, moving love ballad to our country. This person may take quite some time to sing it while he/she emotes, but stand quietly while they continue the tryout for America's Got Talent. Thank you."
2
For a contrary HS student journalist's view of the importance of Respecting the Free Speech Rights of HS Athletes see: http://tinyurl.com/zve6psh (Disclosure: my daughter wrote it). David, if your argument has merit, why not address the adult professional athletes who have platforms and voices comparable to yours who started this? You're lecturing high school students of color who's shoes you've never walked in, and who perhaps for the first time in their lives are finding that they have a voice for civic participation and to bring attention to one of the civli rights issues of their day. Telling them that adding their voice to address the reality of their lives is "counterproductive" comes off as "keep your silence because you might offend the comfortable." Did MLK keep his silence? Are you really telling them they're insulting - not honoring - our foundational creeds through their actions? Lastly, I think you're romanticizing the reverence paid to the national anthem at sporting events. Take a good look at what most athletes and many fans are really doing: arms at their sides or folded, shifting from side to side, scratching themselves, chewing gum, fans talking or running out to the concession stand. Respectfully kneeling for what you believe in is far more patriotic behavior. Yes, there are those of us who served in the military or were taught to stand erect, place our hands over our hearts, face the flag and sing every word, but too few to give it the place you claim.
2
Mr. Brooks' attitude towards patriotism reveals the ease with which it comes to members of his class, who have never had to grapple with the complicated legacy of this country or its history of oppression.
In Mr. Brooks' telling, Europeans "settled" rather than "colonized" this continent, a choice of words which ignores the genocide perpetrated against Native Americans. The creed of early Americans was religiously-infused "radical hope and radical self-improvement" - a phrasing which glosses over the deployment of notions of civilization and manifest destiny to justify the slaughter of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans. By 1776, our civic religion was "based on a moral premise that all men are created equal", a rather glib way of characterizing a nation which would continue to practice chattel slavery for nearly a hundred years.
For many of us with a personal connection to racism embedded in the American experience, patriotism is a struggle, a dialogue, an attempt to resolve the contradiction of pride in a nation which has aimed its power against you. To simply whitewash our history and cast patriotism as an abstract matter of solidarity, as Mr. Brooks has done. ignores the importance of that struggle. It seems to me that true patriotism demands we reckon with it.
In Mr. Brooks' telling, Europeans "settled" rather than "colonized" this continent, a choice of words which ignores the genocide perpetrated against Native Americans. The creed of early Americans was religiously-infused "radical hope and radical self-improvement" - a phrasing which glosses over the deployment of notions of civilization and manifest destiny to justify the slaughter of Native Americans and the enslavement of Africans. By 1776, our civic religion was "based on a moral premise that all men are created equal", a rather glib way of characterizing a nation which would continue to practice chattel slavery for nearly a hundred years.
For many of us with a personal connection to racism embedded in the American experience, patriotism is a struggle, a dialogue, an attempt to resolve the contradiction of pride in a nation which has aimed its power against you. To simply whitewash our history and cast patriotism as an abstract matter of solidarity, as Mr. Brooks has done. ignores the importance of that struggle. It seems to me that true patriotism demands we reckon with it.
3
David, you get that the people who are refusing to stand for the national anthem are doing so in order to protest the fact that the "creed" you say we all share in has NEVER applied to them, right? That's the point. The fact that the "freedoms bestowed by God" to white Americans have systematically been denied to black Americans by the actions of WHITE AMERICA is not helping your argument.
Both literally, for hundreds of years until the Emancipation Proclamation--though one could certainly argue and beyond--and figuratively through institutionalized racism which is still ongoing, the history of white America's relationship toward black America has been one of anger, fear, hatred and denial.
It's a great irony that in this racist, xenophobic year of "Trump" the newest Smithsonian is opening depicting the African-American experience in American History, and that the entire inventory of artifacts had to be donated, roadshow-style, by ordinary Americans, because none of it existed as a part of any official record. Maybe it's time we all acknowledge the ugly, underside woven through the fabric of this country's past and sanctified by this country's creed, rather than simply just celebrating it.
Both literally, for hundreds of years until the Emancipation Proclamation--though one could certainly argue and beyond--and figuratively through institutionalized racism which is still ongoing, the history of white America's relationship toward black America has been one of anger, fear, hatred and denial.
It's a great irony that in this racist, xenophobic year of "Trump" the newest Smithsonian is opening depicting the African-American experience in American History, and that the entire inventory of artifacts had to be donated, roadshow-style, by ordinary Americans, because none of it existed as a part of any official record. Maybe it's time we all acknowledge the ugly, underside woven through the fabric of this country's past and sanctified by this country's creed, rather than simply just celebrating it.
5
The "crisis of solidarity" is not being contributed to by Kaeperick. I don't necessarily agree with his stance on the national anthem, but he has a right to it and he is expressing American exceptionalism far better than the charlatans and hypocrites who yell "U.S.A., U.S.A." at various sporting events or when they put down to their fellow citizens.
Kaepernick is pointing out one of the many serious flaws of American society. In order make America even greater, it would be good to reflect on the reason for his stance and work on making his stance irrelevant.
The power elites, the bankers, politicians, military industrial complex and a host of other movers and shakers who have made prostrate the common man and woman have done far more to undermine the solidarity of the American people.
Kaepernick is pointing out one of the many serious flaws of American society. In order make America even greater, it would be good to reflect on the reason for his stance and work on making his stance irrelevant.
The power elites, the bankers, politicians, military industrial complex and a host of other movers and shakers who have made prostrate the common man and woman have done far more to undermine the solidarity of the American people.
2
As explained at The Intercept:
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/13/more-proof-the-u-s-national-anthem-h...
Francis Scott Key was a slaveholder and, as a lawyer in Washington D.C., an energetic prosecutor of black people and abolitionists.
The third verse of The Star-Spangled Banner sneers at the freed blacks who fought on the British side during the War of 1812, saying:
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Kneeling rather than standing during the singing of the national anthem seems to me a perfectly appropriate way of calling attention to the dark thread of racism that runs through American history, up to and including the treatment of African Americans by our police today. Rather than being unpatriotic, it calls on patriots to recognize and correct this national shame, and does so not by angry shouts or gestures, but by kneeling peacefully. If anything, it errs on the side of respect for our national traditions.
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/13/more-proof-the-u-s-national-anthem-h...
Francis Scott Key was a slaveholder and, as a lawyer in Washington D.C., an energetic prosecutor of black people and abolitionists.
The third verse of The Star-Spangled Banner sneers at the freed blacks who fought on the British side during the War of 1812, saying:
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Kneeling rather than standing during the singing of the national anthem seems to me a perfectly appropriate way of calling attention to the dark thread of racism that runs through American history, up to and including the treatment of African Americans by our police today. Rather than being unpatriotic, it calls on patriots to recognize and correct this national shame, and does so not by angry shouts or gestures, but by kneeling peacefully. If anything, it errs on the side of respect for our national traditions.
4
A part of me reads this piece, and wants to agree. Sowing division creates hatred and violence. Yet we stand at the precipice of an election that could bring a Neo-Nazi to power. He may not formally embrace the ideology- but in words and deeds he pays homage to it. While now is NOT the time to give up- it may still be a time to ask what Americans truly have become- and where they will lead the world as their society continues its decay into narcissism, anger, indulgence and lies.
If the struggle between good and evil is eternal, then perhaps all that matters is what we do with what we are given. Were we stand. How clearly we think. Words and action. Not the eventual loss of all that is beautiful in the mire of human decay.
If the struggle between good and evil is eternal, then perhaps all that matters is what we do with what we are given. Were we stand. How clearly we think. Words and action. Not the eventual loss of all that is beautiful in the mire of human decay.
1
Mr Brooks fails to note that our founding fathers also considered some Americans to be valued only as property. Rather seems he'd prefer their descendents to continue sitting quietly at the back of the bus.
4
David, I respect your erudite reasoning and intelligent comments immensely. However, I would suggest that you read the studied opinion expressed by Jeffery Tobin in The New Yorker on Sep 15, 2016. I believe that his legal background gives an added dimension to his thoughts.
“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.”
“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.”
3
We are talking about the US National Anthem which extols the virtuous Freeman dismisses the valor of the slaves? Oh wait we all forgot to sing that verse.
3
David Brooks, if we can all agree that shared national identity and love of country is a valuable asset, then unchecked police brutality and discrimination toward one group of Americans is a much greater threat to those values than not standing for the National Anthem. Whether high schoolers should stand for the anthem or not is not the most important moral question here. The bigger moral issue -- and the one of much greater consequence for all Americans -- is the fact that our criminal justice system deprives an entire population of their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. It's like the Molly Ivins quote: "I prefer someone who burns the flag but wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." Or the Prophet Isaiah: " “What is the fast I demand of you? Is it to droop your head like a bulrush? No! — It is to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, strike off the handcuffs from prisoners ... “ People like Colin Kaepernick are reminding us that we have blind spots. That are actions as a nation stray from our national ideals. And that our patriotic words run the risk of becoming hollow. Your column shows just how much more work there is to do.
3
The article lost me in the third sentence. I seem to recall there were already millions of people settled here before the Europeans "settled this continent."
4
The esteemed Robert Reich gives the best meaning of patriotism I've ever come across. It does not include flag waving or anthem singing.
http://robertreich.org/post/146801812820
http://robertreich.org/post/146801812820
6
I look at issues like Ferguson which turned out to be far less than 'the murder of a gentle giant' alleged, but a circumstance that we seem unable, or unwilling to admit was an obvious fallacy. . I listen and read the statements of BLM and like organizations that blatantly stereotype police professional nationwide thereby causing the kind of broad retreat from effective and proactive law enforcement that costs many of our most vulnerable people their lives; and I wonder why so many seen eager to make a bad situation worse.
2
Maybe we can reach a compromise. Maybe these protesting black football players can be convinced to stand with their hands over their hearts if we start playing the Jimi Hendrix version of the National Anthem. I think we should adopt the Hendrix version of the anthem to mark all aspects of American life. Play this version before every sporting event: professional, amateur, or private. Play it nonstop in the super markets, shopping malls, and before religious ceremonies. Play it at funerals of public figures.
I'm a 61-year-old WASP woman who has, for some years, declined to stand for the anthem, for reasons other than Kaepernick's, which would require a separate post to explain. I don't kneel, either, or wave my fist. I just stay seated. I do not claim this is any great act of courage. As statements of principle go, it's on the same level as sticking a yellow 'support the troops' ribbon magnet on your car; literally the very least you can do. It's a feel-good thing, one of the many little tin medals we have become fond of sticking on ourselves, the plum we pull out of the Christmas pie exclaiming 'what a good boy am I!'
In 1943, SCOTUS, overturning its own previous ruling, upheld the right of schoolchildren who were Jehovah's Witnesses to refuse to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and salute the flag. In 1962, the Court eliminated compulsory group prayer in schools. (Note neither ruling stops anyone from saying the Pledge, saluting the flag, or praying silently as an individual.) Your freedom of conscience is protected. The irony embedded in both protests is that those who are rejecting the symbol are investing it with more meaning than the kids of my era who mumbled a phonetically memorised Pledge (what's a 'witchit,' and why do we stand for it?) and, half-asleep or mind on the spitball we were going to shoot at the kid at the next desk, droned the 23d Psalm every morning. Those words and gestures meant enough to those kids to reject them; that's respect, too.
In 1943, SCOTUS, overturning its own previous ruling, upheld the right of schoolchildren who were Jehovah's Witnesses to refuse to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and salute the flag. In 1962, the Court eliminated compulsory group prayer in schools. (Note neither ruling stops anyone from saying the Pledge, saluting the flag, or praying silently as an individual.) Your freedom of conscience is protected. The irony embedded in both protests is that those who are rejecting the symbol are investing it with more meaning than the kids of my era who mumbled a phonetically memorised Pledge (what's a 'witchit,' and why do we stand for it?) and, half-asleep or mind on the spitball we were going to shoot at the kid at the next desk, droned the 23d Psalm every morning. Those words and gestures meant enough to those kids to reject them; that's respect, too.
1
Kaepernick is not the threat to our unity. He has not caused a crisis of solidarity. Nearly 8 years of purposeful 'othering' of Obama by the GOP has done this. Calling the president a liar during the SOTU speech, questioning his citizenship, claiming he is purposely trying to destroy the country through his policies, framing the public sector as a bastion of takers, public service as a fools errand and the government as the single most dangerous threat to liberty (worthy of a second amendment solution)---these are the Bill of particulars that you and your party should own up to. Let's not forget the Southern Strategy and Voter Restriction Laws that target African Americans with "Surgical Precision."
David, you need to talk to the man in the mirror and convince him to hit the reset button or retire.
David, you need to talk to the man in the mirror and convince him to hit the reset button or retire.
1
The American creed is more like Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition especially when it came to expelling Hispanics in the Mexican American wars and destroying native Americans who stood in the way of the white annexation of the country. Patriotism is fine if it is inclusive of all rather than being just for the ruling class.
Why would young black athletes listen to a white apologist for the Republican Party that has fostered racism for decades?
2
Bill:
I have no problem with Mr. Kaepernick or anyone else for expressing their opinion on anything but I have a hard time reconciling the venom being slung here at Mr. Brooks or anyone else who disagrees with the opinion or expressions of others who have the same right. Hypocrisy running wild! Give others who disagree with you these same freedoms!
I have no problem with Mr. Kaepernick or anyone else for expressing their opinion on anything but I have a hard time reconciling the venom being slung here at Mr. Brooks or anyone else who disagrees with the opinion or expressions of others who have the same right. Hypocrisy running wild! Give others who disagree with you these same freedoms!
2
David, the protest is not an attack on patriotism . The attack on our institutions began in earnest when Obama was elected president. When you hear "you lie" from the congressional body or see a Supreme court justice shake his head in the negative during the State of the Union address you should hear the bricks falling the wall of patriotism. When a sitting governor can put her finger in the face of the commander in chief and there is no backlash, you should hear the bricks fall. Colin did not start this decline. None of the faces in the forefront of loss of respect for institutions look like him at all.
1
Maybe people are reacting to the vapid and vacuous climate of flim-flam that the promotion of business, corporations, and the power of mammon over and above humans and humanity has wrought.
Maybe we need more tax and spend on human interests rather than corporate interests, and less hate, fear, greed, jealousy, and bigotry driving our politics. Maybe we need to keep the GOP out of power long enough to deal with the massive institutional dysfunction that time and the GOP focus on "business" has already delivered.
Maybe we need more tax and spend on human interests rather than corporate interests, and less hate, fear, greed, jealousy, and bigotry driving our politics. Maybe we need to keep the GOP out of power long enough to deal with the massive institutional dysfunction that time and the GOP focus on "business" has already delivered.
I am proud of my country for the many good choices its citizenry has made over the centuries. I hope we are going through a period that will make me more proud. But it could easily go the other way.
Questioning people's patriotism only brings trouble. We are all in this together. We all know it. We need to address our differences in a productive way.
It does bother me when someone disrespects the flag. But it makes me think.
The United States has lots of work to do.
Questioning people's patriotism only brings trouble. We are all in this together. We all know it. We need to address our differences in a productive way.
It does bother me when someone disrespects the flag. But it makes me think.
The United States has lots of work to do.
1
My father's parents escaped pogroms in Russia; my mother's father left Germany right before the Holocaust, while the relatives who stayed perished in the camps. Knowing full well the problems in the U.S., my father liked to say at Thanksgiving, "Still the best country in the world." I don't know what he would say now; he definitely would not be proud that our country under George Bush was responsible for a big part of the mess that the world is in. But I think that all things considered he would still say it. Unless your country has devolved into something unthinkable (which it could if there were a Trump presidency) I think it's a good thing to support it by doing whatever everyone around you is doing during the national anthem. You can't be against the whole country or you should not be partaking of its goods and services. If you're against something in particular, go out and protest it, such as we did protesting the Vietnam War. Reading the comments, I fail to understand the vitriol directed at David Brooks for writing what he did. Actually I'm often sorry when I read comments expecting a civilized discussion. Too many have an ax to grind. And alarmingly, there anti-semitism is usually in the mix. After his cover story on the entanglements of The Trump Foundation, even Newsweek reporter Kurt Eichenwald (who is not Jewish) got them.
Sadly David, I'm afraid we need a little chat about the history behind our two most common celebrations of our patriotism/nationalism/nativism/xenophobia (take your pick), the Star Spangled Banner and the Pledge of Allegiance. The National Anthem, made legally such only when Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation in 1931, was written by a slave-owner who was a rabid, virulent anti-abolitionist. The third verse lays out his feelings toward slaves who were so uppity that they joined the Brits during the Revolution in return for emancipation: "[t]heir blood has wiped out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:"
The National Anthem, made legally such only when Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation in 1931, was written by a slave-owner who was a rabid, virulent anti-abolitionist. Unintended, but nice irony in your choice of pictures - the Woodrow Wilson High School players kneeling in protest as the anthem is played. You might also note that the Pledge was written by a socialist. Hence our patriotism is symbolized by the work of racist and a socialist.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:"
The National Anthem, made legally such only when Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation in 1931, was written by a slave-owner who was a rabid, virulent anti-abolitionist. Unintended, but nice irony in your choice of pictures - the Woodrow Wilson High School players kneeling in protest as the anthem is played. You might also note that the Pledge was written by a socialist. Hence our patriotism is symbolized by the work of racist and a socialist.
For the thinking individual, the idea of taking pride in America is problematic, based upon the nation's collective behavior over the past 50 years. Are we "proud" of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan wars? Are we "proud" of having a failed war on drugs and mass incarceration of our black citizens? Are we "proud" of our dysfunctional Congress, aging infrastructure, polarized politics? Are we "proud" of the gross inequality of wealth and opportunity in our society? None of these are consistent with what I understand the American "creed" to be. We should not fault those who question whether the America in practice is consistent with the lofty rhetoric of America's founding ideals, who demonstrate their concerns by taking a knee, raising a fist, or asking a question.
American patriotism and the sense of American exceptionalism have been undermined as sources of national unity, because they were co=opted by politicians for use as political weapons against those who protested costly, stupid wars. Americans unified against the depression and the Axis Powers during WW II, but later wars have been far less worthy and far more ambiguous: Viet Nam, Iraq, even Korea. We got slogans like 'America love or or leave it', 'America Right or Wrong', 'We're #1' - in everything. It became one administration being cheered on by its partisans as it changed our long-standing definition of torture. This is destructive of positive nationalism.
We are not united as a nation. We are deeply divided red vs blue. For many, the civil war never ended and the Confederate battle flags were never put away. For too many, not all Americans are regarded as equal.
This has roots in our founding. The Constitution was crafted to accommodate the institution of slavery. Women could not vote. Senators and presidents were not to be directly elected, because the founders didn't trust the broader populace quite that far, even though the voting franchise was limited to white, property-owning males in much of the nation. Up to the Civil War, states were added in a carefully-crafted dance so as not to disturb the slavery status quo.
The insult is not an insult to real patriotism or to the United States, it is an insult to the use of patriotism for political manipulation.
We are not united as a nation. We are deeply divided red vs blue. For many, the civil war never ended and the Confederate battle flags were never put away. For too many, not all Americans are regarded as equal.
This has roots in our founding. The Constitution was crafted to accommodate the institution of slavery. Women could not vote. Senators and presidents were not to be directly elected, because the founders didn't trust the broader populace quite that far, even though the voting franchise was limited to white, property-owning males in much of the nation. Up to the Civil War, states were added in a carefully-crafted dance so as not to disturb the slavery status quo.
The insult is not an insult to real patriotism or to the United States, it is an insult to the use of patriotism for political manipulation.
A topic I regularly discuss with my journalism students is how we should use and explore data.
Mr. Brooks, can you support your assertion that "many" schools no longer teach American history with evidence? I believe many Times readers would be interested to know how many schools in America do not teach American history. To make such an incendiary claim without evidence would be highly irresponsible, but I trust you cut your citations for space.
You do cite Gallup for your figure about the decline of Americans saying they are "extremely proud" of their country. Young people have the least amount of "extreme pride." Is "extreme" pride justifiable? Perhaps pride should be contingent upon performance. Having provided evidence, we must then explore the data to try to discern a deeper meaning from this larger trend. The best way to explore data is by asking interesting questions rather than merely asserting facts.
For instance, "extreme pride" has declined, so we can ask if our country in the present is worthy of blind allegiance compared to previous eras. We could also consider if such allegiance would necessarily be beneficial to our civic health by considering the examples of history. Is "extreme pride" in our country linked to periods of greater equality and justice in other cases?
I look forward to Mr. Brooks exploring these questions in future columns. Thank you for beginning this interesting discussion.
Mr. Brooks, can you support your assertion that "many" schools no longer teach American history with evidence? I believe many Times readers would be interested to know how many schools in America do not teach American history. To make such an incendiary claim without evidence would be highly irresponsible, but I trust you cut your citations for space.
You do cite Gallup for your figure about the decline of Americans saying they are "extremely proud" of their country. Young people have the least amount of "extreme pride." Is "extreme" pride justifiable? Perhaps pride should be contingent upon performance. Having provided evidence, we must then explore the data to try to discern a deeper meaning from this larger trend. The best way to explore data is by asking interesting questions rather than merely asserting facts.
For instance, "extreme pride" has declined, so we can ask if our country in the present is worthy of blind allegiance compared to previous eras. We could also consider if such allegiance would necessarily be beneficial to our civic health by considering the examples of history. Is "extreme pride" in our country linked to periods of greater equality and justice in other cases?
I look forward to Mr. Brooks exploring these questions in future columns. Thank you for beginning this interesting discussion.
1
Mr Brooks., you conviniently left out the fact that the European settlers annihilated the native American population and usurped their land. And for all the high sounding words about all men being born equal, the founding fathers of this country were themselves slave owners.
3
Sadly David, I'm afraid we need a little chat about the history behind our two most common celebrations of our patriotism/nationalism/nativism/xenophobia (take your pick), the Star Spangled Banner and the Pledge of Allegiance. The National Anthem, made legally such only when Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation in 1931, was written by a slave-owner who was a rabid, virulent anti-abolitionist. The third verse lays out his feelings toward slaves who were so uppity that they joined the Brits during the Revolution in return for emancipation: The National Anthem, made legally such only when Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation in 1931, was written by a slave-owner who was a rabid, virulent anti-abolitionist. Nice irony in your choice of pictures - the Woodrow Wilson High School players kneeling in protest as the anthem is played. You might also note that the Pledge was written by a socialist. Hence our patriotism is symbolized by the work of racist and a socialist.
Nice irony in your choice of pictures - the Woodrow Wilson High School players kneeling in protest as the anthem is played. You might also note that the Pledge was written by a socialist. Hence our patriotism is symbolized by the work of racist and a socialist.
Nice irony in your choice of pictures - the Woodrow Wilson High School players kneeling in protest as the anthem is played. You might also note that the Pledge was written by a socialist. Hence our patriotism is symbolized by the work of racist and a socialist.
I have been asking this question the past few weeks and can not get a satisfactory answer....why do we sing patriotic songs and/or pledge allegiance to the flag at sports events at all? Shouldn't this be reserved for more solemn events? These are just games people! Nothing religious, patriotic or solemn about it. We don't do it when we go to see a play, or a movie, or a concert. What is the history of this custom regarding sports and patriotism. Would love to know.
Very nice column, thoughtful and well intended. However, if the Republican Party and the NRA had not hijacked the flag and this 'state religion' of patriotism, perhaps this wouldn't be happening. Go to a neo-nazi or klan leaning website and the first thing you see is the American flag. Go to the site of supporters of the republican candidate and the first thing you see is the flag. Maybe that's what a free society is all about-the expression of thought and speech in a manner which is relevant to a way of thinking. It's in the constitution after all, the right of free speech, peaceful protest, guns and all that.
Were all these patriots so enthusiastic when soldiers came back from Vietnam Nam? Where were these patriots when American extremists blew up a building in Oklahoma, killing over 60 children? Where are they when we blow up a wedding in Afghanistan killing the wedding party? When we water board bound prisoners? When the head of state tells us we're going to war to punish the perpetrators of 9/11, and instead invade a country which was not involved? When a section of our population has to instruct their children how to talk to the police so they won't get shot just going out to the store?
We lose the shared sense of value and love for our country when we allow extremists to refuse to act in concert with others for the good of our country-Affordable Healthcare Act, infrastructure repairs, voting rights, gun laws. These protests are a cry for help to get back to us.
Were all these patriots so enthusiastic when soldiers came back from Vietnam Nam? Where were these patriots when American extremists blew up a building in Oklahoma, killing over 60 children? Where are they when we blow up a wedding in Afghanistan killing the wedding party? When we water board bound prisoners? When the head of state tells us we're going to war to punish the perpetrators of 9/11, and instead invade a country which was not involved? When a section of our population has to instruct their children how to talk to the police so they won't get shot just going out to the store?
We lose the shared sense of value and love for our country when we allow extremists to refuse to act in concert with others for the good of our country-Affordable Healthcare Act, infrastructure repairs, voting rights, gun laws. These protests are a cry for help to get back to us.
You mean love it or leave leave it, David, no? What a waste of ink.
2
"When Europeans first settled this continent they had two big thoughts. The first was that God had called them to create a good and just society on this continent. The second was that they were screwing it up."
1. settled this continent? How about invaded and took it.
2. they were screwing it up? With all the talk about exceptionalism and manifest destiny I missed the self reflection part.
Or is that just a new revision of history to mask the fact that "shared displays of reverence" without a common focus for reverence is just empty pageantry.
As usual Mr. Brooks wants us to ignore what our lying eyes show us in favor of his religious vision.
1. settled this continent? How about invaded and took it.
2. they were screwing it up? With all the talk about exceptionalism and manifest destiny I missed the self reflection part.
Or is that just a new revision of history to mask the fact that "shared displays of reverence" without a common focus for reverence is just empty pageantry.
As usual Mr. Brooks wants us to ignore what our lying eyes show us in favor of his religious vision.
2
"...Many schools no longer teach American history, so students never learn the facts and tenets of their creed...." Name one. To my understanding American History is a requirement by all state Boards of Education for every school system.
15
I suggest that many would not recognize the "American History" that is being taught in the majority of public schools today. Borrow a textbook and take a look!
1
Mr. Books. Perhaps you should have focused on the insanity of schools no longer teaching American History. How are young people suppose to know the extremely advanced PhD. knowledge of the founders and their religious beliefs to create an equal society when they don't know anything about the corruption of the Supreme Court decisions backing slavery and measures like the Missouri Compromise to keep the inequality of slavery legal and the slave holder states in equal power in Congress with the Abolitionists states.
The fact that some people are now boycotting the Anthem due to inequality makes sense to many of us.
Just as it is making sense in North Carolina to boycott their state due to laws of inequality passed there.
The fact that some people are now boycotting the Anthem due to inequality makes sense to many of us.
Just as it is making sense in North Carolina to boycott their state due to laws of inequality passed there.
Mr. Brooks:
I fully support Mr. Kaepernick exercising his constitutional rights.
I appreciated his eloquent and thoughtful explanation of his stance.
I admired his ability to alter his protest from sitting to kneeling after considering the input of a teammate.
Mr. Kaepernick risks endorsements and substantial financial gain by his actions, which he obviously understood.
This exercise of constitutional rights in the name of social justice without thought for personal gain is quintessentially American, and represents the best of our ideals.
I fully support Mr. Kaepernick exercising his constitutional rights.
I appreciated his eloquent and thoughtful explanation of his stance.
I admired his ability to alter his protest from sitting to kneeling after considering the input of a teammate.
Mr. Kaepernick risks endorsements and substantial financial gain by his actions, which he obviously understood.
This exercise of constitutional rights in the name of social justice without thought for personal gain is quintessentially American, and represents the best of our ideals.
E pluribus unum? I can't stand for national unity unless I am willing to kneel with my brothers and sisters who are still, 240 years later, not treated equally. A lot of damage has been done and is being done by individuals, by institutions and under the color of law to keep one group up by pushing another group down.
One of the lessons of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King is that we must be peaceful, we must be respectful, but things don't change without action.
One of the lessons of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King is that we must be peaceful, we must be respectful, but things don't change without action.
1
The only things the Right Wing has ever sincerely saluted and revered are power at any cost, fixing the laws to benefit their corporate benefactors, and intentionally working to create the myth of those with lesser means and minorities being less "moral" than the 1%. Not to mention the undermining of democracy through gerrymandering, voter suppression, and refusal to do what the constitution requires (hold hearings and vote for Supreme Court justices).
I could care less about the NFL with it's wealthy white owners, blatantly and disgustingly wrapping their sport in the flag and military. What a farce! But it's truly refreshing to see athletes start to use their exposure to express their opinions. I support them 100%.
I could care less about the NFL with it's wealthy white owners, blatantly and disgustingly wrapping their sport in the flag and military. What a farce! But it's truly refreshing to see athletes start to use their exposure to express their opinions. I support them 100%.
4
By speaking of nationalism as a religion, an ultimate aspiration not yet fulfilled, Mr. Brooks can only see the erosion of nationalism as regressive. But it's unclear to me how he squares his own communitarianism with America's foundational ideal of extreme individualism. I think history will look back on the existence of nations as an anomoly. Surely the rise and fall of America will be seen in perspective. Will we end up any better off? Any wiser? Kinder? Will there be more justice? I don't know, but surely these football players are pursuing a better world, and apparently in a way which is respectful of others.
2
Protesting is also honoring America. To put it in very crude terms, if you buy a car with a really good maintenance plan and something goes wrong with the car, you should use the maintenance plan. Otherwise what's the point of having it?
1
David, I think a lot more harm (so many ongoing examples all over the world!!) than good has been done in this world as a result of patriotism. I fly a world flag at my house and often end up having conversations about my commitment to the whole world as opposed to a single political set of boundaries. I have a lot of respect for the people who are questioning the practice of blindly following patriotism when there are so many terrible problems so close to home. It is brave to remain sitting or kneeling during the national anthem and I have tried to do this for many years with some trepidation. Now that I am a senior it is a bit easier. All power to those who question and challenge the status quo!!
2
1776 is long gone and you are on your own now.
Forget the ideas and standards some Europeans brought along, define your own and grow up.
There are so many examples on how a society may create equal opportunities for all, all you need to do is to look around and learn.
There are even societies that one may call a Meritocracy and which, despite a very diverse society, share one goal and that is the improvement of society, state and one's well being.
Why not try something the US seems to have not done in a long long time, learn from others?
Forget the ideas and standards some Europeans brought along, define your own and grow up.
There are so many examples on how a society may create equal opportunities for all, all you need to do is to look around and learn.
There are even societies that one may call a Meritocracy and which, despite a very diverse society, share one goal and that is the improvement of society, state and one's well being.
Why not try something the US seems to have not done in a long long time, learn from others?
1
How are people supposed to stand and sing for their country when they hear over and over that all government is evil and that the only defensible public debate is conducted by lone armed cowboys?
1
Most "patriotic" Americans, especially Trump's fans, do not trat everyboby as equals. They want to discrinate againts emigrants, blacks, gays, eleites, scientists,Jews,, poor people, etc.American history is all about discrimantion and the long struggle to overcome it, with 2 steps foreward and one step back. Why do patriots buy so many guns?
1
Dear Mr. Brooks,
Please take note:
Patriotism is not a performance!
Please take note:
Patriotism is not a performance!
13
Dear Mr. Millett,
A performance, an act, is precisely what patriotism is: an act of standing, singing, speaking (with, perhaps, a hand held over one's heart), all performed with a view to conveying to others that one is a member in good standing of the tribe.
A performance, an act, is precisely what patriotism is: an act of standing, singing, speaking (with, perhaps, a hand held over one's heart), all performed with a view to conveying to others that one is a member in good standing of the tribe.
1
steve,
You are sadly mistaken. Patriotism is NOT a show. It is deeply held conviction concerning what one's allegiance stands for.
Your lack of historical perspective is what you show.
You are sadly mistaken. Patriotism is NOT a show. It is deeply held conviction concerning what one's allegiance stands for.
Your lack of historical perspective is what you show.
7
Good one, Mr Brooks, except I viscerally take the knee bend as frightening public display of religious supplication, not the protest symbol of the raised fist of a long ago olympics.
This act is less about patriotism or protest than a performance by young deluded people seeking permission to go out and do violence to others on the sport field.
This act is less about patriotism or protest than a performance by young deluded people seeking permission to go out and do violence to others on the sport field.
1
First of all, the premise regarding the settlement of "this continent" is mistaken. The French in Canada, the Dutch in New Amsterdam, and the slave owners who founded Charleston did not necessarily think that "God had called them to create a good and just society." They had ulterior motives for settling here that had nothing to do with God. Surely you know that, David.
Secondly, I'm tired of patriotism that insists we publicly acknowledge our love of country, of the troops and of "those who protect our freedoms" over and over again. This is the playing of a classic psychological game called "I got ya now!" The whole point is to identify those who don't respond the way we think they should. But really, have you been to a ball game? You want to tell me how "patriotic" the fans are during the playing of the national anthem?
Let's stop the nonsense. There are times when the national anthem is appropriately and respectfully performed. Sporting events are not those times. Let's disconnect sports and the military from patriotism. You needn't love both to still love this country.
Secondly, I'm tired of patriotism that insists we publicly acknowledge our love of country, of the troops and of "those who protect our freedoms" over and over again. This is the playing of a classic psychological game called "I got ya now!" The whole point is to identify those who don't respond the way we think they should. But really, have you been to a ball game? You want to tell me how "patriotic" the fans are during the playing of the national anthem?
Let's stop the nonsense. There are times when the national anthem is appropriately and respectfully performed. Sporting events are not those times. Let's disconnect sports and the military from patriotism. You needn't love both to still love this country.
5
David - At a time when one (your) party has nominated someone who has loudly spoken xenophobic, ultranationalist, racist, sexist, you-name-it insults and continues to be backed by the leadership of his party, has strong support of Fox News not to mention around 40% of the electorate, I applaud these young folks for paying attention, taking a stand and expressing themselves in a non-violent, non-personally insulting manner.
I hope they stay in the arena, and that it leads them to the polls and eventually to statehouses and beyond.
I hope they stay in the arena, and that it leads them to the polls and eventually to statehouses and beyond.
5
I stand for the National Anthem. And I respect those who go down on one knee to demonstrate the separate and unequal treatment they receive.
My hope is that one day we will all stand up together, because the country we love has given us reason to know our common identity and equal rights.
My hope is that one day we will all stand up together, because the country we love has given us reason to know our common identity and equal rights.
5
I looked at the data Brooks linked which shows that those that are "proud" of America are white, male, non-college Republican conservative.
How does this square with the Trumpublican Party?
How does this square with the Trumpublican Party?
1
David's piece today is pretty good, but then he embarrasses himself by almost begging the Kaepernick wanna-bes not to give Donald Trump any more ammunition.
We got the memo months ago that David hated Trump even more that the rest of the Upper West Side socialist statists. I guess we'll see David whipping this dead horse through November, perhaps forever.
But American youth stained by progressive educators are indeed not patriotic enough. Being cool like Colin may find these teen robots leaving job interviews early as they learn the Internet forgets nothing. I sure wouldn't knowingly hire any one too cool to stand during the anthem.
We got the memo months ago that David hated Trump even more that the rest of the Upper West Side socialist statists. I guess we'll see David whipping this dead horse through November, perhaps forever.
But American youth stained by progressive educators are indeed not patriotic enough. Being cool like Colin may find these teen robots leaving job interviews early as they learn the Internet forgets nothing. I sure wouldn't knowingly hire any one too cool to stand during the anthem.
2
It might make a difference of some kind if we all actually sang the national anthem at these events instead of just listening while standing or kneeling or probably looking at our phones.
3
Mr. Brooks is spot on here. Americans are all in this together. Yes, of course these black athletes have the "right" to kneel, not sing, walk out, etc. But I think his point is that it's not a question of legal rights, but rather a voluntary ( and not always happy) submission to a common ritual that helps foster a sense of national unity. That unity is more important than the preeminence of an individual grievance. We need more not less of these rituals. After all if we don't engage in common rituals that are part of American tradition, who are we? Just a collection of strangers who live in the USA only to exploit its freedoms?
1
Submission is the key word here. No one is here to submit to a nationalism that does not include them, as Kaepernick is pointing out about blacks in this country. We have the 1st amendment from our forefathers because they wouldn't submit to British rule and they didn't want any of us submitting to any kind of rule. I may not agree with your protest but I will fight to the death for your right to do so. I am proud to see Kaepernick make his protest in order to make this a stronger Union.
1
What you have not acknowledged, David, is that throughout American history it has been POC that bear the burden of pushing America to keep its promises. No white leaders -- kind, good people or not -- have ever pushed for civil rights progress without being pressured by POC.
I suspect that you would have also questioned the value of a group of young patriots sitting at a lunch counter in Montgomery, AL.
These folks need to be celebrated as true Americans.
I suspect that you would have also questioned the value of a group of young patriots sitting at a lunch counter in Montgomery, AL.
These folks need to be celebrated as true Americans.
1
People like Brooks have much more criticism for the relatively powerless and their relatively feeble protests than he does for the more deleterious corrosive effects performed on the national psyche by the elite and powerful, some of whom he probably knows socially. Maybe he bowls with them. For sure they know who he is. I would suggest that he spend productive time motivating the corrupt among the executives, pundits, politicians, regulators Mil/Ind players, etc to stop their various predations before he tells a high-school football team what is right or not right. (But he won't. He prefers soft targets.)
2
When Europeans first settled this continent they gradually realized that in order to create a good and just society on this continent, they would have to perpetrate and great evil and injustice: slavery. By 1776, America’s slave-holding elite and their friends had decided that slaves should form a permanent sub-class of non-citizens. It would take almost a century, culminating in the American Civil War, to undo that idea. It would take another century for African Americans to have, on paper at least, equal rights with white Americans. Fifty years after the Civil Rights Act, African Americans, even ones as successful and wealthy as Colin Kaepernick, still face discrimination in their day-to-day lives.
Mr. Brooks disregards the profound inequality that has been part of the American experiment almost from the beginning. He argues that in signing the national anthem, “We’re expressing gratitude for our ancestors and what they left us. We’re expressing commitment to the nation’s ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled.” If that's the case, then Colin Kaepernick is expressing gratitude to his ancestors and all they did for this country. He is also reminding us of the extent to which the nation’s ideals remain unfulfilled. As such, Mr. Kaepernick is a true patriot whose patriotism demands more from America. The Founders left a complicated legacy in words and deeds. In order to live up to those words, we must confront the full reality of their deeds. Thank you, Colin Kaepernick.
Mr. Brooks disregards the profound inequality that has been part of the American experiment almost from the beginning. He argues that in signing the national anthem, “We’re expressing gratitude for our ancestors and what they left us. We’re expressing commitment to the nation’s ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled.” If that's the case, then Colin Kaepernick is expressing gratitude to his ancestors and all they did for this country. He is also reminding us of the extent to which the nation’s ideals remain unfulfilled. As such, Mr. Kaepernick is a true patriot whose patriotism demands more from America. The Founders left a complicated legacy in words and deeds. In order to live up to those words, we must confront the full reality of their deeds. Thank you, Colin Kaepernick.
4
Maybe you can explain the wording of the 3rd and 4th verses: "No refuge could save the HIRELING AND THE SLAVE from the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:"
4th verse "Oh! thus be it ever, when FREEMEN shall stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation! and then " Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then CONQUER WE MUST, when our cause is just, and this be our motto "In God is our trust". then everybody sing "O'er the land of the FREE and the home of the brave."
4th verse "Oh! thus be it ever, when FREEMEN shall stand between their loved homes and the war's desolation! and then " Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then CONQUER WE MUST, when our cause is just, and this be our motto "In God is our trust". then everybody sing "O'er the land of the FREE and the home of the brave."
1
This has to be one of Lord Brooks's silliest columns of all time.
9
Patriotism means different things to different people. Personally I think many on the right have a shallow definition of patriotism. They believe patriotism is going to a ball game, stuffing your face with hot dogs and beer, all while standing for the national anthem. It is about beating your fists on the chest and yelling "Murica Rocks!" while ignoring some of the fundamental challenges and issues we face.
Don't get me wrong. America is great, but it is not perfect. We have problems that we have to address; high student debt, widening inequality, poverty, homeless vets, global warming, health care, and yes, racial injustice.
Patriotism is wanting your country to grow and become a better place for its citizens. However, this form of patriotism requires honesty and the ability to admit that we are not perfect. It requires us to admit that we have problems and address them.
And no, America History is not being removed from school. What a ridiculous and outrageous claim.
Don't get me wrong. America is great, but it is not perfect. We have problems that we have to address; high student debt, widening inequality, poverty, homeless vets, global warming, health care, and yes, racial injustice.
Patriotism is wanting your country to grow and become a better place for its citizens. However, this form of patriotism requires honesty and the ability to admit that we are not perfect. It requires us to admit that we have problems and address them.
And no, America History is not being removed from school. What a ridiculous and outrageous claim.
2
"Many schools no longer teach American history" Really? How do you know this? Have you surveyed the social studies curricula of American schools?
1
Wow. The rise of American patriotism twins that of racism in this country, plain and simple. I'm skeptical that suddenly that same patriotism will do Blacks some good. Arguably, the racism they're standing against is as baked into the core of America as much as anything. Not to mention, it is a love of country that fueled Jim Crow and today's support of police brutality. Blacks, in this view, are and have been, regarded as threats to be mitigated. Find those most outwardly patriotic, wearing flags and other symbols, at Trump rallies.
All these comments keep talking about what people are allowed to do. In this you are missing a much more important question. What people should do.
For myself, whenever I notice people start talking about how they are strictly speaking allowed to do something, chances are they know they're doing something a little iffy. We all hate the murderers who get off on technicalities, or the businessmen who don't strictly speaking break the law but chain the spirit of the law in their basements.
The important thing is that we are all americans. And americans, particularly professional athletes, have much to be thankful to this country for. Everyone does. The fact that you can do your little demonstration (god forbid you actually do some charity work) is emblematic of the fact that you live in perhaps the most generally tolerant society that has ever existed. Period.
For myself, whenever I notice people start talking about how they are strictly speaking allowed to do something, chances are they know they're doing something a little iffy. We all hate the murderers who get off on technicalities, or the businessmen who don't strictly speaking break the law but chain the spirit of the law in their basements.
The important thing is that we are all americans. And americans, particularly professional athletes, have much to be thankful to this country for. Everyone does. The fact that you can do your little demonstration (god forbid you actually do some charity work) is emblematic of the fact that you live in perhaps the most generally tolerant society that has ever existed. Period.
1
"If we don’t transmit that creed through shared displays of reverence we will have lost the idea system that has always motivated reform. We will lose the sense that we’re all in this together. We’ll lose the sense of shared loyalty to ideas bigger and more transcendent than our own short lives."
Who are 'we'? Your 'we' is obviously a different 'we' than mine or someone who is not a white male. Blind Patriotism & being 'extremely proud' are not virtues. Our 'founding fathers' were considered to be 'rebellious sons' until the early 19c.
This fervent unquestioning devotion to our nation & its symbols prevents individuals from realizing that those who went before us, ancestors & more recent immigrants, were just like us. Flawed with a desire to survive without much consideration about those who were not like them. Perspectives are vital.
I can respect my forbearers' accomplishments while not placing them on pedestals.
Who are 'we'? Your 'we' is obviously a different 'we' than mine or someone who is not a white male. Blind Patriotism & being 'extremely proud' are not virtues. Our 'founding fathers' were considered to be 'rebellious sons' until the early 19c.
This fervent unquestioning devotion to our nation & its symbols prevents individuals from realizing that those who went before us, ancestors & more recent immigrants, were just like us. Flawed with a desire to survive without much consideration about those who were not like them. Perspectives are vital.
I can respect my forbearers' accomplishments while not placing them on pedestals.
2
"Civic religion" is a dreadful take on patriotism--though it applies to the USA.
Religions are corporations for marketing mythical god stories as worthy of dogmatic belief--as though infallible. Biblical religions are based on a homophobic, discriminatory (chosen people) slavery tolerant, imperialistic, polygamous, women as property ethic.
But civilization evolved (in some places); to compete for market share so did religion--while still claiming Biblical authority. Pure scam.
"Civic religion" markets the polity as god's gift to humanity: Common people rule vs Aristocracy, Abolitionist, Feminist (all created equal).
Get real. "Democracy" has meant rule by the 1%, continuous racism, homophobia and sexism. Youth are to die to make the world safe for American corporations--like puppets, cannon fodder. Vietnam, Iraq are just two woeful examples.
Blacks are supposed to continuously rejoice in emancipation--to be the permanent underclass--like drones.
Moderate patriotism is necessary for an polity because government is essentially a number of dispute resolution procedures--and the losers need to respect due process.
But patriotism as religion--blind dogmatic faith--"my country right or wrong"--just discourages progress--it's not possible if you are perfect already.
That patriotism as got to go--along with religion. Kaepernick and his followers are leading the way out of the blind dogma--like true friends--patriots--of a country needing improvement.
Religions are corporations for marketing mythical god stories as worthy of dogmatic belief--as though infallible. Biblical religions are based on a homophobic, discriminatory (chosen people) slavery tolerant, imperialistic, polygamous, women as property ethic.
But civilization evolved (in some places); to compete for market share so did religion--while still claiming Biblical authority. Pure scam.
"Civic religion" markets the polity as god's gift to humanity: Common people rule vs Aristocracy, Abolitionist, Feminist (all created equal).
Get real. "Democracy" has meant rule by the 1%, continuous racism, homophobia and sexism. Youth are to die to make the world safe for American corporations--like puppets, cannon fodder. Vietnam, Iraq are just two woeful examples.
Blacks are supposed to continuously rejoice in emancipation--to be the permanent underclass--like drones.
Moderate patriotism is necessary for an polity because government is essentially a number of dispute resolution procedures--and the losers need to respect due process.
But patriotism as religion--blind dogmatic faith--"my country right or wrong"--just discourages progress--it's not possible if you are perfect already.
That patriotism as got to go--along with religion. Kaepernick and his followers are leading the way out of the blind dogma--like true friends--patriots--of a country needing improvement.
1
If the original Pilgrims were as patriotic as Mr. Brooks believes them to be, they would be still be back in Holland or England standing while their national anthems played.
Fundamentally the history of America is about moxie and questioning authority and never bowing to those that look to humiliate and subjugate you. The pilgrims refused to be third-class citizens and risked everything to express their yearning for freedom and liberty. That was the spirit of the founding fathers as well; if they followed the David Brooks of their days, we would still be British subjects, faithful to the Empire's ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled.
In that sense, these protesters are the true heirs to the American legacy.
Fundamentally the history of America is about moxie and questioning authority and never bowing to those that look to humiliate and subjugate you. The pilgrims refused to be third-class citizens and risked everything to express their yearning for freedom and liberty. That was the spirit of the founding fathers as well; if they followed the David Brooks of their days, we would still be British subjects, faithful to the Empire's ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled.
In that sense, these protesters are the true heirs to the American legacy.
22
The legal aspects of this question have been long answered, and in my opinion this settles the issue. Everyone is within rights to refuse to idolize in public, for whatever reason, any national emblem or practice. That is what makes us different from lesser countries.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/colin-kaepernick-and-a-landm...
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/colin-kaepernick-and-a-landm...
1
Oh, I get it. Only leftists and black kids have any responsibility whatsoever to honor their country.
The white guys who wave the Gadsden flag (which by the way, they don't understand...it's a symbol of national unity, not division), the Stars and Bars, they have no such responsibility.
The white guys and gals who blat about "Second Amendment remedies," who start secession initiatives in legislatures, who yap about needing guns against the current government, who wawl and cry about the moozlim President and the sneaky mezzicans, who shoot up health clinics and blow up Federal buildings, why, they Love America. They're just frustrated, and want to "take back their country."
But boy, howdy--let some NFL player protest real things by refusing to salute a national anthem we never had until rabid right-wingers started howling, an anthem whose tune is a drinking song, and anthem most Americans can't even sing, and boy, howdy, time to Honor America.
I also don't do the stupid Pledge. Especially with the ugly little salute that it came with originally.
The white guys who wave the Gadsden flag (which by the way, they don't understand...it's a symbol of national unity, not division), the Stars and Bars, they have no such responsibility.
The white guys and gals who blat about "Second Amendment remedies," who start secession initiatives in legislatures, who yap about needing guns against the current government, who wawl and cry about the moozlim President and the sneaky mezzicans, who shoot up health clinics and blow up Federal buildings, why, they Love America. They're just frustrated, and want to "take back their country."
But boy, howdy--let some NFL player protest real things by refusing to salute a national anthem we never had until rabid right-wingers started howling, an anthem whose tune is a drinking song, and anthem most Americans can't even sing, and boy, howdy, time to Honor America.
I also don't do the stupid Pledge. Especially with the ugly little salute that it came with originally.
2
Thoreau wrote in Walden: "Every man is the lord of a realm beside which the earthly empire of the Czar is but a petty state, a hummock left by the ice. Yet some can be patriotic who have no self-respect, and sacrifice the greater to the less. They love the soil which makes their graves, but have no sympathy with the spirit which may still animate their clay. Patriotism is a maggot in their heads. What was the meaning of that South-Sea Exploring Expedition, with all its parade and expense, but an indirect recognition of the fact, that there are continents and seas in the moral world, to which every man is an isthmus or an inlet, yet unexplored by him, but that it is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, in a government ship, with five hundred men and boys to assist one, than it is to explore the private sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean of one's being alone."
1
Brooks writes, "I'm going to try to persuade you that what you're doing is extremely counterproductive." Alas, the fact that he is writing this column is proof that the protesters' actions are not counterproductive.
Kaepernick and others have sparked a conversation that we need to regularly and thoughtfully engage in: what are our values, and are we living up to them. Those protesters have reminded us that to criticize individuals for exercising their rights is to raise questions about the existence and the value of those rights.
In short, I'll always stand and I will always mouth the words to the National Anthem, but I salute those who remind me (and others) lean in to making America truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Kaepernick and others have sparked a conversation that we need to regularly and thoughtfully engage in: what are our values, and are we living up to them. Those protesters have reminded us that to criticize individuals for exercising their rights is to raise questions about the existence and the value of those rights.
In short, I'll always stand and I will always mouth the words to the National Anthem, but I salute those who remind me (and others) lean in to making America truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.
2
I don't think any of us that are white can criticize the decision of people of color to not participate in the singing of the anthem when it is played. We have no idea what it is like to be judged immediately by the color of our skin, to be the descendant of slaves, to be frightened that our son or daughter can be killed at the hands of the police. This is a non-violent form of protest that has gotten the nation's attention. Instead of condemning it, why don't we start working on how we can heal and try to right the wrongs that have gone on for far too long.
2
Thanks, Mr. Brooks, for another tired, halfhearted defense of the status quo. We must sing the anthem together at sporting events because it presents a little cohesion in a time of strife and individuality? I argue it promotes group-think and blind obedient compliance to a nation that incarcerates more of its people than any other, that doesn't insure their health, well-being, education, economic security or property rights. We spend far more on military than we do on roads/bridges/schools, we support despots, invade countries and take resources from manufactured "enemies", politicians let corporate donors pollute groundwater and raid pension funds with impunity. We kill and incarcerate blacks and Latinos at triple the rate of whites. We lead the world in debt and income inequality, and are middle of the pack in childhood poverty, literacy, life expectancy, infant mortality and 'happiness'. We get a 'pre-approved choice' of 2 corrupt incompetents every 4 years, corporations are people and people are property to be tracked, wiretapped, tortured into confessions and tried by secret evidence in secret courts. When technology becomes cheap enough, we'll be microchiped at birth like cows. No sir, our plight can be traced to the coordinated, systemic greed and tyranny of rich, mostly European white men (many are Times readers), not poor black teen athletes with no other voice. I'd gladly pay high taxes in exchange for humanity/sanity, but that's not an option here.
4
Jingoism is the glue that blinds and binds the fools! Or as a wise old Jew, Obadiah once quipped, "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?"
1
No coincidence that patriotism in the U.S. peaked in 2003, I think. The deceitful chauvinism and desire for personal revenge that motivated George W. Bush's push for the war in Iraq certainly made me less proud of my country. It was a war with virtually no real justification, no honest attempt at diplomatic resolution beforehand, and thus a meaningless catastrophe, yet so many of our citizens gave their approval. That something like that could go forward under our flag gave me pause.
3
A well-written piece, per usual, but it misses the mark.
Having a little of 60 years under my belt, I think I can chart the course of patriotism for at least several decades.
As a kid, I do not recall feeling that patriotism was a 'show'; my parents, Rockefeller Republicans, made no pretense of being more patriotic (or not) than anyone else.
When the VietNam war rolled around the Nixon administration rolled out the nefarious concept that 'patriotic' persons (a silent majority) supported the war, the implication being that those who didn't weren't. This led to the black power movement during the 68' Olympics -- I was fully sympathetic to those athletes at the time, and remain so to this day.
Meaningless ritual (hand on the heart during the national anthem) and displays (flag lapels) represent the worst form of jingoism. It not only attempts to enforce others to conform (e.g. President Obama, unfortunately), but casts aspersions on those who do not (football players who refuse to stand).
The meaningless nonsense of flag waving, wearing, and allegiance swearing, is tiresome and offensive to anyone who appreciates the fact that this country was built on ideas and ideas and hard work. The continued attempts to reduce that to a symbol is almost as pointless as most religion.
Having a little of 60 years under my belt, I think I can chart the course of patriotism for at least several decades.
As a kid, I do not recall feeling that patriotism was a 'show'; my parents, Rockefeller Republicans, made no pretense of being more patriotic (or not) than anyone else.
When the VietNam war rolled around the Nixon administration rolled out the nefarious concept that 'patriotic' persons (a silent majority) supported the war, the implication being that those who didn't weren't. This led to the black power movement during the 68' Olympics -- I was fully sympathetic to those athletes at the time, and remain so to this day.
Meaningless ritual (hand on the heart during the national anthem) and displays (flag lapels) represent the worst form of jingoism. It not only attempts to enforce others to conform (e.g. President Obama, unfortunately), but casts aspersions on those who do not (football players who refuse to stand).
The meaningless nonsense of flag waving, wearing, and allegiance swearing, is tiresome and offensive to anyone who appreciates the fact that this country was built on ideas and ideas and hard work. The continued attempts to reduce that to a symbol is almost as pointless as most religion.
The inclusion of all "them" into "us" is what makes America truly exceptional. We're losing that as the right-wing gets stronger.
2
Patriotism cannot be an empty gesture. If we are to be united as a country we must stand for something. Perhaps "liberty and justice for all" would do as a starting point. If we are to stand for justice for all, we must demonstrate it with our words and deeds. The specific issue identified by these young (and mostly black) men is a fundamental injustice whose roots are embedded deeply in our common soil (specifically, Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3 of the United States Constitution).
Yes, we must find ways to come together. But in my experience one of the best ways to cement the bonds between people is to undertake an effort to improve the common good. Instead of carping about people who don't behave the way you wish they would, why not find a way to make common cause and figure out how to reduce the senseless deaths they have highlighted?
Yes, we must find ways to come together. But in my experience one of the best ways to cement the bonds between people is to undertake an effort to improve the common good. Instead of carping about people who don't behave the way you wish they would, why not find a way to make common cause and figure out how to reduce the senseless deaths they have highlighted?
I trust that all those athletes who are protesting in this fashion will be voting in the Presidential and local election in November. That is how they will best enact change to their advantage.
1
Who may I ask created the "crisis of solidarity"? As I recall, President Obama rose to prominence on the very theme you offer that there is one America and has constantly embraced bipartisanship, but he was immediately rebuked by Mitch McConnell and the entire Congressional republican Party along with "birther"-in-chief, Donald Trump, who questioned that he was, in fact, an American. So, when African-American athletes use their First Amendment right to "free speech" we should celebrate it as what really has, does, and will continue to "Make America Great" and not play white massa and denigrate their legitimate protest as unpatriotic. This is a new civil rights movement that hopefully will result in a change in the murderous police culture that daily claims the lives of innocent young black men and children. This peaceful, nonviolent protest is in the great tradition of Martin Luther King and it needs to be supported rather than disparaged.
2
Why did Barack drop the entire ''there is one America'' meme the day he was inaugurated, anyway? Why the eight years of anger at cops and his celebration of those who call for policemen to be killed? Mr. Obama said he's be just the opposite.
Of course, he never said that he'd double the national debt, either....
Of course, he never said that he'd double the national debt, either....
2
Blind Patriotism is not what we want or need. Our country is sorely lacking following through on the principles we claim to have. We have a dysfunctional government trying to block voting, we have a group of terrorists politicians trying to overthrow the majority rules, we've loaded the Supreme court with political hacks, we engage in wars without declaring them, we still have severe racism, we have the lowest common denominators running for political office, we cater to the rich , we have a poice force that is out of control. we allow guns to kill thousands and all for profits.
Yes we need people to show us that things are not right this is not the way the flag was supposed to be used for blind loyalty to a increasingly corrupt system. Yes!! Protest is needed.
Yes we need people to show us that things are not right this is not the way the flag was supposed to be used for blind loyalty to a increasingly corrupt system. Yes!! Protest is needed.
Sorry, Rick, but being an American means you actually put your respect for the country AHEAD of your passing fads or political anger or fear of The Enemy Other who also consider themselves to be Americans.
You have arguments away from your ongoing affirmation of our country being the beacon of freedom.
If I couldn't respect the place I was, I'd have already left. You DO have alternatives - and your blood pressure would probably be lower after you relocated. Check out Canada before the snow starts?
You have arguments away from your ongoing affirmation of our country being the beacon of freedom.
If I couldn't respect the place I was, I'd have already left. You DO have alternatives - and your blood pressure would probably be lower after you relocated. Check out Canada before the snow starts?
2
These young people have every right to protest in an orderly way without doing harm to others or to property. I think these youg people have a right to participate in this protest. That is a basic and fundamental right we have. We may not all be comfortable with this choice- but it is their choice and it has certainly gotten a lot of attention- which is the whole point.
2
Your column starts with the Europeans who immigrated to America. Yes, America is a land of immigrants and their descendants, but it is also a land of slaves and their descendants. The foundational stories of these two groups are very different, yet integral to the whole American story.
Perhaps we should all take a knee during the anthem to acknowledge how unreconcilable our shared past is, but with our heads held high for our hope in a better shared future.
Perhaps we should all take a knee during the anthem to acknowledge how unreconcilable our shared past is, but with our heads held high for our hope in a better shared future.
19
Nonsense. I am a Vietnam veteran. My father, grandfathers, mother, maternal grandmother, brother, and all of my uncles served. We've had veterans of every war going back to the Revolution, and I don't think standing for the d****d national anthem at some football game has got anything to do with love of country and loyalty. What matters in that regard is showing up when you're needed, whether it's a war, a fire, a flood, or a tornado, and lending a hand. And "showing up" includes protesting stupid wars.
It doesn't bother me that Kaepernick is protesting injustice by sitting or taking a knee during the anthem. I think he's showing a lot of guts and telling us something we need to know. He's not saying he's not with us. He's saying, "Hey, look here, some people haven't been treated right. We haven't been loyal to all of us." We ought to cheer Kaepernick. If anything is truly American, it's a hearty protest against conventional wisdom. Kap is a profile in courage.
It doesn't bother me that Kaepernick is protesting injustice by sitting or taking a knee during the anthem. I think he's showing a lot of guts and telling us something we need to know. He's not saying he's not with us. He's saying, "Hey, look here, some people haven't been treated right. We haven't been loyal to all of us." We ought to cheer Kaepernick. If anything is truly American, it's a hearty protest against conventional wisdom. Kap is a profile in courage.
16
Now that's the way to talk about patriotism!
Not the feckless Republican "usual" talk about patriotism while running away from national obligations at an individual, party and institutional level. Waving a flag doesn't make you a patriot!
Not the feckless Republican "usual" talk about patriotism while running away from national obligations at an individual, party and institutional level. Waving a flag doesn't make you a patriot!
2
It should be said that part of the reason patriotic sentiment used to be more widespread is that the kind of history taught in our schools has tended to be very selective and distorting. Most high school history classes have not been very honest about the way we have treated Native Americans, the brutality of Columbus' first attempts at colonization, the full and awful legacy of slavery and racism that permeated our country until shockingly recently, our history of imperialism and aggression in Latin America, and other parts of our heritage that many would sooner ignore, suppress, and forget. History textbooks now do at least a marginally better job of avoiding these distortions. You want people to feel more united? You can write a column urging our flag-waving, chest-thumping brothers and sisters to demonstrate somehow that they understand the reasons why many among us feel so alienated, and that they are committed to doing their part to address those root causes.
1
"The Star Spangled Banner" is symbolic patriotism.
The real story of our nation, that which should instill pride, is perhaps chilled by having the largest numbers of human beings incarcerated, the people who are shot and killed or wounded everyday by monstrous weapons, the inequalities of money, health, work, housing; the people sleeping on the streets, the drug addicted, and the mad frenzied desire to vote into the highest office a lying huckster promoter or a lying chameleon perfectionist.
The real story of our nation, that which should instill pride, is perhaps chilled by having the largest numbers of human beings incarcerated, the people who are shot and killed or wounded everyday by monstrous weapons, the inequalities of money, health, work, housing; the people sleeping on the streets, the drug addicted, and the mad frenzied desire to vote into the highest office a lying huckster promoter or a lying chameleon perfectionist.
2
"When Europeans first settled this continent they had two big thoughts. The first was that God had called them to create a good and just society on this continent. The second was that they were screwing it up."
This is palpably false and you know it. I'm not going to go over the history of the original colonies--Puritans in New England, Germans in PA, landed soldiers of fortune in Virginia, and a big penal colony in Georgia--nor point out that the Founders carefully constructed a Constitution to assure a secular, God-free society. But you know what you are doing: it is called soft propaganda, no serious criticism or history.
This is palpably false and you know it. I'm not going to go over the history of the original colonies--Puritans in New England, Germans in PA, landed soldiers of fortune in Virginia, and a big penal colony in Georgia--nor point out that the Founders carefully constructed a Constitution to assure a secular, God-free society. But you know what you are doing: it is called soft propaganda, no serious criticism or history.
7
David, by the end of this column I agreed with the soul of what you're saying. "The solution to America is America" are words I'll be quoting.
But this column is also, I think, overreaction. What these students are doing is calling attention to a national problem, and they are choosing a moment full of national meaning to do it, that's all. Note the action they're taking, which Kapernick himself modified to its present form: kneeling, not standing stoically, refusing to place hand on heart. Kneeling is usually a symbol of supplication, or of deep thought, or of prayer. Perhaps he and the students don't even realize it, but the effect, to me, is different; it's not a move of angry defiance, of rage at the nation. More of a move that mirrors the defenselessness of victims of racism and racial violence, and a call maybe to think about the anthem's lyrics and how a whole race is underserved by them.
I also worry, though, that all this is being lost on a big swathe of Americans, apparently including yourself, who see it as a massive insult, and on some of whom it will have the opposite effect. Protest should be results-based, in my opinion, and it doesn't feel as if this action is really swaying hearts and minds of those who aren't already sympathetic to BLM. Like many student actions these days, I fear it will soothe their souls but coarsen many others', as righteous as their cause is.
But this column is also, I think, overreaction. What these students are doing is calling attention to a national problem, and they are choosing a moment full of national meaning to do it, that's all. Note the action they're taking, which Kapernick himself modified to its present form: kneeling, not standing stoically, refusing to place hand on heart. Kneeling is usually a symbol of supplication, or of deep thought, or of prayer. Perhaps he and the students don't even realize it, but the effect, to me, is different; it's not a move of angry defiance, of rage at the nation. More of a move that mirrors the defenselessness of victims of racism and racial violence, and a call maybe to think about the anthem's lyrics and how a whole race is underserved by them.
I also worry, though, that all this is being lost on a big swathe of Americans, apparently including yourself, who see it as a massive insult, and on some of whom it will have the opposite effect. Protest should be results-based, in my opinion, and it doesn't feel as if this action is really swaying hearts and minds of those who aren't already sympathetic to BLM. Like many student actions these days, I fear it will soothe their souls but coarsen many others', as righteous as their cause is.
15
You are describing the lack of solidarity in this country but you are blaming the people who are the ones being the most persecuted.
Solidarity is not always a good thing. Trump can pretty much do anything and his hoards will follow and vote for him - this is not good solidarity. When good police stick up for the bad police and refuse to admonish them, this is extremely dangerous solidarity and puts all of their lives more at risk. When a religion's hierarchy refuses to punish those who molest children but would rather push it under the carpet - this is another horrible example of when standing as one is an evil thing.
It may shock some people, but symbols and shrines do not mean the same thing to all people. And forcing people to accept a universal definition of what a symbol represents is just moronic and unpatriotic. It is uniquely American to protest and make people think about important issues. It is not uniquely American to just stand for a song and flag and live in utter social ignorance.
We are a nation of protest and rebellion and we should be proud of these ideals. We are also a nation built on insane hypocrisy, racism and genocide and we must all accept how we became the country we are today.
I think the forefathers would be disgusted by people who think Kaepernick or anyone else demonstrating a peaceful protest are being labeled as un- American. How is it unpatriotic to want to see this country move forward?
Solidarity is not always a good thing. Trump can pretty much do anything and his hoards will follow and vote for him - this is not good solidarity. When good police stick up for the bad police and refuse to admonish them, this is extremely dangerous solidarity and puts all of their lives more at risk. When a religion's hierarchy refuses to punish those who molest children but would rather push it under the carpet - this is another horrible example of when standing as one is an evil thing.
It may shock some people, but symbols and shrines do not mean the same thing to all people. And forcing people to accept a universal definition of what a symbol represents is just moronic and unpatriotic. It is uniquely American to protest and make people think about important issues. It is not uniquely American to just stand for a song and flag and live in utter social ignorance.
We are a nation of protest and rebellion and we should be proud of these ideals. We are also a nation built on insane hypocrisy, racism and genocide and we must all accept how we became the country we are today.
I think the forefathers would be disgusted by people who think Kaepernick or anyone else demonstrating a peaceful protest are being labeled as un- American. How is it unpatriotic to want to see this country move forward?
4
That whole self-criticism thing worked out really well for the Puritans in Salem... as long as they didn't think you were a witch.
Criticizing yourself in source of self-improvement is one thing, but you're really too busy criticizing others for much of that as are many other "patriots".
Criticizing yourself in source of self-improvement is one thing, but you're really too busy criticizing others for much of that as are many other "patriots".
2
It's almost comical that David would bring up Dr. King as an example of someone who sang the national anthem before delivering his I have a dream speech, because David almost perfectly represents the "white moderate" who Dr. King was so disillusioned with in his Letter from Birmingham Jail.
David agrees with the point these players are making but wants them to make it differently. I'd respond with a quote from Dr. King:
Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.
David agrees with the point these players are making but wants them to make it differently. I'd respond with a quote from Dr. King:
Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.
6
I find sitting out the anthem little more than a lazy way to protest. It's always been a politically correct tradition in some circles to sit while the anthem is played and it's a likely reason a number of players and non-players who probably didn't want to stand in the first place are mindlessly following along. I confess there was a time I did the same thing. The last time I refused to stand though, I thought of my grandfather who was killed in The Battle of the Argonne. I thought of my brothers and father and uncles and millions of other veterans and I realized that what I was doing wasn't about the country or the anthem, it was about me. Since that time whatever my thoughts, whether pride or shame or whatever, I keep it to myself and stand in silence simply out of respect.
1
The young men in Camden like many others across our nation are participating in a peaceful protest which they consider justifiable. If anything this is the "American Way" and to fault them or any among us who feel left out is to voice your freedom.
Standing with one's hand over one's heart while singing the national anthem as an indication of solidarity is no different than those who kneel to indicate their disagreement with this tacit concord which to them does not exist.
I would be quite surprised if you don'r see this, but not at your cheerleading.
Our national rug already has a large lump of dirt under it.
Standing with one's hand over one's heart while singing the national anthem as an indication of solidarity is no different than those who kneel to indicate their disagreement with this tacit concord which to them does not exist.
I would be quite surprised if you don'r see this, but not at your cheerleading.
Our national rug already has a large lump of dirt under it.
5
High school football players: trust your instincts. Listen to your parents, coaches, teammates, friends and most of all your own heart. Don't listen to blowhards like David Brooks, who love lecturing commoners about the virtue of knowing your place, blaming yourself for growing up poor, and bowing down to the rich and powerful.
22
Before you lecture high school kids about their patriotism, what if you give it first to the CEO who raise the price of EPI-pen 500%, and people like her? What if you lecture first the Missourian House and Senate who cow tow to gun industry at the peril of the lives of their constituents? What is if you lecture first the police unions and police chiefs and police officers who refuse to acknowledge there is a police culture of wrongly racially profiling young black people?
When they feel that their voices are no longer heard, even with hundreds and thousands protesting on the street, what is the next step would you like them to take? Pulling a Kaepernick or a gun?
I think it stands to reason that before you criticize their method of protest, you acknowledge and criticize first what they were protesting.
When they feel that their voices are no longer heard, even with hundreds and thousands protesting on the street, what is the next step would you like them to take? Pulling a Kaepernick or a gun?
I think it stands to reason that before you criticize their method of protest, you acknowledge and criticize first what they were protesting.
5
So you're hectoring high school football players about their protest about systemic racism, but in the brief history of the Unites States you lay out, you don't mention slavery? Not even once? Since "many schools no longer teach American history," did you think no one would notice?
I'm sure you didn't choose the photograph accompanying the op-ed (I'm a proud Camden resident!), but it makes your glaring omission even more offensive, and it makes it even harder to take you seriously. You wrote those Black children completely out of historical context, which IS the history of America.
I'm sure you didn't choose the photograph accompanying the op-ed (I'm a proud Camden resident!), but it makes your glaring omission even more offensive, and it makes it even harder to take you seriously. You wrote those Black children completely out of historical context, which IS the history of America.
10
Let me get this straight---your thesis is that if we fail to participate in our national cultural rituals, we (that is, minorities) will cease to be viewed as part of the in-group and people will stop caring about causes that don't directly affect them? Because nationalism is a stronger force in America than humanitarianism? I despair for the future of this country if your assessmemt is correct, and the families extending themselves to help Syrian refugees are the aberration and not the norm.
7
David, The future is not about nations, it's about humanity. Nationalism is as divisive as racism or sexism or xenophobia. We're humans above all other alleged differences. Cultural differences are a subset of ancestral inheritances and should be respected, but the over-arching unification we need now is the understanding and knowledge that we are all leaves of the same tree.
5
Thank you for this word of wisdom. We are a divided nation. Let's not exacerbate that. But then, your previous column, An Avalanche of Distrust casually succumbs to the false equivalency of not revealing Hillary's pneumonia diagnosis (surely an understandable effort to rise above the problem) and Trump's whoppers with his refusal to release his tax records or trump up an absurd medical record. Please.
2
I don't think that these players, who are exercising their constitutional right to expression, have anything to do with the decline of pride in the US. Some of us are outright ashamed of a country that is so filled with ignorance, hate, and flat-out lies that a dangerous charlatan like Trump is so close to the Presidency. That is nothing short of shameful. Tell me again why this should make me proud?
2
That 52% proud of their country. An historic low if you take the word historic with a large grain of salt. The poll has only been done for the last 16 years.
How does Mr. Brooks think that poll would have come out after the election of Lincoln in 1860. Or in 1969 during the Vietnam War.
How does Mr. Brooks think that poll would have come out after the election of Lincoln in 1860. Or in 1969 during the Vietnam War.
2
"I hear you when you say you are unhappy with the way things are going in America. But the answer to what’s wrong in America is America — the aspirations passed down generation after generation and sung in unison week by week."
David has given us some doozies, but this is clearly one of the most inane Brooks commentaries ever. The payoff is in the paragraph quoted above: if you are concerned about obscene inequality, if you have a problem with being stopped for being black, or blacks being gunned down by police who are then protected by the "blue wall of silence", or if you take exception to American militarism.......fear not......there is a way to meet these problems head-on; rise to your feet at your local sporting event, (assuming that you're able to pay the price of entry), and sing the anthem with full-throated zeal. You will see that all the wrongdoings and injustices will magically disappear....if only all voices rise in unity and solidarity.
This prescription is so utterly devoid of of merit that it doesn't even deserve being called stupid. If we count all sporting events, pro, college, high-school, there are probably in excess of a million such events across the nation annually. And what positive effect has more than a hundred years of this outpouring of our exceptionalism had on racism?
And......if the basis of our exceptionalism is our "freedom", including free speech, why should its exercise be disparaged?
David has given us some doozies, but this is clearly one of the most inane Brooks commentaries ever. The payoff is in the paragraph quoted above: if you are concerned about obscene inequality, if you have a problem with being stopped for being black, or blacks being gunned down by police who are then protected by the "blue wall of silence", or if you take exception to American militarism.......fear not......there is a way to meet these problems head-on; rise to your feet at your local sporting event, (assuming that you're able to pay the price of entry), and sing the anthem with full-throated zeal. You will see that all the wrongdoings and injustices will magically disappear....if only all voices rise in unity and solidarity.
This prescription is so utterly devoid of of merit that it doesn't even deserve being called stupid. If we count all sporting events, pro, college, high-school, there are probably in excess of a million such events across the nation annually. And what positive effect has more than a hundred years of this outpouring of our exceptionalism had on racism?
And......if the basis of our exceptionalism is our "freedom", including free speech, why should its exercise be disparaged?
5
Forget sports. Patriotism is recognizing the importance of doing everything possible to defeat Donald Trump who is the greatest danger to democracy this nation has faced in modern times.
4
There is a role for patriotism; but only when it is more than a thoughtless manipulated effort at cohesion. Perhaps those who do not understand the Constitutional guarantee of Freedom of Expression need mindless symbolism to establish a sense of unity; but I would rather believe that educating the public about what is great and what is not so fabulous about our nation would serve a much more valuable purpose. I thought we had progressed beyond "If you don't like it here, move to another country." Apparently not.
Still, the solution is not in singing a song but in understanding the meaning behind it.
Still, the solution is not in singing a song but in understanding the meaning behind it.
3
I'm much happier talking about a national unity founded on moral and political ideals rather than one founded on a bunch of rituals. Especially rituals that one is required to participate in whether we find them meaningful or not. Forcing me as a kid to go to church and pretend to be reverent made me hate church, not love it. The same is true here. If patriotism is going to be meaningful it will only be as an uncoerced expression of a love we really feel.
And it's not an accident that this form of protest has arisen of late. Too often when people try to communicate their dissatisfaction with the status quo, above all the racial status quo, the response they get is the vilest sort of hateful nastiness from out-and-out racists who truly, genuinely do not want immigrants and black people to see themselves as equal Americans, and Donald Trump has given that hateful, anti-American point-of-view the biggest boost it has had in a century. We should be grateful that Kaepernick and others have found a form of peaceful protest that genuinely gets people's attention without in fact hurting anyone.
I've always been a fan of yours, Mr. Brooks, but not for an editorial like this.
And it's not an accident that this form of protest has arisen of late. Too often when people try to communicate their dissatisfaction with the status quo, above all the racial status quo, the response they get is the vilest sort of hateful nastiness from out-and-out racists who truly, genuinely do not want immigrants and black people to see themselves as equal Americans, and Donald Trump has given that hateful, anti-American point-of-view the biggest boost it has had in a century. We should be grateful that Kaepernick and others have found a form of peaceful protest that genuinely gets people's attention without in fact hurting anyone.
I've always been a fan of yours, Mr. Brooks, but not for an editorial like this.
11
David, I am a BIG fan. I find your columns thoughtful, well written, and generally based in a solid foundation. In this case, I think your foundation is for the wrong building. WHile you point your argument to the high school students, the building you are erecting is not one they share. You are right, I beleive, that some will be upset and draw distant if students kneels during the national anthem, and it will make things more difficult. But, it is already far more difficult given the reality that African-Americans endure daily in this while male culture. So, if there is to be healing, and unity, then it needs to start in our actions and attitudes toward African-Americans. Let's make the conditions such that there is no need for a protest such as this to occur. That's what this protest is about- that very real foundation.
Patriotism was rendered hollow and meaningless when it was invoked in support of wars like Vietnam and Iraq.
Patriotism is now a product pushed on us by MLB and the NFL and their military-industrial complex of sponsors.
I am glad to see that the Millennials ain't buyin' it.
I stopped years ago.
Patriotism is now a product pushed on us by MLB and the NFL and their military-industrial complex of sponsors.
I am glad to see that the Millennials ain't buyin' it.
I stopped years ago.
4
First of all, the USA is the best place to be black in the world, emphatically better than Africa. It also is a place where the poorest here are among the richest 5% globally ... in-cash, in-kind, all things considered (clean water, sewage, police and fire protection, educational opportunities, etc.). The poor are 6x more likely to be obese ... when in history have the poor suffered being overfed?
Could things be better ... yes and arguably. We all have reforms we'd want. You may be sure many taxpayers feel oppressed.
But are you grateful for the USA ... for those who've worked so hard and risked and lost their lives for the ground beneath your feet? Yes?
Stand and respect the flag! Kaepernick and anyone else kneelling are ingrates.
Could things be better ... yes and arguably. We all have reforms we'd want. You may be sure many taxpayers feel oppressed.
But are you grateful for the USA ... for those who've worked so hard and risked and lost their lives for the ground beneath your feet? Yes?
Stand and respect the flag! Kaepernick and anyone else kneelling are ingrates.
1
"First of all, the USA is the best place to be black in the world"
No it isn't: Black people are treated much better in Canada, the UK, and many other countries. Among other things, black people are not routinely executed by their own police forces or governments.
No it isn't: Black people are treated much better in Canada, the UK, and many other countries. Among other things, black people are not routinely executed by their own police forces or governments.
4
David Brooks might enjoy the thought experiment of reading Paul Woodruff's beautiful book, "Reverence, Renewing a Forgotten Virtue", and then rewriting this piece.
If he truly absorbs and integrates the lessons of the book, his tone will shift considerably.
If he truly absorbs and integrates the lessons of the book, his tone will shift considerably.
1
David, I have a few problems with your article supposedly directed at high school football players. I say supposedly because, first off, you and I both know that few of them read the New York Times. And, honestly, why would they when you tell them their protest is fueling Donald Trump? But really I know that it isn't directed at them because of your appeals to the readers history and ancestors. You speak of the Europeans who first settled here. You speak of their civic religion that states "all men are created equal" and that creates "a place where your family or country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities." You say that when we are singing the national anthem "We're expressing gratitude for our ancestors and what they left us." I know that you are not really addressing these to the predominantly Black high school football players who are kneeling because this is not their history. Most of their ancestors did not choose to settle here. That civic religion you speak of did not treat them equal, or say that their country of origin had no bearing on their opportunities. Any gratitude they might express for their ancestors might not extend past "Well at least I have it better than you." Which is all pretty ironic, being ignorant of our nation's history when you yourself lament how we as a country don't know as much about it anymore.
But what isn't ironic is your thoughts on trump. You don't find Nationalism with more Nationalism. That's how wars get started.
But what isn't ironic is your thoughts on trump. You don't find Nationalism with more Nationalism. That's how wars get started.
3
Why don't we all shut up and just let the country remain as it always has been? That's the conservative ideal isn't it, that things were better years ago. Who needs social progress when we can have Trump?
In particular, Black people need to know their place and not upset the good white folks who love America. Disgusting.
In particular, Black people need to know their place and not upset the good white folks who love America. Disgusting.
3
Mr. Brooks has become an acolyte of Fr. Douthat, civic religion indeed.
Just tell us you are not voting for Mr. Trump in a short simple declarative sentence, e.g. I am not voting for Trump.
Just tell us you are not voting for Mr. Trump in a short simple declarative sentence, e.g. I am not voting for Trump.
1
The National Anthem and for that matter the 'Pledge' is something, words that have been indoctrinated into us since childhood.
We say them because that is what we were told to do.
For some people, saying the words are just as automatic as breathing.
But what if you decided to actually pay attention to the words you are reciting, words that someone else wrote, mind you, and one suddenly realizes that not only don't you believe those words but they don't, at that moment in time, apply to you.
Do you keep saying them?; Singing them?
It's like a member of a couple that keeps saying 'I love you', when the words are now like sawdust in one's mouth. You don't mean them in your heart and don't feel them in your spirit.
The Anthem is like a love story, the Pledge, a commitment.
Why the pretense if you can't fix the problem?
We say them because that is what we were told to do.
For some people, saying the words are just as automatic as breathing.
But what if you decided to actually pay attention to the words you are reciting, words that someone else wrote, mind you, and one suddenly realizes that not only don't you believe those words but they don't, at that moment in time, apply to you.
Do you keep saying them?; Singing them?
It's like a member of a couple that keeps saying 'I love you', when the words are now like sawdust in one's mouth. You don't mean them in your heart and don't feel them in your spirit.
The Anthem is like a love story, the Pledge, a commitment.
Why the pretense if you can't fix the problem?
Boy, Mr. Brooks is disconnected with reality. That's the problem with this issue. We don't need him writing about this subject. We need people who are kneeling down to write in his place.
1
Oh, the arrogance of the white man, telling others how and when they should protest (which is, basically: Don't").
8
Mr. Brooks:
How can protesting injustice in the land of the free be unpatriotic?
How can protesting injustice in the land of the free be unpatriotic?
9
David, this is not about multiculturalism .... You have conjoined that to this and they do not belong together. It is about basic rights in the Constitution for fairness and equality before the law, which police in some jurisdictions seem to have little loyalty towards.please write about that and not the founding tale.
2
People exercising their rights granted by the Constitution are being patriotic. Mr. Brooks, why was it written that a citizen may peacefully protest? Was it folly? Clearly the writers had something in mind or they would not have included such a right.
Perhaps, fear is the motivating factor. Your fear, sir. Maybe their voices will finally be heard, maybe society will accept all of our fellow citizens as equall, maybe somewhere is the deep dark depths we know they right. And that can frighten many people.
America has enough fear running through it's land today. Those fears are what's really keeping us divided. Fear produces the fight or flight response, I say we fight, peacefully, so all American citizens get keep our hard fought for rights. That is how we earn those rights.
Perhaps, fear is the motivating factor. Your fear, sir. Maybe their voices will finally be heard, maybe society will accept all of our fellow citizens as equall, maybe somewhere is the deep dark depths we know they right. And that can frighten many people.
America has enough fear running through it's land today. Those fears are what's really keeping us divided. Fear produces the fight or flight response, I say we fight, peacefully, so all American citizens get keep our hard fought for rights. That is how we earn those rights.
2
I do not say the Pledge in the beginning of the school day. I stand. I do not say it because I want my students who don't want to feel pressured into saying it and to know they have permission to stay silent if that is their choice. The Pledge has nothing to do with patriotism. So-called "patriotic" people mistake sloganeering for actual deeds. A flag lapel pin does not make you patriotic. Neither does saying the Pledge or standing for the National Anthem. What makes you patriotic is the TANGIBLE things you do to make the lives around you better. What makes you patriotic is having the courage to point out that things are not great for everyone and suggesting that improvements be made. Kaepernick IS a patriot for that reason.
6
Dissent is as American as pretensions to people being less than equal in the mind of God. Most people in this country and most of the great men through the early twentieth century thought, no matter their attitudes about political and legal equality to which all should be entitled, that race mattered and that some people were simply born with better capacities by virtue of race. In addition, many Americans thought from the late 18th century that their government was on which not only made their lives freer and more prosperous but that the whole world would benefit if it was the norm all over the planet. These arrogances have led American to greatness as a nation but have also enable this country to overlook many gross injustices which it has perpetuated upon people unable to resist successfully. Today, America has come closer to righting most of those wrongs but it has been shy about admitting them which makes the memories of how bad those transgressions were and how unnecessary those that remain happen to be a source of pain. In our history the dissenters have always brought American misdeeds and mistakes to light, and provide the country with it's chances for redemption. Those who refuse to stand for the national anthem still believe in the good intentions of the American people just like the dissenters always have.
The so-called 'athletes' who use the sports venues as a platform for religious or non-religious beliefs should immediately resign from whatever team they are now on. Their performance recently makes us 'old fogies' feel a sorrow for them because they are being used, voluntarily, to espouse a belief that is currently out of step with reality. They have frittered away their self-satisfaction at being a member of a grand country, a country with history and actions to be proud of, yet they have given away that pride.....
1
Bless you David Brooks from one reader who appreciates your subtle shades of expression and thoughts of fulfilling our dreams on the virtues and ideals of our nations' past. We are all in this together. How else, can Americans from different ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds meet and forge lasting bonds?
5
did you know th music for th ssb was taken from a british bawdy song about booze and ladies?
no, of course you didnt, this is america
well here it is lads
why not sing along ?
The Anacreon Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydAIdVKv84g
2
Clearly the status quo is not working any more. Sometimes heresy is the only thing to breakdown the walls of a corrupt institution. It's how every great and enduring movement begins. Maybe you should show some solidarity for once instead of supporting or hedging your bets. After reading you for years you never change your tune. Humpty Dumpty comes to mind... Get off the fence Brooks!
i'm for it.. the whole thing/yeah, hurray give me another flag lapel pin as well.. but when i listen to a football game on the radio, for example, it's a completely different thing ../part of it, the radio station inevitably cuts away to advertisement during the national anthem....absolutely not
Hear ye! Hear ye! Let us sing!
Descendants of slaves, families whose post-slavery ancestors endured generations of state supported racism, discrimination and denial of opportunity, who still today endure daily hurdles on race, let us sing together and "fortify our foundational creed!"
Oh American Indians, come off the reservation and join hands to sing with us, "fortify our foundational creed!"
The "creed" may have within it actual real live history of horror upon horror inflicted by Americans on Americans simply because of the color of their skin, or their religion, or their disability, but let us join together, let us sing!
Let us ignore history. Let us ignore current murder after murder by cops simply for the "crime" of being black. Let us put all this aside, for we need to, yup you guessed it, we need to sing!
What an utterly moronic and detached from reality op-ed! I love America. I love the many wonderful principles it stands for. But I'll be damned if I'll prevent another American from expressing his/her frustration at (how many centuries is it now?) our society's inability and since it's gone on for centuries, unwillingness to remedy wrongs that demand to be corrected. Why? Because the correction and elimination of such wrongs is precisely what our country was created for. Such "correction" is what the most exhilarating tenets of the principles our country was founded on speak to. Any idiot can put up with unending injustice. Sensible and brave people speak up.
Descendants of slaves, families whose post-slavery ancestors endured generations of state supported racism, discrimination and denial of opportunity, who still today endure daily hurdles on race, let us sing together and "fortify our foundational creed!"
Oh American Indians, come off the reservation and join hands to sing with us, "fortify our foundational creed!"
The "creed" may have within it actual real live history of horror upon horror inflicted by Americans on Americans simply because of the color of their skin, or their religion, or their disability, but let us join together, let us sing!
Let us ignore history. Let us ignore current murder after murder by cops simply for the "crime" of being black. Let us put all this aside, for we need to, yup you guessed it, we need to sing!
What an utterly moronic and detached from reality op-ed! I love America. I love the many wonderful principles it stands for. But I'll be damned if I'll prevent another American from expressing his/her frustration at (how many centuries is it now?) our society's inability and since it's gone on for centuries, unwillingness to remedy wrongs that demand to be corrected. Why? Because the correction and elimination of such wrongs is precisely what our country was created for. Such "correction" is what the most exhilarating tenets of the principles our country was founded on speak to. Any idiot can put up with unending injustice. Sensible and brave people speak up.
3
America has the largest number of elitists per capita in the world. In terms of power and control, income and wealth, the elite loom over all others, or roughly 99% of the citizenry. "American reality is so far from the American creed as to negate the value of the whole thing." as Ta-Nehisi Coates correctly states.
From a world view, statistically America is one of 195 countries in the world; its population is but 4.4% of the world. However, because of its economic and military might, American elitists believe they are in the position to impose their rule upon the world. This overbearing superiority alienates us from the other 194 countries and 95% of the world's population and earned us a well deserved lack of respect. The sooner everyone accepts that we are all global citizens who have a shared interest in making the world better for everyone, the safer, more secure and happier the world will be for all.
The unholy worship of fortune and power which has led to an extreme level of income and wealth inequality is at the root of all the problems in the world. Until this changes here in America and throughout the world, there will be wars, human tragedy, disharmony and mistrust.
"The multiculturalist mind-set values racial, gender and ethnic identities and regards national identities as reactionary and exclusive." Patriotism instills nationalistic fervor and divisiveness. Far better that we all pledge to work for the common good and preserve and protect the human race.
From a world view, statistically America is one of 195 countries in the world; its population is but 4.4% of the world. However, because of its economic and military might, American elitists believe they are in the position to impose their rule upon the world. This overbearing superiority alienates us from the other 194 countries and 95% of the world's population and earned us a well deserved lack of respect. The sooner everyone accepts that we are all global citizens who have a shared interest in making the world better for everyone, the safer, more secure and happier the world will be for all.
The unholy worship of fortune and power which has led to an extreme level of income and wealth inequality is at the root of all the problems in the world. Until this changes here in America and throughout the world, there will be wars, human tragedy, disharmony and mistrust.
"The multiculturalist mind-set values racial, gender and ethnic identities and regards national identities as reactionary and exclusive." Patriotism instills nationalistic fervor and divisiveness. Far better that we all pledge to work for the common good and preserve and protect the human race.
Right on David. You have articulated this beautifully.
Thanks for your increasingly rational and moral thought during this election season.
Thanks for your increasingly rational and moral thought during this election season.
1
Let's celebrate what makes our country great, like the ability to take a visible stand against injustices and inequal treatment There's so much more to feel patriotic about in these actions, in peaceful protest, in expressing one's desire for our country to be even greater and more fair to all its citizens, than there is in the now-mandatory flag lapel pins worn by our representatives and candidates.
We are a nation of ideals. Sometimes we fall far short of those ideals. The true patriots aren't the ones who say we're good enough and should rest and be proud of what we have: our truest patriots are those who push us and inspire us to strive for even better.
What we have in this country is good, and we have a right to be proud of it. We should continue to strive for even better: that's real American exceptionalism.
We are a nation of ideals. Sometimes we fall far short of those ideals. The true patriots aren't the ones who say we're good enough and should rest and be proud of what we have: our truest patriots are those who push us and inspire us to strive for even better.
What we have in this country is good, and we have a right to be proud of it. We should continue to strive for even better: that's real American exceptionalism.
2
The National Anthem performed before NFL games is a commercial endeavor masquerading as patriotism ("The military paid pro sports teams $10.4 million for patriotic displays, troop tributes" - SBNation.com). How many people at the stadiums remove their hats? How many hands are on hearts? How many people at home stand up? Protesting the National Anthem actually gives it more respect than passively going with the flow or just not caring.
3
Start a new tradition where only veterans and active military are allowed to stand during the National Anthem. That would be a nice way to honor them, and also quite a telling sight.
5
Your argument makes no sense and invoking MLK Jr. as part of it is absurd. These young people are expressing with peaceful protest their discontent with the blatant and obvious racism many people of color experience from the authorities (and civilians) every day. I think MLK Jr. would applaud them not ask them to discard peaceful protest for silence in the interest of national unity and patriotism. Time to reread your op eds before you submit them and maybe take a minute to to see if they make sense.
1
Another way to look at it is that singing the national anthem before a sporting event is both a bit ridiculous and more fundamentally a sign of weakness. If you have confidence in your principles, you don't need to walk around making blatant in-your-face gestures like waving the flag in everybody's face, wearing a flag pin on your lapel, or worshiping our troops like a cult. Value and respect the principles. Live by them. Leave the empty gestures out.
2
I will defend Mr. Kaepernick's (and anyone else's) right to kneel during the playing of our National Anthem. Whether that does anything to right the problems black people are facing is another matter. I am much more moved by the fact that prominent black athletes have been outspoken (repeatedly) in their demand that these wrongs be righted. No one in America should have a problem with that, and everyone should be doing something to right these wrongs.
5
David, you might want to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you're becoming an old fogey. Some high school students are protesting the blatant inequalities in our country by kneeling peacefully during the playing of the national anthem before a football game, and you tell them this will lead to people becoming "strangers to one another" and "interact[ing] in cold instrumentalist terms"? Where is the logic or the compassion in that? What young person would listen to that? All you are doing is demonstrating that you are already a cold stranger to those young black Americans and their concerns.
Kneeling is hardly a sign of deep disrespect. What would you prefer that these high-school students do to draw attention to their cause? Riot? Shoot somebody? Or perhaps just do nothing and act as if nothing is wrong, because that would be more comfortable for their fellow-citizens who don't want to have to think about the things they're trying--so quietly, so peaceably--to draw our attention to?
What would you have done at that age, if you'd been in their position?
Kneeling is hardly a sign of deep disrespect. What would you prefer that these high-school students do to draw attention to their cause? Riot? Shoot somebody? Or perhaps just do nothing and act as if nothing is wrong, because that would be more comfortable for their fellow-citizens who don't want to have to think about the things they're trying--so quietly, so peaceably--to draw our attention to?
What would you have done at that age, if you'd been in their position?
5
Have you considered, Mr. Brooks, that fewer Americans polled say they are "extremely proud" of their country because of the rise of a brand of patriotism that is more jingoism than patriotism? That the idea of denying our failings is now given an equal place in defining who we are? That more than any time in the recent past bigotry is mainstream thought among too many of our leaders?
4
I have traveled to many countries and can say I am always glad to return to the US. I visited both East Germany and Russia when it was under Communist control and those people were not allowed to speak freely like we had always been able to do here.
I am one of those Americans who love my country warts and all. It is not perfect but it offers us opportunities that no other country offers it citizens. We can criticize our president without fear of getting murdered like they do in North Korea and some Muslim countries. Where else can a person who starts out poor become rich with hard work and grit? Not too many places.
My Irish ancestors who lived in Boston fought in the Civil War so that slaves could be free. I also have relatives who fought in World War II so America could be free from dictatorships and keep us safe.
Mr. Kaepernick is so lucky to be living in this great nation where he makes millions of dollars playing football and doing what he loves. How many have been as fortunate as he has been? It really annoys me when I see him disrespecting our country by not standing when the pledge of allegiance is played. I think of my poor Irish relatives who shed their blood so he could be free. I say this as a proud American.
I am one of those Americans who love my country warts and all. It is not perfect but it offers us opportunities that no other country offers it citizens. We can criticize our president without fear of getting murdered like they do in North Korea and some Muslim countries. Where else can a person who starts out poor become rich with hard work and grit? Not too many places.
My Irish ancestors who lived in Boston fought in the Civil War so that slaves could be free. I also have relatives who fought in World War II so America could be free from dictatorships and keep us safe.
Mr. Kaepernick is so lucky to be living in this great nation where he makes millions of dollars playing football and doing what he loves. How many have been as fortunate as he has been? It really annoys me when I see him disrespecting our country by not standing when the pledge of allegiance is played. I think of my poor Irish relatives who shed their blood so he could be free. I say this as a proud American.
1
You say how lucky you feel that you live in this country and can express yourself. Why should you or anyone else get to deny Mr. Kaepernick this same right? Whether he has money and a great career is irrelevant. He sees things that are wrong with this country and he is figuring out how to express that. And the mention of "your poor Irish relatives" is just another way of saying Mr.Kaepernick doesn't deserve the freedom that he has because he thinks differently from you. You make the mistake of equating disagreement with disrespect.
Old white guy telling young African Americans how to act.
3
"This is my country, love it or leave it."
or
"This is my imperfect country (for which I'm grateful), and I will do what I can to make it more perfect for all."
or
"This is my imperfect country (for which I'm grateful), and I will do what I can to make it more perfect for all."
3
In my observation some of the most bigoted members of our society also make the loudest and most fervent declarations of patriotism. I bet David Duke stands for the pledge and sings every syllable of the national anthem without fail. The Clive Bundy's of the world have an enormous amount of national pride even as they load their weapons with the intent of armed occupation/insurrection. Trump uses the flag as a constant backdrop to his racist rants. He invokes patriotism in the same speeches in which he slanders U.S. veterans (whether alive or dead) and their families.
THAT is what truly damages the idea of patriotism in a younger generation. Typically the people excoriating others for lack of patriotism have been up to no good in my lifetime. It's become a form of lazy manipulation to continually ask someone with a clear grievance to forestall their protest in order to reaffirm their overall allegiance to the U.S. Kapernick is not (like some people) building a compound somewhere and stockpiling weapons. He's not forcibly occupying federal land. He's not shooting up a clinic somewhere to make his point. He's not bombing anything.
He's just sitting/kneeling there when you'd rather he stand. He's withholding his voice when you'd rather he repeat his pledge of allegiance (Btw: How many times do you think he's repeated it in his lifetime? Hundreds? More?).
THAT is what truly damages the idea of patriotism in a younger generation. Typically the people excoriating others for lack of patriotism have been up to no good in my lifetime. It's become a form of lazy manipulation to continually ask someone with a clear grievance to forestall their protest in order to reaffirm their overall allegiance to the U.S. Kapernick is not (like some people) building a compound somewhere and stockpiling weapons. He's not forcibly occupying federal land. He's not shooting up a clinic somewhere to make his point. He's not bombing anything.
He's just sitting/kneeling there when you'd rather he stand. He's withholding his voice when you'd rather he repeat his pledge of allegiance (Btw: How many times do you think he's repeated it in his lifetime? Hundreds? More?).
1
Other commenters have aptly pointed out the racist roots of our national anthem. The Founding Fathers stood up for their own freedom, to own other human beings and to expand their territory without regard for the rights of aboriginal populations. Why should Black athletes, or any one else for that matter, stand up to celebrate such an ignominious history?
There are plenty of other ways to display patriotism than singing a song or reciting a pledge. Protest is as all-American as democracy itself. We need a lot more of it.
If David Brooks is scared that "critics like Ta-Nehisi Coates have arisen" to democratically and patriotically criticize the country we live in, that actually gives me hope. The protests and rhetoric of the left are becoming strong enough to drown out and vanquish both neoliberalism and Trumpism.
Brooks's real squeamishness seems to be that the rising solidarity among people of different backgrounds and ethnicities against economic, social and racial oppression is not of the bland, submissive kind of which the oligarchs running this place would approve.
People are refusing to be co-opted by the stentorian sermons and anti-democratic platitudes that "critics like Brooks" keep dishing out like rancid stew.
He's been preaching Spencerian "every man for himself" drivel since forever, and now he wants to impose solidarity from on high? Give me a break.
There are plenty of other ways to display patriotism than singing a song or reciting a pledge. Protest is as all-American as democracy itself. We need a lot more of it.
If David Brooks is scared that "critics like Ta-Nehisi Coates have arisen" to democratically and patriotically criticize the country we live in, that actually gives me hope. The protests and rhetoric of the left are becoming strong enough to drown out and vanquish both neoliberalism and Trumpism.
Brooks's real squeamishness seems to be that the rising solidarity among people of different backgrounds and ethnicities against economic, social and racial oppression is not of the bland, submissive kind of which the oligarchs running this place would approve.
People are refusing to be co-opted by the stentorian sermons and anti-democratic platitudes that "critics like Brooks" keep dishing out like rancid stew.
He's been preaching Spencerian "every man for himself" drivel since forever, and now he wants to impose solidarity from on high? Give me a break.
4
At the end of my first day of third grade, Dad asked me at dinner what school had been like. "It was OK. [The teacher] made Eddie say the pledge of allegiance even though he said he wasn't allowed to because of his religion. He cried, but he said it."
The next day, my dad asked me again about school. "Not much happened. [The teacher] told Eddie he didn't have to say the pledge of allegiance, but he still had to stand. Eddie said he didn't think he was allowed to do that, either, but she made him do it. He stood, but he didn't cry."
The next day, same question. "[The teacher] told Eddie he didn't have to stand."
My dad was assistant superintendent of schools and I was too young to know that I probably ratted out the teacher. Years later, Dad said he couldn't remember acting on my reports.
But at the time he asked me what the pledge meant. I told him it was just something we were forced to say every day, and that I didn't care what it meant. He pushed, and I talked it through with him. I was horrified. It was 1968. Vietnam was raging. A neighbor boy and my Cub Scout den mother's oldest son had already been killed in the war, another neighbor fled to Canada after burning his draft card. A favorite cousin was worried about the draft. I was young, but tuned in enough to think that the pledge sounded like a loyalty oath, or 'my country right our wrong'.
I haven't said it since. I do stand, though, out of respect for the feelings of others.
The next day, my dad asked me again about school. "Not much happened. [The teacher] told Eddie he didn't have to say the pledge of allegiance, but he still had to stand. Eddie said he didn't think he was allowed to do that, either, but she made him do it. He stood, but he didn't cry."
The next day, same question. "[The teacher] told Eddie he didn't have to stand."
My dad was assistant superintendent of schools and I was too young to know that I probably ratted out the teacher. Years later, Dad said he couldn't remember acting on my reports.
But at the time he asked me what the pledge meant. I told him it was just something we were forced to say every day, and that I didn't care what it meant. He pushed, and I talked it through with him. I was horrified. It was 1968. Vietnam was raging. A neighbor boy and my Cub Scout den mother's oldest son had already been killed in the war, another neighbor fled to Canada after burning his draft card. A favorite cousin was worried about the draft. I was young, but tuned in enough to think that the pledge sounded like a loyalty oath, or 'my country right our wrong'.
I haven't said it since. I do stand, though, out of respect for the feelings of others.
22
Dear David,
I have a very strong respect for the quality of my nation. I have served the United States from Vietnam in 1970 to Baghdad in 2004; however, I am very disappointed by us all in this failure to respect the voices of our fellows who don't receive the justice in our system. It reflects very badly upon the all of us and is very encouraging to our national enemies.
I have a very strong respect for the quality of my nation. I have served the United States from Vietnam in 1970 to Baghdad in 2004; however, I am very disappointed by us all in this failure to respect the voices of our fellows who don't receive the justice in our system. It reflects very badly upon the all of us and is very encouraging to our national enemies.
4
Mr Brooks,
Is this really the most pressing issue you can find on which to take a stand? For eight years we have endured constant insults and indignities upon our president and upon our intelligence by numerous Republicans without protest or comment from you.
I find it appalling your power of denial, when it is your own party, coupled with your intolerance of peaceful dissent that might interfere with a few peoples pre game pleasure.
The sad truth is that it's a lot safer for a black athlete to protest on his knee on the football field than during a traffic stop in many American cities.
Is this really the most pressing issue you can find on which to take a stand? For eight years we have endured constant insults and indignities upon our president and upon our intelligence by numerous Republicans without protest or comment from you.
I find it appalling your power of denial, when it is your own party, coupled with your intolerance of peaceful dissent that might interfere with a few peoples pre game pleasure.
The sad truth is that it's a lot safer for a black athlete to protest on his knee on the football field than during a traffic stop in many American cities.
4
Where we are born is an accident and patriotism counterproductive.
"Conceit, arrogance and egotism are the essentials of patriotism. Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those born within this little spot consider themselves superior, nobler, more esteemed and more intelligent than the living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is therefore the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill, and die in the attempt to impose superiority upon all others. The inhabitants outside that little spot reason in the same manner."~EMMA GOLDMAN.
“Patriotism is a superstition, one far more injurious, brutal and inhumane than religion. [It] is artificially created and maintained through a network of lies and falsehoods. It is a superstition that has robbed man of his dignity, self-respect and increased his arrogance and conceit.”~GUSTAVE HERVÉ
"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."~BEN JOHNSON
"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good."~THOMAS PAINE
“Patriotism is the belief your country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.”~GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
"You'll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race."~GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
"Patriotism is a maggot in their heads."~THOREAU
“Patriotism is the principle that will justify the training of wholesale murderers." ~ LEO TOLSTOY
"Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious."~OSCAR WILDE
"Conceit, arrogance and egotism are the essentials of patriotism. Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate. Those born within this little spot consider themselves superior, nobler, more esteemed and more intelligent than the living beings inhabiting any other spot. It is therefore the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill, and die in the attempt to impose superiority upon all others. The inhabitants outside that little spot reason in the same manner."~EMMA GOLDMAN.
“Patriotism is a superstition, one far more injurious, brutal and inhumane than religion. [It] is artificially created and maintained through a network of lies and falsehoods. It is a superstition that has robbed man of his dignity, self-respect and increased his arrogance and conceit.”~GUSTAVE HERVÉ
"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."~BEN JOHNSON
"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good."~THOMAS PAINE
“Patriotism is the belief your country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.”~GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
"You'll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race."~GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
"Patriotism is a maggot in their heads."~THOREAU
“Patriotism is the principle that will justify the training of wholesale murderers." ~ LEO TOLSTOY
"Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious."~OSCAR WILDE
2
PS:
The other side of the coin is Religion; even more pervasive, even more cynical, even more mendacious, even more absurd, even more fanatical, even more destructive and murderous, even more "counterproductive",
“Do not be like ordinary people,who could use human means to save themselves but turn to blind hopes when they are forced to give up their sensible ones – to divination, oracles and other such things that destroy men by giving them hope.” ~ THUCYDIDES
The other side of the coin is Religion; even more pervasive, even more cynical, even more mendacious, even more absurd, even more fanatical, even more destructive and murderous, even more "counterproductive",
“Do not be like ordinary people,who could use human means to save themselves but turn to blind hopes when they are forced to give up their sensible ones – to divination, oracles and other such things that destroy men by giving them hope.” ~ THUCYDIDES
1
Sorry, David. Peaceful displays are more effective and thought provoking than thoughtless standing, saluting and singing at countless sports events.
Our national anthem salutes war and killing and has felt wrong to me since I was a child.
Our national anthem salutes war and killing and has felt wrong to me since I was a child.
4
"We have a crisis of solidarity. That makes it hard to solve every other problem we have. When you stand and sing the national anthem, you are building a little solidarity, and you’re singing a radical song about a radical place."
Solidarity would have destroyed the American democracy years ago.
If the NYT must have a Republican columnist at this late date, it should be someone who discusses the positions of the current Republican candidate for President. But no, we are still being fed the musings of America's foremost sociocraptologist.
Solidarity would have destroyed the American democracy years ago.
If the NYT must have a Republican columnist at this late date, it should be someone who discusses the positions of the current Republican candidate for President. But no, we are still being fed the musings of America's foremost sociocraptologist.
3
Interesting that you wrote this to High School football players yet it's written on an intellectual level that most high schoolers will not grasp. And you use words like "jeremiads."
There are certainly some poignant ideas in this piece, but seriously, who is the intended audience?
There are certainly some poignant ideas in this piece, but seriously, who is the intended audience?
3
Francis Scott Key, the author of the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner, was made the U.S. Attorney of the District of Columbia in 1833. His most notable prosecutions were of abolitionists trying to free black slaves. He remained an avid anti-abolitionist until his death.
And according to David Brooks we are supposed to stand up and revere Key's brand of patriotism without protest?
I'll pass.
And according to David Brooks we are supposed to stand up and revere Key's brand of patriotism without protest?
I'll pass.
3
Unbelievable. Mr Brook's commentary collapses by the second paragraph that starts, "When Europeans first settled this continent...." Mr Brooks leaves out that when Europeans arrived, there were already people living here. In order for the newly arrived to create a "good and just society" they had to eliminate the people who were already here so they could take their land. They also had to engage in the slave trade. They also had to limit voting to "property owning" white males. I could go on. Lecturing high school students on an imaginary duty to a civic religion by grounding the lecture in a deeply flawed and non-historical philosophical platform is unbelievable. Does not the NY Times expect more robust thinking from its front line columnists? By the way, I double Martin Luther King Jr was singing the National Anthem out of civic pride; I suspect he meant it to be taken as a reminder that this country belonged to him too.
3
"We’re expressing commitment to the nation’s ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled."
Which ideals, Mr. Brooks? Two-hundred plus year-old ideals of slavery, denial of basic rights to people who were not rich, white, male and Christian, and our "well-armed militia"? When women and blacks could not vote? Those GOP ideals?
Note that voter turnout in the polled "less patriotic" countries like France, "West Germany" and Switzerland is typically in the 80-85% range. That strikes me as a much more patriotic act than faux lip-synching the national anthem at a sports event for the cameras, particularly when we see how many athletes and singers do not even know the words.
"If these common rituals are insulted, other(s) won't be motivated to right your injustices because" they won't feel you are part of their story. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, email, texting and all the social media sites easily prove that claim wrong. This is not the 18th Century. Thank God.
The US has more prisons and jails than colleges and universities, Mr. Brooks. Isn't that our nation's 21st Century "crisis of solidarity"?
Which ideals, Mr. Brooks? Two-hundred plus year-old ideals of slavery, denial of basic rights to people who were not rich, white, male and Christian, and our "well-armed militia"? When women and blacks could not vote? Those GOP ideals?
Note that voter turnout in the polled "less patriotic" countries like France, "West Germany" and Switzerland is typically in the 80-85% range. That strikes me as a much more patriotic act than faux lip-synching the national anthem at a sports event for the cameras, particularly when we see how many athletes and singers do not even know the words.
"If these common rituals are insulted, other(s) won't be motivated to right your injustices because" they won't feel you are part of their story. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, email, texting and all the social media sites easily prove that claim wrong. This is not the 18th Century. Thank God.
The US has more prisons and jails than colleges and universities, Mr. Brooks. Isn't that our nation's 21st Century "crisis of solidarity"?
4
The racism that has emerged in this campaign (yes, among say, half or so, of Trump supporters) was not caused by this campaign. It was there all along and only now revealed as Donald Trump's example has given permission to the -- yes -- deplorables, to reveal themselves.
Minorities throughout the history of our country have recognized in their daily lives that our creed as a nation has not matched our actions as a people. They have always known the "solidarity" that is professed in our national anthem and in the pledge of allegiance is at best only partly true; they have always balked at expressing gratitude for ancestors who sang equality but lived as oppressors and enslavers; they have never felt entirely that "we are all in this together." On the contrary, they have always seen clearly the many, many deplorables forever there in the shadows to remind them that we are not actually "in it together."
Your plea for Colin Kaepernick and the kneelers to again be careful not to insult the people who would continue to deny them equality reminds me of Kennedy's request of Martin Luther King to be more patient, to hold off on his push for equality lest it upset the settled framework of institutional racism. King told him, "no," explaining that they could wait forever if they didn't act, and now.
Keeling is an act of protest that does not reject our nation, but also does not simply allow those who claim our nations' values but do not live them, to escape notice. Kneel on!
Minorities throughout the history of our country have recognized in their daily lives that our creed as a nation has not matched our actions as a people. They have always known the "solidarity" that is professed in our national anthem and in the pledge of allegiance is at best only partly true; they have always balked at expressing gratitude for ancestors who sang equality but lived as oppressors and enslavers; they have never felt entirely that "we are all in this together." On the contrary, they have always seen clearly the many, many deplorables forever there in the shadows to remind them that we are not actually "in it together."
Your plea for Colin Kaepernick and the kneelers to again be careful not to insult the people who would continue to deny them equality reminds me of Kennedy's request of Martin Luther King to be more patient, to hold off on his push for equality lest it upset the settled framework of institutional racism. King told him, "no," explaining that they could wait forever if they didn't act, and now.
Keeling is an act of protest that does not reject our nation, but also does not simply allow those who claim our nations' values but do not live them, to escape notice. Kneel on!
4
"This harsh self-criticism was the mainstream voice that defined American civilization. As the historian Perry Miller wrote, “Under the guise of this mounting wail of sinfulness, this incessant and never successful cry for repentance, the Puritans launched themselves upon the process of Americanization.”
Brooks' brief for a magical kind of "solidarity" that will solve the problems America faces misses the deeper truths in the Perry Miller quote. Recognizing "sin" and calling for "repentance" (which can take many forms, personal and civic) is truly a deep part of Americanization. It's one we should understand, nurture, support.
Solidarity in the sense Brooks formulates it is an abstraction and an anchor. For example, it allows Candidate Trump to growl, "Make America great again." as if it had once, in some golden age past, reached a level of finished perfection. And weighs on and deters the dissatisfied, the seekers of justice, those hopeful about America as a nation from reaching for King's Dream.
Brooks' brief for a magical kind of "solidarity" that will solve the problems America faces misses the deeper truths in the Perry Miller quote. Recognizing "sin" and calling for "repentance" (which can take many forms, personal and civic) is truly a deep part of Americanization. It's one we should understand, nurture, support.
Solidarity in the sense Brooks formulates it is an abstraction and an anchor. For example, it allows Candidate Trump to growl, "Make America great again." as if it had once, in some golden age past, reached a level of finished perfection. And weighs on and deters the dissatisfied, the seekers of justice, those hopeful about America as a nation from reaching for King's Dream.
2
The problem with a civic religion is the exact same problem emblematic of other religions. It diminishes critical thought. It enables the old slogan ""my country right or wrong". It calls for life imprisonment for Edward Snowden who exposed serious wrongdoing by our government. It is responsible for overwhelming public support for invading Iraq when there was zero evidence of a credible Iraqi threat to the US. It is useful for squashing dissent and manufacturing the common idea in our country that the best way to do things is almost always the way we are doing it. So no thank you. One can be a good American without being religious about it. In fact it is far preferable for the republic.
3
The point of protests are to make the established uncomfortable. I think these kids know what the anthem stands for, even with out American history, which I agree with you is lamentable that we don't teach in schools. Their point is that they feel left behind or left out of all the freedoms America promises and grants non people of color. Until you've walked a mile as a person of color, you should keep your projections of what the flag means and how we should honor it to yourself. Taking a knee has always been in sports. When the coach calls people over to listen, generally he tells them to take a knee. We kneel in prayer to a higher power as well. I don't think it's disrespectful to take a knee during the anthem when it's to bring attention to the systemic oppression of people of color.
2
Mr. Brooks bases the USA`s patriotism on the first immigrants , the Puritans & their silly ideas. eg. "By 1776, this fusion of radical hope and radical self-criticism had become the country’s civic religion. This civic religion was based on a moral premise — that all men are created equal "
I have a word for Mr. Brooks "Slavery". It didn`t end officially until 1865 & even then lynchings & Jim Crow survived more than a century until improvements were rested from the unrelenting South. "Go to the back of the bus & sit quietly" is NOT the answer to the deep residue of Jim Crow that still exists. Equality is rarely given but must be rested from those that for their own benefit & or fears resist sharing it.
In the 1787 period Mr. Brooks quotes as the bases for the civic religion of the USA , slaves were counted as 3/5 humans in the census & of course they could not vote.
I am not black so I don`t get stopped for driving through a white neighbourhood.
Show some solidarity with justice Mr. Brooks , take a knee to Blind Justice.
I have a word for Mr. Brooks "Slavery". It didn`t end officially until 1865 & even then lynchings & Jim Crow survived more than a century until improvements were rested from the unrelenting South. "Go to the back of the bus & sit quietly" is NOT the answer to the deep residue of Jim Crow that still exists. Equality is rarely given but must be rested from those that for their own benefit & or fears resist sharing it.
In the 1787 period Mr. Brooks quotes as the bases for the civic religion of the USA , slaves were counted as 3/5 humans in the census & of course they could not vote.
I am not black so I don`t get stopped for driving through a white neighbourhood.
Show some solidarity with justice Mr. Brooks , take a knee to Blind Justice.
3
Once again, the rich white guy tells everyone else to shut up, things are going great. Sorry Mr. Brooks. Maybe you should spend some time chastising those Trump supporters for their racist chants.
5
Brooks writes:
There’s been a sharp decline in American patriotism. Today, only 52 percent of Americans are “extremely proud” of their country, a historical low. Among those 18 to 29, only 34 percent are extremely proud. Americans know less about their history and creed and are less likely to be fervent believers in it.
He seems to imply that if you're not patriotic you also know little about US history. But I'm not sure you can prove there is a relationship there. Many thoughtful, knowledgeable people have much more layered sense of their feelings about the US. And there are plenty of knee-jerk "freedom" lovers out there who know almost nothing. Exhibit A: A gun-rights advocate interviewed by NPR a while back who said something like "Having a gun is my right. It's in the constitution. The government can't just go around amending the constitution of the USA." Hello!?
There’s been a sharp decline in American patriotism. Today, only 52 percent of Americans are “extremely proud” of their country, a historical low. Among those 18 to 29, only 34 percent are extremely proud. Americans know less about their history and creed and are less likely to be fervent believers in it.
He seems to imply that if you're not patriotic you also know little about US history. But I'm not sure you can prove there is a relationship there. Many thoughtful, knowledgeable people have much more layered sense of their feelings about the US. And there are plenty of knee-jerk "freedom" lovers out there who know almost nothing. Exhibit A: A gun-rights advocate interviewed by NPR a while back who said something like "Having a gun is my right. It's in the constitution. The government can't just go around amending the constitution of the USA." Hello!?
2
Brooks, who has never participated in a meaningful or effective protest movement and sees no reason why such is necessary, has a lot of gall preaching to young men about how they should exercise their rights.
6
Do you think the 6 U.S. Marines who raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi fought for the kind of freedom of expression Kaepernick used? If you do you are mistaken.
1
This whole topic is suffused with so much hypocrisy and cant of which this is a fairly typical example. These people are drawing attention to what they perceive to be an injustice. You may agree or disagree with their tactic but it is as they say a free country. Brooks of course neglects to mention that many of the most enthusiastic white nationalists and flag waggers are to found in the confederate states who tried to destroy the USA or amongst draft dodgers like Cheney or Trump.
6
Peaceful protest is at the very heart of what America is all about. Mr Kaepernick did what is very specifically allowed under the First Amendment to the Constitution, an idea that has been part of this country since its founding.
It seems very strange to demand that high school football players (or, for that matter, college and professional football players), rather than exercising the freedoms that the Star Spangled Banner claims to be celebrating, instead must do as they're told by someone else. That's the very antithesis of freedom! We as Americans are not to be forced to bow and scrape to anybody.
And to add fuel to your fire, you choose to begin your lecture on what Europeans wanted this country to be seems to be profoundly missing the point of Mr Kaepernick's protest. Might I suggest that telling these mostly black students that they should surrender their right to make their own choice to the whims of comfortably rich white people might not be a good idea?
For a self-professed patriot, you seem to have a great disdain for our nation's principles.
It seems very strange to demand that high school football players (or, for that matter, college and professional football players), rather than exercising the freedoms that the Star Spangled Banner claims to be celebrating, instead must do as they're told by someone else. That's the very antithesis of freedom! We as Americans are not to be forced to bow and scrape to anybody.
And to add fuel to your fire, you choose to begin your lecture on what Europeans wanted this country to be seems to be profoundly missing the point of Mr Kaepernick's protest. Might I suggest that telling these mostly black students that they should surrender their right to make their own choice to the whims of comfortably rich white people might not be a good idea?
For a self-professed patriot, you seem to have a great disdain for our nation's principles.
5
Could someone explain why the ´national anthem' is played at a privately extremely lucrative function?
28
We are lucky today to have a specific measure written to prevent forcing individuals to participate in an exercise of religion, be it a civic one or something more spiritual. To those who are protesting in this innocuous way, there may not seem to be much of a difference between the flag waving on July 4th and the crowds at a Trump rally chanting "U-S-A!"
If columns are going to be written about this form of protest, let them be about the responses to it. When police officers say they will stop protecting NFL stadiums when players protest systemic racism, what does that say about the role of police in that system? And when has any form of protest against racism been seen as acceptable and not fractious? If such protests didn't rile up people, they wouldn't be effective.
Citing Dr. King as a reason to not make this protest misses half of the forces present in the Civil Rights Movement. His non-violent approach was successful in part because people like Malcom X rejected the idea. These players are all acting in accordance with Dr. King's ideals, for what could be a greater form of civil disobedience than to refuse to participate in a ritual of the civic religion?
If columns are going to be written about this form of protest, let them be about the responses to it. When police officers say they will stop protecting NFL stadiums when players protest systemic racism, what does that say about the role of police in that system? And when has any form of protest against racism been seen as acceptable and not fractious? If such protests didn't rile up people, they wouldn't be effective.
Citing Dr. King as a reason to not make this protest misses half of the forces present in the Civil Rights Movement. His non-violent approach was successful in part because people like Malcom X rejected the idea. These players are all acting in accordance with Dr. King's ideals, for what could be a greater form of civil disobedience than to refuse to participate in a ritual of the civic religion?
1
David,
It was only about 65 years ago that one of your heroes the President of The Screen Actors Guild decided patriotism meant telling the FBI and the House unAmerican Activities Committee which of his members had political beliefs that were outside the mainstream. He ruined the lives and careers of loyal, patriotic and creative Americans but he did it for the right reasons. Today America is deeply divided and nothing that happens in November or even the foreseeable future will change any of that.
Thank you Mr Brooks for your contributions to the destruction of a once so promising nation. Of course Ronald Reagan was a Patriot as were so many of history's most vile villains.
It was only about 65 years ago that one of your heroes the President of The Screen Actors Guild decided patriotism meant telling the FBI and the House unAmerican Activities Committee which of his members had political beliefs that were outside the mainstream. He ruined the lives and careers of loyal, patriotic and creative Americans but he did it for the right reasons. Today America is deeply divided and nothing that happens in November or even the foreseeable future will change any of that.
Thank you Mr Brooks for your contributions to the destruction of a once so promising nation. Of course Ronald Reagan was a Patriot as were so many of history's most vile villains.
3
Dear David -- On a personal level, there's got to be a time machine somewhere where you could go and smoke a pipe (tobacco), pat a dog and listen to Doris Day records. Barring that, as jarring as knee bending can be to some, it's really an inspiring appeal to the ideals that do unite us more than any schoolroom recitation.
2
I applaud your article, Mr. Brooks. I think the nastiness of some of your critics is deplorable.
2
Yeah, David, let's all "make nice." However, understanding and keeping freedom of speech alive is more meaningful than standing up to sing a song that sounds hollow to many citizens; its ideals don't apply equally. I don't expect you to kneel down to protest injustices; it takes guts. So, keep singing; it is your guaranteed right to speech, but respect the rights of others to show their noble cause.
1
We are not a nation, but rather a diverse multicultural collection of people of other nations.
Instead of an "American" anthem, shouldn't we be playing the national anthems of Mexico, Russia, El Salvador, Cuba, England, France, Barbados, etc.?
Instead of an "American" anthem, shouldn't we be playing the national anthems of Mexico, Russia, El Salvador, Cuba, England, France, Barbados, etc.?
Today’s David Brooks’ column demonstrates why I tire of his moral pedantry. His point seems to be that change in American comes only through solidarity with a vague and agreed-upon American “creed," and that participation in certain (quasi-religious) civic rituals (standing for the anthem?) is ipso facto a demonstration of that solidarity.
But his implicit definition of “patriotism” is facile and monolithic—if also ill-construed—and fails to register the degree to which “patriotism” is defined in our society as much by the critique of our supposedly hallowed rituals as by slavish adherence to them. Such critiques are, in fact, a means of progress—or had he forgotten?
Paradoxically, he manages simultaneously to trivialize and rarify what is a rather reasonable but minor stance against a rather trite (and historically problematic) “tradition."
Disappointing.
But his implicit definition of “patriotism” is facile and monolithic—if also ill-construed—and fails to register the degree to which “patriotism” is defined in our society as much by the critique of our supposedly hallowed rituals as by slavish adherence to them. Such critiques are, in fact, a means of progress—or had he forgotten?
Paradoxically, he manages simultaneously to trivialize and rarify what is a rather reasonable but minor stance against a rather trite (and historically problematic) “tradition."
Disappointing.
3
Mr.Brooks:
It really doesn't matter if the football players from Woodrow Wilson High pictured here learned American history in the classroon. They live in Camden, NJ. You once lived nearby so you know the reality of life for these boys. It is very far from the American dream that you and I have been able to live. They may well understand the history and not be able to see a cause for patriotism that means something to them. They may not even share the reason for protest with Kaepernick. You say patriotism has declined drastically since 2003. Do you really think that is all multiculturalism and Coates? Look at what the citizens have lived through in that time: Iraq war and its continuing aftermath, financial meltdown which harmed many of us yet made whole those repsonsible, a failed politics where the congress and the executive refuse to work together, to name a few. We need to do better by all of our citizens. If we do, folks won't feel the need to exercise their right to protest so often. It's we, the people, Mr. Brooks. Let's remember that.
It really doesn't matter if the football players from Woodrow Wilson High pictured here learned American history in the classroon. They live in Camden, NJ. You once lived nearby so you know the reality of life for these boys. It is very far from the American dream that you and I have been able to live. They may well understand the history and not be able to see a cause for patriotism that means something to them. They may not even share the reason for protest with Kaepernick. You say patriotism has declined drastically since 2003. Do you really think that is all multiculturalism and Coates? Look at what the citizens have lived through in that time: Iraq war and its continuing aftermath, financial meltdown which harmed many of us yet made whole those repsonsible, a failed politics where the congress and the executive refuse to work together, to name a few. We need to do better by all of our citizens. If we do, folks won't feel the need to exercise their right to protest so often. It's we, the people, Mr. Brooks. Let's remember that.
4
Dear Mr. Brooks,
Somewhere along the way your family changed their name to an English one. Was that to avoid being immediately recognized as Jewish and possibly discriminated against? My mothers best friend in Louisville, Kentucky, from a prominent Episcopalian family, married an Ivy League graduate Jewish man and was immediately expelled from the Country Club and all other places of Protestant privilege. Your family could change their name and possibly lessen discrimination. But black and brown people can't hide so easily. They have to try and changed the system because Anglicizing their names doesn't work.
Somewhere along the way your family changed their name to an English one. Was that to avoid being immediately recognized as Jewish and possibly discriminated against? My mothers best friend in Louisville, Kentucky, from a prominent Episcopalian family, married an Ivy League graduate Jewish man and was immediately expelled from the Country Club and all other places of Protestant privilege. Your family could change their name and possibly lessen discrimination. But black and brown people can't hide so easily. They have to try and changed the system because Anglicizing their names doesn't work.
4
Mr Brooks,
Did the early settlers and those that followed show any remorse or contrition after the slaughter of our Native People? I suppose the evils of slavery and lynchings were on everyone's mind in church on sunday or while singing the national anthem. Our country is resilient. We can handle dissent. Let them kneel !!
Did the early settlers and those that followed show any remorse or contrition after the slaughter of our Native People? I suppose the evils of slavery and lynchings were on everyone's mind in church on sunday or while singing the national anthem. Our country is resilient. We can handle dissent. Let them kneel !!
3
The United States of America, boys and girls! The freest country in the world, except don't you dare try to use your freedoms to critique the state of the union and speak an uncomfortable truth.
After all, what are you, some freedom-hating terrorist?
After all, what are you, some freedom-hating terrorist?
3
Well, America has always had mostly muted self-criticism except for the bloody Civil War and since Vietnam fractured us and 9/11 wounded us there has been way too much Nationalism and very little accepted self-criticism in our public life.
What the new Republican Party, not just Trump, is doing is uniting the worst bitterness of the Civil War, Vietnam, and the hysterical fears that arose from 9/11 into one big fat New Nationalism. Black football players may embarrass some by not standing for the anthem, but what is that compared to the national military shows at most big football games--paid for by US taxpayers by way of contributions to the Pentagon from the "free enterprise" National Football League.
What the new Republican Party, not just Trump, is doing is uniting the worst bitterness of the Civil War, Vietnam, and the hysterical fears that arose from 9/11 into one big fat New Nationalism. Black football players may embarrass some by not standing for the anthem, but what is that compared to the national military shows at most big football games--paid for by US taxpayers by way of contributions to the Pentagon from the "free enterprise" National Football League.
3
The first Europeans to settle North American were not Puritans. They were Spaniards who were looking for wealth or to convert the Indians. But they would never have thought about a good and just society, very much a Protestant notion. Catholicism had been around long enough to have learned to limit its ambitions to individual salvation (harder to disprove). Next came Roanoke and Jamestown, looking for wealth.
The Puritans came later.
The Puritans came later.
5
Deeply insightful and wise. You don't change the system by dishonoring its ideals.
2
What if the ideals are dishonorable? I don't consider slavery and racism ideals to be honored.
2
If I had a nickel for every time I heard somebody say "Think about all those brave men and women who died for their country", I could buy and sell Warren Buffett. Too many of us, especially conservatives, equate patriotism with war, and having Army color guards display the flag and jet planes fly over a stadium when they play the national anthem sure doesn't help things. We can clean up the country's air and water and treat the sick people among us and it would really show love of our country. That makes America a lot better place than picking fights with Asians and Middle Easterners
5
Patriotism is not just about standing and putting your hand over your heart while a spangled singer eeks out the high notes on the national anthem. It has to run deeper than that, to paraphrase an American car commercial. Speaking one's mind or writing one's ideas are part of it, too. Brooks is often a clever writer, doing his patriotic duty. Usually he shows he's more knowledgeable about history, too. It is true that how history is being taught in K-12 schools is changing -- more on typical people's struggles and less on leaders and very little on dates. I agree that a more rigorous historical plan of study would be better. Yet, most kids learn that U.S. history is not just about Puritans. It's also about the Spanish in Florida and California and Kansas, the Scotch and Irish settlers, the Germans in Pennsylvania, the French in New Orleans and the Midwest, the Czech and Spanish in Texas, the Jews in Rhode Island, the slaves from Africa and China, even the many tribes of the Native Americans, etc. These are just some of the many people of different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnic origins, etc., that have contributed to our patriotic ideas of the U.S. A. For Brooks to narrow U.S history and the basis for all its philosophical roots to simply the male Puritans' perspective is simplistic, ignorant, and unpatriotic.
4
Standing vs kneeling? Are we supposed to raise our right arms in salute?
3
If we all define the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem as reminders of the founding of the country, then I'm with you. Perhaps as a preamble to each, before they are recited or sung, an announcer should say something to the effect that everyone should be reflecting how far we have fallen short of our forefather's goals, as opposed to the general chest-thumping congratulations on our current greatness that usually occurs.
Of course, then, you would probably find a whole other demographic that refuses to participate.
Of course, then, you would probably find a whole other demographic that refuses to participate.
2
This is just crap, Mr. Brooks. You say "reverence"? I say HYPOCRISY. When we blindly obey your orders, or those of any other white rich ruler of this country, to pretend that everything is hunky-dory, that those who invaded this continent in pursuit of greed and macho glory were ethically motivated -- what, to commit massive genocide of the native peoples? to wipe out and slaughter native species? like exterminating the passenger pigeon for sport and cheap dinners? to kidnap and forcibly enslave MILLIONS of innocent Africans? To then deny rights to those african americans, to women, to asians, to hispanics, to native americans .... OMG the list goes on and on.
By their fruits shall ye know them, Mr. Brooks. By the Fruits of American imperialism, countless invasions and occupations of country after country -- practically all of central america at various times! -- yes, by those fruits do I know what kind of country this is. And always was. A country of unfettered greed, untrammeled power-seeking, and unbridled narcissistic jingoism. A country still ruled -- badly, for most of us -- by white men who like you still keep preaching this "WE" stuff even as you finally, nervously, admit the shambles you've made of it, and face the rise of Other leadership.
I know our history, Mr. Brooks. Don't you DARE sneer at us. Learning our real history -- not your white prep-school version -- is what makes us sickened by, and determined to change, the HYPOCRISY you live by.
By their fruits shall ye know them, Mr. Brooks. By the Fruits of American imperialism, countless invasions and occupations of country after country -- practically all of central america at various times! -- yes, by those fruits do I know what kind of country this is. And always was. A country of unfettered greed, untrammeled power-seeking, and unbridled narcissistic jingoism. A country still ruled -- badly, for most of us -- by white men who like you still keep preaching this "WE" stuff even as you finally, nervously, admit the shambles you've made of it, and face the rise of Other leadership.
I know our history, Mr. Brooks. Don't you DARE sneer at us. Learning our real history -- not your white prep-school version -- is what makes us sickened by, and determined to change, the HYPOCRISY you live by.
5
I remember an occasion when at a Buddhist meditation retreat one person refused to bow to the Buddha. I said to myself, "You have a right not to bow to the Buddha, but why are you here in the first place? You are spoiling the occasion for others."
2
To learn?
3
the Europeans who LANDED here believed in ownership and parceled off land
the NATIVE PEOPLES THEY MET here tried repeatedly to explain to them that PURCHASIN & OWNERSHIP were absurdities.
That what was eventually referred to as crop rotation was a bastardisation of methods they'd used for generations to permit regeneration of arable lands
They're really not the best example to base an argument on.
They'd left Europe BECAUSE of dissent and dissatisfaction
The quest for independence was based on dissent & dissatisfaction
Respect for The Flag vs Respect for Human Life, individual Responsibility & Expanded Understanding
the NATIVE PEOPLES THEY MET here tried repeatedly to explain to them that PURCHASIN & OWNERSHIP were absurdities.
That what was eventually referred to as crop rotation was a bastardisation of methods they'd used for generations to permit regeneration of arable lands
They're really not the best example to base an argument on.
They'd left Europe BECAUSE of dissent and dissatisfaction
The quest for independence was based on dissent & dissatisfaction
Respect for The Flag vs Respect for Human Life, individual Responsibility & Expanded Understanding
3
"Radical self criticism: seems to be more what liberals engage in and for which they are attacked by your conservatives. And you yourself seem to repudiate this trait when you rue the fact that fewer Americans now "extremely proud" of their country.. The willingness - back in the 60's- 70's - of many to question the "perfection" of American policies at home and abroad resulted in the Civil Rights Act, and the end of the Vietnam War. The fear of seeming to be unpatriotic by questioning the underpinnings of the Iraq War II carried us into this horror of perennial military involvement, a stance and draining of resources that the founding Fathers - and the Puritans - would have abhorred.
The young people kneeling at their games are perhaps doing exactly what you praise-- doing some radical self examination. They aren't threatening anything - other than the smug obliviousness of most fans. Perhaps, being young, they do ot have the historical picture -- but they are paying attention to a real problem.
I understand the need for rituals that bring citizens of a country together, especially for a country with as many different groups as the US. But I see kneeling in pace of standing as seizing what was a thoughtless ritual for too many, and infusing it with meaning. To me it says," we as Americans have something important to say about our country; listen to us." These young men ( mostly) are recognizing the importance of this symbol.
The young people kneeling at their games are perhaps doing exactly what you praise-- doing some radical self examination. They aren't threatening anything - other than the smug obliviousness of most fans. Perhaps, being young, they do ot have the historical picture -- but they are paying attention to a real problem.
I understand the need for rituals that bring citizens of a country together, especially for a country with as many different groups as the US. But I see kneeling in pace of standing as seizing what was a thoughtless ritual for too many, and infusing it with meaning. To me it says," we as Americans have something important to say about our country; listen to us." These young men ( mostly) are recognizing the importance of this symbol.
1
Mr. Brook's assertion that America was founded on two basic principals is absurd. America, The New World , was a Slave State for over two Centuries and it's economy was based upon enslaving African people and treating them worse than animals are treated on a modern farm. A vast majority of the"Founding Fathers" were slave holders. Several of them famously raped African women whom they kept as slaves and had numerous children with those same women, children whom they also kept as slaves. THEY KEPT THEIR OWN CHILDREN AS SLAVES.The myth of patriotism is just that , a myth. While it could be deemed patriotic to fight in a war for one's country, Mr. Brooks has stood back and watched several wars involving America, has not served as a combat solider for the USA. There is no scientific rigor in citing "surveys" that quote vague answers to vague questions about intangibles like "patriotism". When individuals from the class in power in a community invoke words like "patriotism" and argue to worship a symbol, they are they are gigging the lower economic classes to do their dirty work for them. We currently have a professional talking head running for president. He is Mr. Brooks reinvented and with the gloss of higher education and literacy stripped away. Don't listen to either of them. Read, investigate, think and act your conscience. Conscience trumps patriotism, nationalism and racism.
3
Wow! The arrogance of this column is simply stunning. How dare Brooks lecture young Black men about patriotism in the midst of a combination of resurgent racism and ongoing assaults, from within and without, on the neighborhoods many call home. It is precisely from knowledge of American history, the American present, and the yawning chasm between professed ideals and lived realities that people opt to step away from these mindless displays of patriotism. I'm 44 years old and very rarely say the Pledge of Allegiance, because "liberty and justice for all" is still a distant vision. as to the Star Spangled Banner, read all of the verses and get back to me. Black people, particularly those of us who are the descendants of slaves, don't owe this country anything.
23
I say the pledge and sing the anthem. I served in the military in a foreign war that should not have been our fight. I saw others who deserted and went to Canada and at the time I spoke against them. It wasn't until much later when I was more mature and understood that had I been more in touch with the events leading up to that war I might have protested and perhaps chosen not to serve. But I also reflect on how those who went to Canada were exercising their right to object, speak out, and leave. The injustice of the systemic racism which has been buried for so long will not be solved by kneeling. If I were to discuss their action with one who kneels I might be moved to ask if they have formally expressed their opinion or concern to their elected. officials.
4
American history is a little more complex than Mr. Brooks suggests. If you doubt this, go to Princeton and walk the battlefield that has been saved as a park. Ponder the fate of General Hugh Mercer. Fought in Scotland for Bonnie Prince Charlie in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Fought with the British against the French and Indians in the Seven Years War. Fought with Washington against the British in the American Revolution. Died at Princeton.
Mercer didn't come to America because "God had called him to create a good and just society on this continent". He came because the Jacobites lost at Culloden and he had to flee for his life. But he took his position and fought for what he believed in with the means he had at his disposal. The young men kneeling on their playing fields are probably not so very different from Hugh Mercer as a young man.
True Americans, really. Their critics are the ones who have forgotten their history.
Mercer didn't come to America because "God had called him to create a good and just society on this continent". He came because the Jacobites lost at Culloden and he had to flee for his life. But he took his position and fought for what he believed in with the means he had at his disposal. The young men kneeling on their playing fields are probably not so very different from Hugh Mercer as a young man.
True Americans, really. Their critics are the ones who have forgotten their history.
2
The photo with the deplorable David Brooks comment shows at least 15 football players kneeling and just one visibly standing with caption:
"Some members of the Woodrow Wilson High School football team in Camden, N.J., knelt during the national anthem last Saturday."
The photograph and the opinion piece are bogus and an insult to thinking readers.
"Some members of the Woodrow Wilson High School football team in Camden, N.J., knelt during the national anthem last Saturday."
The photograph and the opinion piece are bogus and an insult to thinking readers.
1
In just about every state in America, blacks are on the low end of the economic and political scale. There are brazen attempts going on, as I write this, to create hurdles for blacks to vote in a few states. Prisons are full of black people who committed similar crimes but avoid jail or at least similar sentences. My point is clear. America has let us down. And to talk about it, to agitate, is framed as disrespect. People have no control over the skin they arrive on this earth. The struggle continues for all of us to see each other as fully formed human beings.
1
If you don't stand with hand over heart and sing the national anthem before a trivial sporting event, you are not part of the national fabric and not participating in the rituals and ceremonies which have been brainwashed into you from childhood.
Brooks says confused puritans believed they were called by god to settle this country, They did so at the destruction of native people and enslavement of Africans.
Puritans, a strain of religious fanatics, believed god called upon them to create a good and just society. They created a "civic religion" out of hope and self-criticism. From thin air Brooks says that this "civic religion" was based on a "moral premise" that all men are created equal. Except, of course, for the same old bunch of people who are not, in fact, equal. The usual suspects, the off-white, female, non-religious and just plain different people.
This country would be "a place where...family or country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities." Yeah, right. Like Nirvana? Shangrila? Like heaven, the Elysian fields? What an imagination! What delusional nonsense.
The "civic religion" was drummed into us by lock step observation of Thanksgiving, July 4th and singing the national anthem at sporting events, a really awful song someone chose for us to sing: "Jose, can you? Si."
Our other religion, capitalism has given us Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and non-stop cable sports every day. That's the country's true religion. Pardon me if I take a knee.
Brooks says confused puritans believed they were called by god to settle this country, They did so at the destruction of native people and enslavement of Africans.
Puritans, a strain of religious fanatics, believed god called upon them to create a good and just society. They created a "civic religion" out of hope and self-criticism. From thin air Brooks says that this "civic religion" was based on a "moral premise" that all men are created equal. Except, of course, for the same old bunch of people who are not, in fact, equal. The usual suspects, the off-white, female, non-religious and just plain different people.
This country would be "a place where...family or country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities." Yeah, right. Like Nirvana? Shangrila? Like heaven, the Elysian fields? What an imagination! What delusional nonsense.
The "civic religion" was drummed into us by lock step observation of Thanksgiving, July 4th and singing the national anthem at sporting events, a really awful song someone chose for us to sing: "Jose, can you? Si."
Our other religion, capitalism has given us Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and non-stop cable sports every day. That's the country's true religion. Pardon me if I take a knee.
3
For comparison's sake, let's not omit to recognize the uber-patriotic country that is the USA. With its flags everywhere, it's mandatory national anthem at sports events, its pledge of allegiance in schools, its political flag pins, its "USA USA USA!!!".
With this pride and love of country exploited by every politician and corporation to sell us the status quo (and mattresses!), one shouldn't be surprised when the growing disconnect between ideals and reality is now so vast old symbols start falling. The anthem today, the flag tomorrow.
One cannot play up greatness/exceptionalism constantly while refusing to solve basic problems of fairness in society. At some point, the product has to catch up to its marketing.
With this pride and love of country exploited by every politician and corporation to sell us the status quo (and mattresses!), one shouldn't be surprised when the growing disconnect between ideals and reality is now so vast old symbols start falling. The anthem today, the flag tomorrow.
One cannot play up greatness/exceptionalism constantly while refusing to solve basic problems of fairness in society. At some point, the product has to catch up to its marketing.
2
The problem is that patriotism has become the property of one American tribe instead of our shared and contested creed. The same thing has happened to Christianity. Rather than creating a different vision of American patriotism or Christianity, many Americans, especially younger ones, are saying to flag waving and wearing Americans, and Trump (and Reagan and Bush II) embracing Evangelicals, "You can keep your patriotism and Christianity, and they are nonsense in the first place." This may have just the effects David Brooks predicts. A reinterpretation or re-appropriation may be more fruitful or productive. But I understand the reaction.
1
The encounters we have witnessed in the last two years between the police and young black me in our country are evidence of injustice at its absolutely worst. I am in favor of anything young black me can do to draw attention to this outrage that avoids more violence. Free speech also means the right NOT to speak -- or sing, or stand -- as the case may be.
1
Saluting the flag and kneeling before the flag are symbolic gestures and in there own way they are honoring the importance and the power of the flag, I don't see much difference between either one. The great thing about America is it allows us burn the flag of the country that allows us to burn the flag. The whole idea of the national anthem before a sporting event which is based on exploiting athletes in a monopolistic slave based business model is what we really need to look at. The sad irony of human exportation is much more insulting to the flag than the athletics making a statement about social injustice.
The best outcome of all of this is it has made us examine the practice of playing the Anthem and perhaps its meaning. It has reaffirmed its significance and perhaps caused us to really listen and pay attention.
The best outcome of all of this is it has made us examine the practice of playing the Anthem and perhaps its meaning. It has reaffirmed its significance and perhaps caused us to really listen and pay attention.
2
I think David's premise is all wrong. What defines patriotism? If it is always standing during God bless America at a ballgame , then I reject that meager symbolism. Americans are in fact very much wedded to these superficial societal rituals compared to other countries. But what has it brought us?Are we better for it or are we sheep running through the motions but not anylizing wha it is to be part of a nation, an in group, a clan?
I like the kneeling fad. I would like to dispose of the mindless inculcation so and aim for some truth and depth. If is not there we must create it and not the shallow symbols.
I like the kneeling fad. I would like to dispose of the mindless inculcation so and aim for some truth and depth. If is not there we must create it and not the shallow symbols.
1
"When we sing the national anthem, we’re not commenting on the state of America. We’re fortifying our foundational creed"
David, you know who else is very good at this kind of patriotism - and I include the daily Pledge of Allegiance, etc. - the North Koreans, the PRC, the old USSR, the Nazis. Putin, Donald Trump. Maybe we should be looking for other kinds of displays of patriotism that would make us all proud of our country by making more of a contribution to building it like equal justice and opportunity for all and making it unnecessary for people to feel that they need to take a knee or sit down at a football game when our NA is sung. And just maybe a different national anthem too without all the war stuff.
David, you know who else is very good at this kind of patriotism - and I include the daily Pledge of Allegiance, etc. - the North Koreans, the PRC, the old USSR, the Nazis. Putin, Donald Trump. Maybe we should be looking for other kinds of displays of patriotism that would make us all proud of our country by making more of a contribution to building it like equal justice and opportunity for all and making it unnecessary for people to feel that they need to take a knee or sit down at a football game when our NA is sung. And just maybe a different national anthem too without all the war stuff.
1
Pareto.
What's amazing to me is that 80% of the commenters here find the 20% of things that need fixing in America, occupy 100% of their complaining consciousness.
Listen up, folks. 80% of what America is, is just fine. Is it perfect? No -- please refer to the 20% that needs a fix. However, from the commentary posted here, one would think we were the most atrocious place in the universe.
Wake up and stop complaining.
What's amazing to me is that 80% of the commenters here find the 20% of things that need fixing in America, occupy 100% of their complaining consciousness.
Listen up, folks. 80% of what America is, is just fine. Is it perfect? No -- please refer to the 20% that needs a fix. However, from the commentary posted here, one would think we were the most atrocious place in the universe.
Wake up and stop complaining.
2
@David C
Clinton, NJ
I'm a great believer in Pareto (and I'm not generally in disagreement with your sentiment) but where would this put all those Republican doomsayers from Trump and Ryan on down who claim the country is disintegrating, declining, collapsing, etc. etc. Obviously being one of the 80% (as I am) we're unaffected some of the issues impacting the 20% of mainly poor minorities. This doesn't mean they don't exist or should be ignored.
Clinton, NJ
I'm a great believer in Pareto (and I'm not generally in disagreement with your sentiment) but where would this put all those Republican doomsayers from Trump and Ryan on down who claim the country is disintegrating, declining, collapsing, etc. etc. Obviously being one of the 80% (as I am) we're unaffected some of the issues impacting the 20% of mainly poor minorities. This doesn't mean they don't exist or should be ignored.
2
20% need fixing? That's an amazingly large percentage. I'm with John. Just because some of us are doing just fine, it doesn't mean that we are not concerned about those among us who are suffering sometimes horribly). That's why good human beings are empathetic. This society could do with more solidarity. Best to offer a hand up and make this happen than sweeping are failings under the carpet.
While I would tend to agree with you that we should try to nurture a "we're all in this thing together" attitude I feel that African-American civil rights groups have tried just about everything since 1945 to achieve full equality but have yet to reach the mountain top.
What would you have them do now that it seems we are going backwards on racism, voting rights, etc??
What would you have them do now that it seems we are going backwards on racism, voting rights, etc??
3
As a American Arab Muslim I watched for years as you and many other pundits and politicians either pandered or turned up your noses at those urging the marginalization and delegitimization of Muslims in our Public Square.
As you sang anthems and pledged allegiance, as you and others protected speaking fees and book royalties, all I and others could hear was vulgar, racist and exclusionary rhetoric that was going unchallenged from the right side of the aisle.
What is left, The Other asks, to stand and sing for?
Beware: After they come for me, and for the trade unionists, they will come for you.
As you sang anthems and pledged allegiance, as you and others protected speaking fees and book royalties, all I and others could hear was vulgar, racist and exclusionary rhetoric that was going unchallenged from the right side of the aisle.
What is left, The Other asks, to stand and sing for?
Beware: After they come for me, and for the trade unionists, they will come for you.
4
"Critics like Ta-Nehisi Coates have arisen, arguing that the American reality is so far from the American creed as to negate the value of the whole thing. The multiculturalist mind-set values racial, gender and ethnic identities and regards national identities as reactionary and exclusive."
National policy IS reactionary and exclusive such that it DOES negate the value of the whole thing. "Critics" like Ta-Nehisi Coates are trying to push reality towards the American creed of equality laid out by the founders that we have yet to fully realize.
How can you not see that?
National policy IS reactionary and exclusive such that it DOES negate the value of the whole thing. "Critics" like Ta-Nehisi Coates are trying to push reality towards the American creed of equality laid out by the founders that we have yet to fully realize.
How can you not see that?
1
Distressing to read so many posts here in effect saying America is a nation of vacuous beliefs and institutions, rendered illegitimate by the stain of racism. Where, pray tell, is the nation free of personal prejudice? Would a North African in France feel free of racism? A Syrian in Germany? A Hutu in Rwanda? A Yazidi in Iraq? A Christian in Egypt? There is nothing uniquely nefarious about American racism. If the Constitution represents an ideal that we haven't fully lived up to, then it's the civic duty for all Americans to offer a remedy. In the end, shunning the flag or an anthem is a trivial attention-getter. What is real and meaningful is civic engagement. The first Tuesday in November is a good place to start.
15
It's a dubious claim that when American history was being taught, never mind that it still is as my high school son is taking such a class, as is our German exchange student we host, but that students learned "the facts" is almost laughable. Having been reared at a time when history was supposedly being taught, reading Perry's work, and much more about early America, teaching early American literature at the college level, I can state without a doubt that what Brooks is thinking of are highly cherry picked facts and tenets that overlook the reality of not just the colonial era, but today. What Brooks seems to be shooting for is what Samuel Johnson dubbed the last refuge of scoundrels.
2
Yes, I'm sure that many high school football players (I am a former high school and college football player) will be very interested in things like "angry jeremiads" and "looming post-nationalism" especially with big games looming this weekend
This article is more appropriate for a college level advanced US history class. If you want to reach high school football players, write something geared at high school football players.
This article is more appropriate for a college level advanced US history class. If you want to reach high school football players, write something geared at high school football players.
1
There are American traditions other than and as old as the New England Puritans. I would in particular cite that of the racist, anti-Federalist South embodied in the Jefferson-Jackson-Van Burean Democratic Republican Party that persists today with its northern allies in the current "Republican" Party. The only time these people liked Federal power, i.e., "one United States," was and remains enforcement of the Fugitive Slace Act. These people have weaponized patriotism.. Although Samuel Johnson was actually referring to a particular group in England during his time, they validate the general comment, "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels." I certainly agree that we need more and better history teaching, but not that which, as the phrase goes, imagines the past and remembers the future. My ancestor left the Massachusetts Bay Colony, or was kicked out, for Rhode Island, where there was what I hope will ultimately be an American tradition of tolerance for all. I do stand for the anthem, but with eyes opened.
2
"When Europeans first settled this continent they had two big thoughts."
First, how much money can I make? Second, who should I enslave to get it?
I know Mr. Brooks' heart is in the right place, and his mind always goes to the battle of ideas. But going back to the origins of the country is a bad way to advance this argument. America was founded on an ideal of freedom, then enshrined slavery in its own constitution. America adopted English common law and right to property, then stole an entire continent from its inhabitants.
The American experiment, although improved, is still fractured. These players are right to point that out.
First, how much money can I make? Second, who should I enslave to get it?
I know Mr. Brooks' heart is in the right place, and his mind always goes to the battle of ideas. But going back to the origins of the country is a bad way to advance this argument. America was founded on an ideal of freedom, then enshrined slavery in its own constitution. America adopted English common law and right to property, then stole an entire continent from its inhabitants.
The American experiment, although improved, is still fractured. These players are right to point that out.
5
I think you have it exactly backwards, Mr. Brooks. More Americans will start having pride--justifiable pride--in their country when it shows that it's serious about addressing the many problems that still beset it, like failing inner city public schools, racial profiling by the police, gross income inequality, homelessness, and more. Enthusiasm about singing the national anthem or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance will be the result, not the cause, of such progress.
2
David you should probably stop reading history books from the state of Texas. The founding fathers were not all that religious. The people who settled here from Europe and the founding fathers were two entirely distinct groups of people. Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, et al were deists or atheists. Jefferson cut out all the 'miracles in the bible' in the version he kept at his house.
5
David, you have just lost all credibility. “This American creed gave people a sense of purpose and a high ideal to live up to. It bonded them together. Whatever their other identities — Irish-American, Jewish American, African-American — they were still part of the same story.” This is nothing less than pernicious myth and a blatant historical lie. Every one of the cultural groups listed here have been have been discriminated against and persecuted at one time or another by the American “elites.” And in the case of African-Americans, they are still persecuted: there are more African-Americans in prison today than there were slaves before the Civil War. Brooks says, “We have a crisis of solidarity,” but he wants to hold society together with an artificial, quasi-religious glue of “rituals,” and “civic religion.” This is magic and superstition. We live in a time when we need precisely the opposite: less smoke-and-mirrors national creed and more reality. If the “civic religion” of 1776 “was based on a moral premise — that all men are created equal” then why did the founding fathers allow only white, land-owning males to vote? The fact is our so-called civic religion is a hypocritical fantasy. To continue to propagate it is insanity. I say: good for Colin Kaepernick, and the other athletes who refuse to participate in the farce of civic religious rituals that belie our actual behavior. Better to educate our students with sobering truth than the nonsense of false hope.
2
“If we don’t transmit that creed that creed through shared displays of reverence we will have lost the idea that the system has always motivated reform. We will lose the sense that we are all in this together.”
I got that sense of togetherness from Mitch McConnell when he stood in front of America and said his and the Republicans number one goal was to make Obama a one term president. Ted Cruz moved me with his Kumbaya moment, attempting to shut down the government to prevent the funding of the Affordable Care Act.
All those state legislatures making sure that they disenfranchise minority and poor voters with voter ID laws that have been found to be unconstitutional gave me goosebumps. A presidential nominee shows his reverence for immigrants of Mexican heritage by calling them rapists.
The system has always motivated reform. Like the way the Supreme Court reformed the campaign finance system so that the wealthiest among us could make sure they stayed that way.
If we close our eyes and try really hard, we can pretend none of this is happening and we are all one big, happy family enjoying our liberty and justice for all.
I got that sense of togetherness from Mitch McConnell when he stood in front of America and said his and the Republicans number one goal was to make Obama a one term president. Ted Cruz moved me with his Kumbaya moment, attempting to shut down the government to prevent the funding of the Affordable Care Act.
All those state legislatures making sure that they disenfranchise minority and poor voters with voter ID laws that have been found to be unconstitutional gave me goosebumps. A presidential nominee shows his reverence for immigrants of Mexican heritage by calling them rapists.
The system has always motivated reform. Like the way the Supreme Court reformed the campaign finance system so that the wealthiest among us could make sure they stayed that way.
If we close our eyes and try really hard, we can pretend none of this is happening and we are all one big, happy family enjoying our liberty and justice for all.
2
For four hundred years, despite progressing as a society, tremendously in many ways, the American reality for people of color, particularly african americans, has not resembled the American creed of all men being equal, at all. Is there any wonder that a portion of the white population that has lost its perceived racial prominence, is not proud of its country or wishes it could turn back time? Is it any wonder when african americans confront racism today on a daily basis that they do not consider themselves to be equal citizens? Is it any wonder that liberals who can see that injustices, however small or waning, are still injustices that we must neither accept nor tolerate? And, what is 'patriotic'? Supporting an illegal immoral invasion and occupation of another country? Accepting the ever expanding discrepancy between rich and poor? Turning a blind eye to hunger in the allegedly richest country in the world? Mr. Brooks, please stop being a shill for something that is broken. Point out our strengths and make clear our failings.
3
America is only 240 years old. It inherited slavery in 1776 from colonial powers and outlawed it 89 years later. Of course, most state abolished slavery much earlier.
1
"When Europeans first settled this continent..." DOA, Mr. Brooks.
3
Breaking news, "Missouri: the Shoot me State"...
It is time for high school athletes--and college and professional athletes--in Missouri to take a knee in protest of the new killer legislation and its enablers: Trump, the NRA and its Republican political retainers. That, Mr. Brooks, is what knees are for and what a serious reading of the symbolism embodied in the national anthem calls out for...
It is time for high school athletes--and college and professional athletes--in Missouri to take a knee in protest of the new killer legislation and its enablers: Trump, the NRA and its Republican political retainers. That, Mr. Brooks, is what knees are for and what a serious reading of the symbolism embodied in the national anthem calls out for...
4
'When Europeans first settled this continent they had two big thoughts. The first was that God had called them to create a good and just society on this continent. The second was that they were screwing it up.'
No, I think the 2nd thought was more like "Let's kill all the natives and act like God told us to do it so we can take all their stuff but not feel bad."
No, I think the 2nd thought was more like "Let's kill all the natives and act like God told us to do it so we can take all their stuff but not feel bad."
2
The GOP shares and maybe even shoulders a disproportionate share of the blame, after a solid generation+ of demonizing government and any civic minded responsibility to one another and pride for that, or do you think kids don't pay attention to what their parents say and do?
1
Mr. Brooks,
I think you need to retrace your genealogy of "American values" such that it doesn't proceed from the esteemed Prof. Miller and pays more attention to the esteemed Prof. Edmund Morgan of American Slavery, American Freedom. Part of the reason why you can cite the "strengthening of Donald Trump's ethnic nationalism" as a consequence of CK's protests is because the well has already been poisoned. Both the protests by BLM people and the rise of a new iteration of "ethnic nationalism" are fruit from the same rotten tree of slavery and racism bequeath to us by our southern forbearers. But locating this problem solely in the south is not fair. The "race-based" nationalism that we see today also has its progenitors in the religious ethnocentrism of the very people that Perry Miller wrote about. "King Phillip" and many of his people sold into slavery understood this very well.
The Americanness that you crow about and that many people of color have been trying to be part was at least partially forged in a deeply flawed "nationalism" from its inception. A nationalism that could only work because of its exclusion of others who were deemed as unworthy of belonging. And who are still seen as such today by many (though not all) of the same people who angrily want to "take back their country." Many of these people, I am sure, have no problem when other "citizens" are disproportionately targeted by the police in ways they would NEVER countenance if used against them.
I think you need to retrace your genealogy of "American values" such that it doesn't proceed from the esteemed Prof. Miller and pays more attention to the esteemed Prof. Edmund Morgan of American Slavery, American Freedom. Part of the reason why you can cite the "strengthening of Donald Trump's ethnic nationalism" as a consequence of CK's protests is because the well has already been poisoned. Both the protests by BLM people and the rise of a new iteration of "ethnic nationalism" are fruit from the same rotten tree of slavery and racism bequeath to us by our southern forbearers. But locating this problem solely in the south is not fair. The "race-based" nationalism that we see today also has its progenitors in the religious ethnocentrism of the very people that Perry Miller wrote about. "King Phillip" and many of his people sold into slavery understood this very well.
The Americanness that you crow about and that many people of color have been trying to be part was at least partially forged in a deeply flawed "nationalism" from its inception. A nationalism that could only work because of its exclusion of others who were deemed as unworthy of belonging. And who are still seen as such today by many (though not all) of the same people who angrily want to "take back their country." Many of these people, I am sure, have no problem when other "citizens" are disproportionately targeted by the police in ways they would NEVER countenance if used against them.
1
Sorry Mr. Brooks, but when someone says that those who are speaking up about systemic problems in our nation are not seeing the bigger picture, I just don't buy it. To me, not seeing the bigger picture is arguing that the wealthy white slaveowners who wrote "all men are created equal" actually meant it. It's time we come to prioritize justice more than comfort. Thank you to Mr. Kaepernick and others for doing their part to force this issue even more into the mainstream national conversation.
3
If you are trying to admonish young black men to act out your version of patriotism, starting with a lecture on white European protestantism in America might not be the most effective technique.
4
Personally, I think kneeling or any kind of peaceful demonstration IS a form or patriotism. It reminds people of the problems that exists in a "democratic" country that has the highest infant and maternal mortality of any of the western countries. It reminds people of the health care system which is also one of the worst in developed countries. It reminds people of the double standard education system which exists in the US.
And so, to all those people that fail to stand and place their hands over their hearts I say "God Bless You."
I was an officer in the Army many years ago and I never stand at a parade when the flag goes by. That flag actually represents freedom, the freedom that people fought for, the freedom of free speech, and that freedom sadly is not available to all the people in the US.
And so, to all those people that fail to stand and place their hands over their hearts I say "God Bless You."
I was an officer in the Army many years ago and I never stand at a parade when the flag goes by. That flag actually represents freedom, the freedom that people fought for, the freedom of free speech, and that freedom sadly is not available to all the people in the US.
24
David I always look forward to c ing u on PBS fridays. But I must tell you that i am disappointed that u chose singing a song above freedom of speech, protesting what currently needs to b fixed in America. Where is your patriotism? Lost on the subway???
2
I consider myself a patriot, even though I'm a liberal Democrat, but I'm far from proud of my country right now.
The young athletes who kneel are humble in their criticism. They've cared enough to make a statement. They are discovering that true patriotism is not mindless obedience.
The young athletes who kneel are humble in their criticism. They've cared enough to make a statement. They are discovering that true patriotism is not mindless obedience.
5
The flag, the anthem, and our founding documents stand for the IDEAL, and the pillars of freedom...
* freedom of speech
* freedom of religion
* freedom of assembly
* freedom of press
... In a pluralistic nation where all men are created equal and can pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
The ideal should not be denigrated. It is the light of civilization.
The REALITY is what we must endeavor to improve every single day in pursuit of the IDEAL. Sitting during our national anthem is protesting the IDEAL.
* freedom of speech
* freedom of religion
* freedom of assembly
* freedom of press
... In a pluralistic nation where all men are created equal and can pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
The ideal should not be denigrated. It is the light of civilization.
The REALITY is what we must endeavor to improve every single day in pursuit of the IDEAL. Sitting during our national anthem is protesting the IDEAL.
1
Patriotism means a deep and abiding understanding of the founding principle of our country - We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal. Patriotism requires that each of us continue to work toward that goal. When we falter, those among us who have the good fortune to have a forum like NWT have a special obligation to stand up and use their voice. It is time for David Brooks to stand up.
Unlike the static and fixed identity as to be found in the traditional society, the identity of an individual in a modern society is fluid and multiple in nature largely determined by free choice.The ascriptive markers of identity have lost their relevance today. As far as the idea of America is concerned, it's essentially inclusive and plural to its core, strikingly similar to the idea of India,which can't be reduced to a narrow nationalistic creed. For, such exaltation of the idea of nationalism and unquestioned patriotism have only produced catastrophic consequences in modern history. Finally, what's termed as the civic religion in the context of America is in reality a distortion of the spirit of constitutionalism; for, in a democratic republic only the deference to the constitution and its republican ethos that matters not any blind loyalty to the imagined community of the nation, however it is sought to be glorified or presented with the trappings of evangelical creed.
1
It is not the kneeling or protest that is the problem. It is the absolute lack of education about our founding principles and ideals. That only 52% of Americans are extremely proud of their country shows a huge disconnect between thought and reality. It is because of the greatness of the USA that people are allowed to descent, chastise and protest their government with impunity. It is because of the Bill of Rights that we are a free people, able to NOT honor this country without being put in prison. This irony is a fact that those protesting the greatness of the US don't actually seem to get.
7
Use your patriotism and endorse Hillary. It is not enough to denounce Trump. We are waiting.
9
Larry Lundgren sums it up perfectly for me: why are we even playing the anthem in these settings? I'd be interested to know if there are any high schools in the nation that don't play the national anthem before games or before their student assemblies. And on a similar note: why is the American flag sewn onto the uniform of every cop in the country? I’d like my local cops to feel they are working solely for me and the citizens of my little town and not this entire vast, judicially complex and culturally diverse nation. Otherwise, let's just turn over all policing in this nation to the Marines.
2
Overall I loved this column -- however, I do have a problem with how the anthem is performed these days at sports events. It used to be simple-- just the singer introduced, then the song.
Now it seems to entangle patriotism and militarism. Ever since the gulf wars began, there is always a salute to the military mixed in with the anthem, which can lead to the feeling that the flag stands more for the military than our civilians and our shared ideals. I have full respect for the military, but I really am wary of this trend.
Now it seems to entangle patriotism and militarism. Ever since the gulf wars began, there is always a salute to the military mixed in with the anthem, which can lead to the feeling that the flag stands more for the military than our civilians and our shared ideals. I have full respect for the military, but I really am wary of this trend.
11
Mr. Brooks, we have a "crisis of solidarity" due to the economic inequalities perpetuated by a globalist elite that mollifies us with cheap rituals and American flags made in China. We don't fix it by standing for the national anthem, because under such circumstances that's a false, manufactured solidarity that doesn't fix actual problems, but covers them up.
You say that a "sharp decline in American patriotism" comes from knowing less about our history. Some of us know American history quite well, and we never saw "harsh self-criticism" as "the mainstream voice that defined American civilization." We saw the "mainstream voice" as the hypocritical self-congratulation and convenient bigotry of the privileged that allowed the ideal "land of the free" to get super-imposed on the realities of the home of the slave. When we "fortified our foundational creed," it never did anything to address those realities. It never was "America" to many of us.
Mr. Brooks, for decades now the party you support has driven economic and racial inequality, and sold its true believers on a genuinely radical ideology of competitive zero-sum individuality. But you want the oppressed to believe that participation in symbolic gestures proves "we're all in this together." Unfortunately for you, many of them know better.
True solidarity is mutual recognition and mutual aid. The solidarity you propose is the solidarity of docile farm animals with their owners, until they're led to the slaughter.
You say that a "sharp decline in American patriotism" comes from knowing less about our history. Some of us know American history quite well, and we never saw "harsh self-criticism" as "the mainstream voice that defined American civilization." We saw the "mainstream voice" as the hypocritical self-congratulation and convenient bigotry of the privileged that allowed the ideal "land of the free" to get super-imposed on the realities of the home of the slave. When we "fortified our foundational creed," it never did anything to address those realities. It never was "America" to many of us.
Mr. Brooks, for decades now the party you support has driven economic and racial inequality, and sold its true believers on a genuinely radical ideology of competitive zero-sum individuality. But you want the oppressed to believe that participation in symbolic gestures proves "we're all in this together." Unfortunately for you, many of them know better.
True solidarity is mutual recognition and mutual aid. The solidarity you propose is the solidarity of docile farm animals with their owners, until they're led to the slaughter.
2
Nationalism, by definition, is an oppositional identity. You can't be a patriot of one nation unless there are other nations to which you do not belong. The same is true for the ethnic nationalism upon which you deride multiculturalism. You need more than one ethnicity in order to have ethnic competition. More simply, any form of oppositional identity cannot exist unless you field both sides of the gridiron. There is no us unless there's them.
While patriotism and civic duty are generally honorable and noble, nationalism is the antithesis of a universal doctrine for humanity. In fact, patriotism and solidarity are often manipulated to run counter to universalism and even national interests. Witness 9/11 or current trends in Europe. The declining patriotism in the US hopefully reflects a transcendence of national and ethnic identity rather than a reinforcement of our differences. Climate change has everyone in trouble after all.
While patriotism and civic duty are generally honorable and noble, nationalism is the antithesis of a universal doctrine for humanity. In fact, patriotism and solidarity are often manipulated to run counter to universalism and even national interests. Witness 9/11 or current trends in Europe. The declining patriotism in the US hopefully reflects a transcendence of national and ethnic identity rather than a reinforcement of our differences. Climate change has everyone in trouble after all.
1
Definitely the worst bit of Brook's writing. On the surface it appears to say something worthwhile, but the conclusions demonstrate a lack of experience with living beyond a privileged world. He can site historical events to establish credibility, as would a competent high school writer, but Brooks fails to connect these events to meaningful, accurate observations about contemporary real-life experiences. It's one thing to make scholarly observations. It is quite different to pontificate.
4
Did this whole thing just amount to: shut up and show appreciation for what you got, kids?
There is a lot of US history being taught in public schools, from the kindergarten level on up. It's part of standards that are in place. From my perspective what I see is this: someone clueless and scared attempting to understand through a glass darkly.
We can love America for its stated ideals. We can be disappointed in it for failing to live up to those same ideals. In our disappointment, we are free to express our dissatisfaction in an attempt to nudge it in behaving as we know it should.
There is a lot of US history being taught in public schools, from the kindergarten level on up. It's part of standards that are in place. From my perspective what I see is this: someone clueless and scared attempting to understand through a glass darkly.
We can love America for its stated ideals. We can be disappointed in it for failing to live up to those same ideals. In our disappointment, we are free to express our dissatisfaction in an attempt to nudge it in behaving as we know it should.
3
David,
As threats to our civil religion go, young kids sitting out the national anthem does not strike me as all that serious. It may not be very well thought through, but at least there's a certain kind of idealism behind it.
On the other hand, your Republican colleagues' column today advocating "tactical" vote swapping seems to be a much more serious rejection of the hope-filled, self-critical, and idealistic America you are so concerned we are losing touch with. No idealism there, just cynicism.
The kids are gonna be alright.
As threats to our civil religion go, young kids sitting out the national anthem does not strike me as all that serious. It may not be very well thought through, but at least there's a certain kind of idealism behind it.
On the other hand, your Republican colleagues' column today advocating "tactical" vote swapping seems to be a much more serious rejection of the hope-filled, self-critical, and idealistic America you are so concerned we are losing touch with. No idealism there, just cynicism.
The kids are gonna be alright.
2
The question is not why they are kneeling but why David still can't bring himself to join them.
3
Thanks for whitescribing best protest practices, davey.
7
“America’s moral and spiritual success in relating itself creatively to a world community requires, not so much a guard against the gross vices, about which the idealists warn us, as a reorientation of the whole structure of our idealism. That idealism is too oblivious of the ironic perils to which human virtue, wisdom and power are subject. It is too certain that there is a straight path toward the goal of human happiness; too confident of the wisdom and idealism which prompt men and nations toward that goal; and too blind to the curious compounds of good and evil in which the actions of the best men and nations abound”
Reinhold Niebuhr, “The Irony of American History”
Reinhold Niebuhr, “The Irony of American History”
1
Singing the national anthem before all sports events is a bizarre custom not practiced in most of the world. I have never seen at any soccer or cricket game that I attended growing up in India, or the games played in UK or Australia. National anthem was sang at public events celebrating India's independence day or the day commemorating the adoption of the Constitution (known as Republic Day). This forced custom of "in your face patriotism" at every level of sports from junior high baseball games all the way to MLB and NFL needs to be retired gracefully.
6
It is rather presumptuous to claim that you know and understand what it means to stand for the national anthem, and more importantly, what those who choose NOT to stand for the anthem are actually saying. it is, in fact, entirely American to choose to sit, kneel, talk, or keep headphones or hats on while the national anthem is playing.
You say, "When we sing the national anthem, we’re not commenting on the state of America. We’re fortifying our foundational creed." That is not what all people do when they sing the national anthem. Some sing out of a sense of duty, others because it invokes the ideals of America. And some choose not to sing because it reminds them that, although the American ideal is to be better--more equal, more perfect--we fall short each and every day. You begin by talking about self-criticism. Self-criticism, and its hopeful counterpart, change for the better, can only take root once there is recognition that change is necessary. If it appears to some that singing the national anthem--simply because you are an American--is a way to avoid this reality, they should be permitted to hold the same civic and moral beliefs that you say shaped this country. To do otherwise would be to ask those individuals to subvert their beliefs to the will of the majority. This is distinctly anti-American.
Finally, it's highly disingenuous to say that African-Americans must feel "part of the same story" as other groups in this country. That's how this all started, David.
You say, "When we sing the national anthem, we’re not commenting on the state of America. We’re fortifying our foundational creed." That is not what all people do when they sing the national anthem. Some sing out of a sense of duty, others because it invokes the ideals of America. And some choose not to sing because it reminds them that, although the American ideal is to be better--more equal, more perfect--we fall short each and every day. You begin by talking about self-criticism. Self-criticism, and its hopeful counterpart, change for the better, can only take root once there is recognition that change is necessary. If it appears to some that singing the national anthem--simply because you are an American--is a way to avoid this reality, they should be permitted to hold the same civic and moral beliefs that you say shaped this country. To do otherwise would be to ask those individuals to subvert their beliefs to the will of the majority. This is distinctly anti-American.
Finally, it's highly disingenuous to say that African-Americans must feel "part of the same story" as other groups in this country. That's how this all started, David.
5
Mr. Brooks seems to pine for a nation where the First Amendment to the Constitution is validly observed only if you practice his view of freedom of speech.
2
What's counterproductive is placing a gigawatt (is there such a thing as a terawatt?) spotlight on American individuals who exercise their right to express their patriotism, or lack thereof, or protest certain American policies or legacies that continue to have repercussions into the present day (such as "systemic racism"), in whatever manner they choose, providing the manner is not destructive, intrusive, or involves illegal activity. Even if the gesture is specifically meant to garner attention, it doesn't have to be made bigger than it is. Let them make their personal statement and leave it at that. People want to fight over things too much these days. Whatever happened to "I may not agree with what you say," etc.?
You don't get it. And this has been going on since before 1992 when I saw it for the first time in high school.
David Brooks has written many unpatriotic columns.
Today's column may be his most unpatriotic column of all.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it."
- George Bernard Shaw
"One of the great attractions of patriotism it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what's more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous."
- Aldous Huxley
"Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -how passionately I hate them !"
- Albert Einstein
"Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious."
- Oscar Wilde
"Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy"
- George Bernard Shaw
"The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plain"
- George McGovern
"If patriotism is "the last refuge of a scoundrel," it is not merely because evil deeds may be performed in the name of patriotism, but because patriotic fervor can obliterate moral distinctions altogether"
- Ralph B Perry
"Patriotism is the religion of hell"
- James Branch Cabell
"You'll never have a quiet (peaceful) world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race."
George Bernard Shaw
"Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles."
- George Jean Nathan
Heckuva job, Brooksie !
Today's column may be his most unpatriotic column of all.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it."
- George Bernard Shaw
"One of the great attractions of patriotism it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what's more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous."
- Aldous Huxley
"Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -how passionately I hate them !"
- Albert Einstein
"Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious."
- Oscar Wilde
"Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy"
- George Bernard Shaw
"The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plain"
- George McGovern
"If patriotism is "the last refuge of a scoundrel," it is not merely because evil deeds may be performed in the name of patriotism, but because patriotic fervor can obliterate moral distinctions altogether"
- Ralph B Perry
"Patriotism is the religion of hell"
- James Branch Cabell
"You'll never have a quiet (peaceful) world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race."
George Bernard Shaw
"Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles."
- George Jean Nathan
Heckuva job, Brooksie !
9
I disagree with you. You have overlooked one of your own quotes - "The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plain"
2
Let's not forget that just last year we learned that all of the patriotic displays at NFL games were being bought by the taxpayer to help recruitment efforts: "The Department of Defense has paid 14 different NFL teams a total of $5.4 million over the last four years in exchange for patriotic displays at games."
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25181085/nfl-teams-received....
Give me a break! So much for patriotism.
We need to change the National Anthem to something like "America the Beautiful" which is an aspirational song asking God to "crown thy good with brotherhood," and not "bombs bursting in air."
Not many complaints when Tebow, in ridiculous public displays, took a knee to thank God for giving him a touchdown. "Look at me and how holy I am!" He is still dining off of that one. I prefer the knee in a public peaceful protest.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25181085/nfl-teams-received....
Give me a break! So much for patriotism.
We need to change the National Anthem to something like "America the Beautiful" which is an aspirational song asking God to "crown thy good with brotherhood," and not "bombs bursting in air."
Not many complaints when Tebow, in ridiculous public displays, took a knee to thank God for giving him a touchdown. "Look at me and how holy I am!" He is still dining off of that one. I prefer the knee in a public peaceful protest.
26
I guess there's no way to protest correctly. Would Mr. Brooks prefer violent protest? BLM blocking freeways makes a lot of commuters unhappy, so that's out. Native tribes blocking a pipeline get attacked by dogs is no good. But kneeling also isn't okay either?
2
Honest question, why play the national anthem before a sporting event at all?
8
its good for business
what else matters in america
Mr. Brooks. This article is a huge disappointment. Have you heard of free speech as a way of influencing others? Has it occurred to you that systematic racism in incarceration, housing, jobs, and every other aspect of our society makes it hard for African Americans and all other Americans who are distraught over this shameful treatment of our kindred citizens to sustain the "solidarity" you crave? These expressions of free speech are intended to ask for a just solidarity. When our society treats all of its citizens equally and justly, and White America acknowledges the need to do that, I think we'll have a greater sense of national solidarity. In the meanwhile, it is incumbent on citizens to give witness and protest this treatment of part of our citizenry. As a White American, I kneel in solidarity and perhaps you should take a knee yourself.
Mr. Brooks, another great column.
Yes, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. sang the National Anthem, but he also went to jail, in Birmingham, for asserting hie Rights.
This whole Kaepernick issue, I believe, might be characterized as a great lesson in civics. For instance, how many people really know the final line of the first stanza: '...land of the Free, and the home of the Brave?" Yes, it ends in a question mark! Free to do What, ...and Bravely?
Keep in mind that, toward the end of the Vietnam War, when sentiment had changed, some Americans were spitting upon returning troops--the pawns in any war--and calling them baby killers.
https://thetruthoncommonsense.com
Yes, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. sang the National Anthem, but he also went to jail, in Birmingham, for asserting hie Rights.
This whole Kaepernick issue, I believe, might be characterized as a great lesson in civics. For instance, how many people really know the final line of the first stanza: '...land of the Free, and the home of the Brave?" Yes, it ends in a question mark! Free to do What, ...and Bravely?
Keep in mind that, toward the end of the Vietnam War, when sentiment had changed, some Americans were spitting upon returning troops--the pawns in any war--and calling them baby killers.
https://thetruthoncommonsense.com
1
Mr Brooks - Have you heard of the term "whitesplaining"? Your picture should be part of the definition. Asking young folks of color whose ancestors were brought here as PROPERTY to be persuaded by the ideas of those same slave-owning Europeans is missing the point by over 1 milliion miles.
1
We had no national anthem until 1931, and the Pledge did not become official until 1941. We still managed to grow from 13 states to 48, fight wars, and set an example of democracy for the rest of the world. In fact, our founders disliked the trappings of monarchy like national anthems and fancy titles. I suspect our shared values made our country great, not the 20th century rituals.
2
So David is distressed that some people are not showing the respect he deems proper during the national anthem. The people taking the opportunity to draw attention to racial bias and oppression are merely showing respect in their own way - acting when they do and how they do acknowledges the symbolism of the ceremony in a way that draws attention to their message without gratuitous disruption. The only people who feel that Kaepernick, et.al. disruptive and disrespectful are those who expect total conformity and obedience in their "patriotism."
Asking your country to live up to a higher standard is a more powerful and useful expression of patriotism than chanting jingoism. It doesn't just draw attention to negative issues, it implies that you believe that we are capable of being better.
The founders set out "to form a more perfect Union" - not a perfect union, but one that was better than what came before. And through our history, patriots in each generation have sought to make the Union a bit better, a bit more perfect. Kaepernick and the others protesting during the national anthem continue that tradition.
Asking your country to live up to a higher standard is a more powerful and useful expression of patriotism than chanting jingoism. It doesn't just draw attention to negative issues, it implies that you believe that we are capable of being better.
The founders set out "to form a more perfect Union" - not a perfect union, but one that was better than what came before. And through our history, patriots in each generation have sought to make the Union a bit better, a bit more perfect. Kaepernick and the others protesting during the national anthem continue that tradition.
Interesting and clever argument, but I came of age when our leaders used post-WWII and Cold War patriotism to get tens of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of others killed in Vietnam and surrounding countries. My children came of age when leaders used post-9/11 patriotism to, well, totally mess up our world, killing many more thousands in the process. Perhaps those taking a knee during the National Anthem will make us think a bit about the uses and misuses of patriotism. I would also ask you one question -- do you think Native Americans have a right to take a knee? Or should they stand and celebrate those Puritans' desire for an ideal nation on what was once Indian land -- killing many more thousand along the way?
2
Mr. Brooks:
Nice try but, once again you have spun reality on its head. The fact that "only
52 percent of Americans are"extremely proud" of their country." is in no way a direct correllative to patriotism. Is it patriotic to turn a blind eye to our faults?Or is it more patriotic to feel a bit ashamed of what we have done to our high ideals?
Evidently, you can't see the patriotism for the ritualism.I might maintain, for instance, that playing the National Anthem before commercial sporting events is not worthy of the ideals it purportedly represents.
As always, your narrow definitions, boxes and labels only have room for your beliefs and viewpoints.Were you blinded by the rockets red glare when you supported the Iraq War. Did it make you feel "extremely patriotic"? Were you wrong.? Patrioticism has many sides and many slippery slopes.
Nice try but, once again you have spun reality on its head. The fact that "only
52 percent of Americans are"extremely proud" of their country." is in no way a direct correllative to patriotism. Is it patriotic to turn a blind eye to our faults?Or is it more patriotic to feel a bit ashamed of what we have done to our high ideals?
Evidently, you can't see the patriotism for the ritualism.I might maintain, for instance, that playing the National Anthem before commercial sporting events is not worthy of the ideals it purportedly represents.
As always, your narrow definitions, boxes and labels only have room for your beliefs and viewpoints.Were you blinded by the rockets red glare when you supported the Iraq War. Did it make you feel "extremely patriotic"? Were you wrong.? Patrioticism has many sides and many slippery slopes.
Rich white male says what?
11
I appreciate the idea that growing discontent leads down the dark path towards Trump. Though if you read Brooks columns regularly, he's propagating that species of discontent more often than hemming it in.
But the condescension here reeks of a ephebiphobia. "This column is directed to all the high school kids..." Old Man Brooks is doing worse than "When I was your age..." It's all the way back to "When the European Settlers were your age..." With the word "jeremiads" thrown in 5 sentences in, how could this be taken as a serious discussion with high school football players? Why does Brooks get to frame his own jeremiads as advocacy towards some American ideal?
I miss his conversations with Gail Collins. I appreciate his voice in that kind of dialogue, but would happily take a knee in protest any time one of his diatribes is published.
But the condescension here reeks of a ephebiphobia. "This column is directed to all the high school kids..." Old Man Brooks is doing worse than "When I was your age..." It's all the way back to "When the European Settlers were your age..." With the word "jeremiads" thrown in 5 sentences in, how could this be taken as a serious discussion with high school football players? Why does Brooks get to frame his own jeremiads as advocacy towards some American ideal?
I miss his conversations with Gail Collins. I appreciate his voice in that kind of dialogue, but would happily take a knee in protest any time one of his diatribes is published.
2
I take issue with the idea summarized in the last paragraph that solidarity equals success. I believe that solidarity equals conformity to the status quo. The great idea that the Puritans and others brought to America is the ability to oppose the majority and to stand and speak for what you believe - not necessarily what everyone else believes. And if that means kneeling during the National Anthem then so be it and more power to those who don't. Nothing could be more clearly demonstrative of what America stands for. Nothing could be more patriotic.
Actually, the Puritans brought the idea that you better shaddap and do what the village elders tell you that gawd wants you to do.
Protest was not on the menu. They whipped you for it.
Protest was not on the menu. They whipped you for it.
Ah yes, the much-vaunted ideal of unity and national pride, shared by so many of different backgrounds and ethnicities for so long.
And what's ruined it all? Multiculturalists on the left with their ideas of "justice" and the demand that America recognize the awful crimes perpetrated in the name of the flag against some groups that now comprise the nation but, for some weird reason, don't show appreciation for all we've done for them.
Meanwhile, Republicans work tirelessly to defend the ideal sense of national unity by
- branding black people lazy moochers who want to take your hard-earned money in welfare while doing no work;
- labeling unarmed black youths "thugs" for having been shot by the police;
- portraying all Muslims, including infant refugees, as terrorists out to kill us all;
- categorizing Mexicans as illegal immigrants stealing your job;
- painting women, half the population, as barely suppressed Jezebels who'd run rampant in the streets if given access to contraception and abortion;
- branding liberals the enemies of America who want to see the country fail, not well-meaning compatriots with different ideas on how to run things;
- fostering a sense of angry resentment among uneducated white people that their country has been "taken" from them by the above groups and "second amendment remedies" might be necessary to get it back.
Nothing will bring Americans together better than the big, welcoming tent of right-wing politics.
And what's ruined it all? Multiculturalists on the left with their ideas of "justice" and the demand that America recognize the awful crimes perpetrated in the name of the flag against some groups that now comprise the nation but, for some weird reason, don't show appreciation for all we've done for them.
Meanwhile, Republicans work tirelessly to defend the ideal sense of national unity by
- branding black people lazy moochers who want to take your hard-earned money in welfare while doing no work;
- labeling unarmed black youths "thugs" for having been shot by the police;
- portraying all Muslims, including infant refugees, as terrorists out to kill us all;
- categorizing Mexicans as illegal immigrants stealing your job;
- painting women, half the population, as barely suppressed Jezebels who'd run rampant in the streets if given access to contraception and abortion;
- branding liberals the enemies of America who want to see the country fail, not well-meaning compatriots with different ideas on how to run things;
- fostering a sense of angry resentment among uneducated white people that their country has been "taken" from them by the above groups and "second amendment remedies" might be necessary to get it back.
Nothing will bring Americans together better than the big, welcoming tent of right-wing politics.
5
We should celebrate justice, where it exists.
Patriotism has always meant racism and war mongering in this country, a controlling appeal for the status quo, or for the Jim Crow or Cold War past.
Today's young people will not be lectured into celebrating patriotism over justice.
The younger generations anxiously await the time when old white guys like brooks stop their hollow, angry, controlling lectures about how to be an American.
Hey Brooks, how patriotic was the Iraq War? It's time for you to retire, sir.
Patriotism has always meant racism and war mongering in this country, a controlling appeal for the status quo, or for the Jim Crow or Cold War past.
Today's young people will not be lectured into celebrating patriotism over justice.
The younger generations anxiously await the time when old white guys like brooks stop their hollow, angry, controlling lectures about how to be an American.
Hey Brooks, how patriotic was the Iraq War? It's time for you to retire, sir.
4
We would not have a country if a group of men (and certainly women too) about 250 years ago hadn't pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to disrespect the flag that they had previously sworn allegiance to. That flag and the government it represented had become a symbol of oppression so onerous that they became traitors to Great Britain and our American Founding Fathers.
National flags are symbols of national governments and their systems and practices of governance. Our system of government was founded in protest and our Constitution, which is graphically represented by our "Stars and Stripes" flag enshrines the rights of the citizenry to protest when governance fails to at least strive for that "more perfect union."
Those who fought and those who died under our flag did not do so for the flag -- they served and sacrificed for what that flag stands for and, in large part, that means for the rights of Colin Kaepernick, and all athletes, professional, amateur, and academic, plus all of we ordinary citizens who support their actions.
The athletes and ordinary Joes and Jills who support this right are not disrespecting the flag or our veterans. We are honoring our flag, our nation and those who served us valiantly even to their "last full measure of devotion" by carrying on in the protest tradition of our Founders.
National flags are symbols of national governments and their systems and practices of governance. Our system of government was founded in protest and our Constitution, which is graphically represented by our "Stars and Stripes" flag enshrines the rights of the citizenry to protest when governance fails to at least strive for that "more perfect union."
Those who fought and those who died under our flag did not do so for the flag -- they served and sacrificed for what that flag stands for and, in large part, that means for the rights of Colin Kaepernick, and all athletes, professional, amateur, and academic, plus all of we ordinary citizens who support their actions.
The athletes and ordinary Joes and Jills who support this right are not disrespecting the flag or our veterans. We are honoring our flag, our nation and those who served us valiantly even to their "last full measure of devotion" by carrying on in the protest tradition of our Founders.
Flags and anthems are coerced patriotism, there's nothing free about that.
1
Children use all tactics to get attention. Not standing during our National Anthem is another form of a childish temper tantrum.
3
Jimmy--Children mimic their heroes.
1
My favorite childish tactic to get attention was the guy waving his briefcase at the tank in Tiananmen Square, boy was that a guy trying to get attention.
1
We refused to say the Pledge in High School during the Vietnam war. The kneeling is meaningful civil disobedience, a powerful tool in any liberal democracy.
Plus, the anthem has the abhorrent second verse extolling slavery, and should be replaced with a new one, less warlike, written by Bruce Springsteen, or Beyoncé or somebody.
Plus, the anthem has the abhorrent second verse extolling slavery, and should be replaced with a new one, less warlike, written by Bruce Springsteen, or Beyoncé or somebody.
3
Brooks is courageous, here and elsewhere, to take a stand for "America's universal nationalism." Thank goodness for rational voices like his, keeping legacies of Lincoln and ML King alive. Any schools that "no longer teach American history" should be dis-accredited. We educators believe we must continue to lead students to water; whether they partake or not is up to them. Unfortunately, those who prefer ignorance too often gain prominence by various means; We, the people, may reject them at the ballot box, or condone them at our peril.
8
Where is David Brooks when someone says Obama was born in Kenya? Where is David Brooks when someone says they can't get a fair hearing because the judge has Mexican ancestry? Where is David Brooks when someone say Muslims should be barred from the country solely on the bases of religion? Yes, patriotism means you stand up, and especially when the foundations of our country are threatened. Time to stand up David Brooks
1
Courageous or not, he is completely wrong. The teaching of American history in American schools is universal, required at the K-12 level, and ubiquitous in college and university education, with the number of courses and faculty in American history far outweighing all others. I say this as the chair of a major university history department, now teaching the American history survey course to hundreds of students. I won't even begin to explain here how badly he has mischaracterized American history in this column.
Mr. Brooks says:
"Americans know less about their history and creed and are less likely to be fervent believers in it.", and
" When we sing the national anthem, ... We’re fortifying our foundational creed. We’re expressing gratitude for our ancestors and what they left us. We’re expressing commitment to the nation’s ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled."
No, Mr. Brooks, I think not. A largely historically uninformed public (e.g. at a football game) is not engaging in deep thoughts about "gratitude" or "the nation's ideals" at the playing of the Anthem. My observations suggest they're mostly engaged in a (culturally prescribed?) ritual that nothing to do with the reason they're in the stadium in the first place -- and we all know what that is. Let's not obscure reality with misty eyes.
What the National Anthem (or prayer for that matter) at a sports event has to do with patriotism itself (or God) is problematical at best. Similarly, but more broadly, is the questionable value of quasi-mandated patriotism, and, even more broadly, of patriotism in general.
"Americans know less about their history and creed and are less likely to be fervent believers in it.", and
" When we sing the national anthem, ... We’re fortifying our foundational creed. We’re expressing gratitude for our ancestors and what they left us. We’re expressing commitment to the nation’s ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled."
No, Mr. Brooks, I think not. A largely historically uninformed public (e.g. at a football game) is not engaging in deep thoughts about "gratitude" or "the nation's ideals" at the playing of the Anthem. My observations suggest they're mostly engaged in a (culturally prescribed?) ritual that nothing to do with the reason they're in the stadium in the first place -- and we all know what that is. Let's not obscure reality with misty eyes.
What the National Anthem (or prayer for that matter) at a sports event has to do with patriotism itself (or God) is problematical at best. Similarly, but more broadly, is the questionable value of quasi-mandated patriotism, and, even more broadly, of patriotism in general.
These protests are important because we now see that the American Experiment is nearing its natural end.
Identity politics and enormous distrust in the federal government and in our institutions, including our once-prestigious Ivy League universities, means the fabric is stretched thin and about to tear.
Perhaps out of the coming violence, internecine warfare, and chaos a new experiment will emerge.
Identity politics and enormous distrust in the federal government and in our institutions, including our once-prestigious Ivy League universities, means the fabric is stretched thin and about to tear.
Perhaps out of the coming violence, internecine warfare, and chaos a new experiment will emerge.
1
And when patriotism is used as a cudgel to beat people into submission of the powerful's preferences?
The GOP basically exists today because they have been able to sell the story to the South and the Heartland that they love the country more than the liberal flag-burners on the other side of the aisle. They wrap themselves in the flag and military pomp while sending the kids of our least powerful citizens off to fight wars that have little relation to any cognizable national interest. They celebrate out nation's "law and order" and "rule of law" with a knowing wink that the obvious result is a landscape of prisons filled with our poor and minorities and streets running with minority blood. They claim the mantle of "liberty" while failing to support the most fundamental Constitutional rights and tenants of individual human rights and protections of our citizens. And they celebrate a "great" nation while refusing to fund even the most basic of governmental necessities.
Maybe taking a knee is a public way of saying "We're not buying it anymore". It is a powerful statement that we truly believe in the nation’s founding ideals, not the false patriotism that you are presenting.
As a last note, I find offensive your statement in regard to "shared loyalty to ideas bigger and more transcendent than our own short lives". When has the U.S. ever showed anything approaching loyalty to minorities? What you seek is simply subservience, a blind loyalty in a single direction.
The GOP basically exists today because they have been able to sell the story to the South and the Heartland that they love the country more than the liberal flag-burners on the other side of the aisle. They wrap themselves in the flag and military pomp while sending the kids of our least powerful citizens off to fight wars that have little relation to any cognizable national interest. They celebrate out nation's "law and order" and "rule of law" with a knowing wink that the obvious result is a landscape of prisons filled with our poor and minorities and streets running with minority blood. They claim the mantle of "liberty" while failing to support the most fundamental Constitutional rights and tenants of individual human rights and protections of our citizens. And they celebrate a "great" nation while refusing to fund even the most basic of governmental necessities.
Maybe taking a knee is a public way of saying "We're not buying it anymore". It is a powerful statement that we truly believe in the nation’s founding ideals, not the false patriotism that you are presenting.
As a last note, I find offensive your statement in regard to "shared loyalty to ideas bigger and more transcendent than our own short lives". When has the U.S. ever showed anything approaching loyalty to minorities? What you seek is simply subservience, a blind loyalty in a single direction.
2
I find myself agreeing with Mr. Brooks' opinion. From unity and identification with our nation's creeds and high ideals, across all other differences, spring the laws and all other improvements in our lives as citizens. Why not pay this small, cheap and easy price for the freedom, dignity, security and prosperity generations of Americans, including African-Americans, have worked, paid taxes, fought and died for? Be a little grateful. America isn't perfect but it's still great. But then I remember that this great nation was founded by protesters, yea, even "victims" of oppression of all kinds, religious, economic, ethnic, racial, gender and political. Where would we be today if all the British colonists had kept singing, "God save the King!" and waving the Union Jack, as most patriotic British subjects surely did? So I say to Mr. Brooks and all other American patriots, show a little respect for those young black Americans who are practicing what our founding fathers and mothers preached. Of course they, like all of us, are called to do more than rise, cross our hearts and sing a song. to make this union more perfect. Tell all our young people that.
1
The Puritans may have felt "called by God," but the Jamestown bunch? The debtors that Oglethorpe took to Georgia? The convicted felons, sentenced to transportation to the colonies? Most of the immigrants were, as Emma Lazarus later put it, "The wretched refuse of [Europe's] teeming shores."
1
Mr. Brooks, you're forgetting that America was established, in part, as a business proposition and as a solution to overcrowding. Europe, particularly England, needed resources. Money was to be made in harvesting lumber (ship building) and tobacco (initially as headache relief). Thus the New World looked like just the ticket to solve a couple of problems. So, yes, many people came looking for religious freedom and opportunity, but many more come in servitude. Some of those in servitude could work their way free; others could not. For those others, we had to fight each other so that humans could have their dignity and a chance at those same opportunities to improve their lives.
I agree that we build solidarity when we share rituals. But let's face it: business wraps itself in the flag to harvest money from customers.
I agree that we build solidarity when we share rituals. But let's face it: business wraps itself in the flag to harvest money from customers.
People make everything about themselves. Someone get's shot 4,000 miles away and somehow it's about you.
If you cared so much, you would do something more than a self-indulgent gesture.
We get it, you're mad. So is everyone. Welcome to club.
If you cared so much, you would do something more than a self-indulgent gesture.
We get it, you're mad. So is everyone. Welcome to club.
2
You describe settlers of this country extremely selectively, in focussing on the English alone, and especially the English Roundheads or Puritans who settled the Northeast. But the second group of English settlers, the Cavaliers, who settled in the midatlantic and south, were much less motivated by religion or a creed of self-improvement and lived much more in the tradition of English aristocrcy, and were firmly committed to the project of the purchase, breeding, sale, trade and use of other human beings as livestock. And at the moment those two creeds had to come together to create the founding documents of this nation, the Puritans spit the bit and the slaveholding Cavaliers won the day. And lest we dwell too much on the ideological purity of those Puritans, while they may have abhorred slavery, they did not abhor it that their mills stopped turning slave-grown cotton to cloth, or that the great northeastern banks and insurance firms stopped accepting slaves as collateral against loans or writing insurance policies on them. Your argument here would hold more water had compensation ever been made for the labor and lives that underpinned the early prosperity of both the north and south, both the Puritans and Roundheads, who founded this country and wrote the rules by which it is run. Unfortunately, we still owe that debt and so what you recount here is just a pretty story you try to use to bamboozle teenagers who might disagree enough to say something about it.
2
Patriotism is practicing your First Amendment right because you believe in your country and its potential to change. Brooks wants critics to "stand up and shut up." Sounds more like the creed of North Korea than the United States.
4
You wrote: This American creed gave people a sense of purpose and a high ideal to live up to. It bonded them together. Whatever their other identities — Irish-American, Jewish American, African-American — they were still part of the same story.
I noticed you did not mention Native Americans. And I thought about that omission. It may very well have been unintentional, yet I cannot shake the feeling that they do not necessarily share in your retelling of the narrative.
When We, the People, talk about racism and the trajectory of this nation, I don't think we're including their version of the narrative, nor are we respecting their place in the story. Are they a part of the "foundational creed" you mention? Are we really expressing gratitude to those ancestors, the original ones?
I think this is a much bigger deabte, Mr. Brooks, than the one you presented.
http://wifelyperson.blogspot.com/
I noticed you did not mention Native Americans. And I thought about that omission. It may very well have been unintentional, yet I cannot shake the feeling that they do not necessarily share in your retelling of the narrative.
When We, the People, talk about racism and the trajectory of this nation, I don't think we're including their version of the narrative, nor are we respecting their place in the story. Are they a part of the "foundational creed" you mention? Are we really expressing gratitude to those ancestors, the original ones?
I think this is a much bigger deabte, Mr. Brooks, than the one you presented.
http://wifelyperson.blogspot.com/
2
Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem may not be the racial problem solver he hopes. The copycat actions of other athletes pro or otherwise may also not advance the ball. But somehow it gives pause to people who would like the conversation to dissipate. Black Lives Matter is in danger of turning into a slogan du jour or perhaps bear up through this unbearable election season. I hope these symbolic reminders that all men are created equal do not have the reverse effect as the frustration of some in this country reach many of us. National pride is sometimes a more easy to come by instinct and emotion for some of us than others. Right now those "others" are seeing something and saying something.
1
Kneeling appears to be the thing Kaepernick thinks he can do, and get the attention that's needed. Good for him, and anyone else who wishes to make the same statement. You all have a right to express your opinions!
1
You could spare us the wonky history lesson, David - while this apparently is meaningful to you, clearly it is not to those who have chosen, as a form of peaceful protest, not to align with conventional practice during the singing of the national anthem. In doing so, they practice and celebrate one of the most remarkable and precious aspects of our country - the right to personal free expression. There will be many who will recognize the reason for their protest as both a sign and a cause of divisions among us, and wish to take action to resolve it. Rather than the dividers like Trump, mostly in your GOP, these are the people who don't need an anthem to know that "we're all in this together", and who live it every day, not just at football games.
2
Who the heck are you to question anyone’s patriotism?
Lord Brooks you have glided through life from one cushy position to another after getting your undergrad degree at the University of Chicago. Think tanks, internship on the National Review with William F. Buckley Jr., a year as a visiting professor at both Duke and Yale (with just an A.B. in history?)
You never served in our military as I and my now deceased army spouse did in Vietnam. Yes your son is in the Israeli Defense Forces but YOU never labored--ya know REAL work such as our carpenters, masons, electricians, trash collectors, health care provider.
No David you have always been an outside observer (You do channel Buckley well in this regard!) not one to get in the scrum of hard working Americans.
You have this lofty view of a country that does NOT exist. When I sing the National Anthem it is ALWAYS at a baseball game. Am I thinking great patriotic thoughts? Do tears come to my eyes as I think “This is the greatest country in the world!” No it’s just part of the whole MLB experience--because in the 7th inning stretch I’ll sing again-“Take Me out to The Ballgame.”
I never think deeply about patriotism when I fly my American flag each day, or work with returning vets in getting them service dogs, or put in 70-80 hours a week as a family doc in an underserved (read poor) area of our country or with MSF in Africa.
Patriotism is being the best, most responsible citizen I can be! Plus I don’t hate people.
Lord Brooks you have glided through life from one cushy position to another after getting your undergrad degree at the University of Chicago. Think tanks, internship on the National Review with William F. Buckley Jr., a year as a visiting professor at both Duke and Yale (with just an A.B. in history?)
You never served in our military as I and my now deceased army spouse did in Vietnam. Yes your son is in the Israeli Defense Forces but YOU never labored--ya know REAL work such as our carpenters, masons, electricians, trash collectors, health care provider.
No David you have always been an outside observer (You do channel Buckley well in this regard!) not one to get in the scrum of hard working Americans.
You have this lofty view of a country that does NOT exist. When I sing the National Anthem it is ALWAYS at a baseball game. Am I thinking great patriotic thoughts? Do tears come to my eyes as I think “This is the greatest country in the world!” No it’s just part of the whole MLB experience--because in the 7th inning stretch I’ll sing again-“Take Me out to The Ballgame.”
I never think deeply about patriotism when I fly my American flag each day, or work with returning vets in getting them service dogs, or put in 70-80 hours a week as a family doc in an underserved (read poor) area of our country or with MSF in Africa.
Patriotism is being the best, most responsible citizen I can be! Plus I don’t hate people.
6
Sometimes, Mr. Brooks, you get things wrong. Conducting a protest during a ritual celebration of our national creed, e.g., the playing of the National Anthem before a sporting event, is not a challenge to the creed, it is a challenge to the gap between the gap and the reality. There is no better time to consider that gap than when we are affirming our creed.
4
"Many schools no longer teach American history" Is this true?
1
--------------------------------------
Shocked that David could get this so wrong.
His stance is akin to, though more literate, than the commenter the other day who decried these anthem protests writing:
Millions of American servicemen and women gave up their lives to support your freedom and Constitutional right to kneel or sit rather than stand for the anthem. You are disrespecting them and their sacrifice by not standing!
Huh?! :-)
This is the type of twisted logic that runs bright through blind patriotism. It's the people who kneel that are honoring the sacrifice, by exercising their 1st amendment rights, the freedoms the others died for.
In contrast, those people who simply stand, without thinking, doing so in a mindless, herd mentality, are the ones who disrespect the work, lives, and deaths of our soldiers.
An authoritarian demand that all stand is Fascism, not democracy!
------------------------------------
P.S. Keep in mind that the military pays the NFL and the NBA millions of dollars for pre-game patriotic, military-centered ceremonies! They are engaged in willful propaganda. That alone makes kneeling an even greater imperative!
-----------------------------------
Shocked that David could get this so wrong.
His stance is akin to, though more literate, than the commenter the other day who decried these anthem protests writing:
Millions of American servicemen and women gave up their lives to support your freedom and Constitutional right to kneel or sit rather than stand for the anthem. You are disrespecting them and their sacrifice by not standing!
Huh?! :-)
This is the type of twisted logic that runs bright through blind patriotism. It's the people who kneel that are honoring the sacrifice, by exercising their 1st amendment rights, the freedoms the others died for.
In contrast, those people who simply stand, without thinking, doing so in a mindless, herd mentality, are the ones who disrespect the work, lives, and deaths of our soldiers.
An authoritarian demand that all stand is Fascism, not democracy!
------------------------------------
P.S. Keep in mind that the military pays the NFL and the NBA millions of dollars for pre-game patriotic, military-centered ceremonies! They are engaged in willful propaganda. That alone makes kneeling an even greater imperative!
-----------------------------------
3
MILLIONS of Americans have not died in US wars! Rather, about 1.1 million.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/many-americans-died-u-s-wars/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/many-americans-died-u-s-wars/
You're not counting Native Americans.
1
David Brooks is even more ignorant than I thought. The idea of a national creed and the benefits of religion is 100% counter to what many of the key founding fathers believed and how religion was used to justify genocide and much other evil over the centuries (just as religion is often used that way today).
I have a reading assignment for Brooks:
Howard Zinn, "A People's History of the United States"
At the same time he should read Richard Hofstadter's famous essay, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" (which is available online).
I have a reading assignment for Brooks:
Howard Zinn, "A People's History of the United States"
At the same time he should read Richard Hofstadter's famous essay, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" (which is available online).
1
What are the origins of our "crisis of solidarity?" I would argue that those most invested in the symbols of the civic religion are those who have also been most invested in maintaining the institutionalized privilege of a certain light-skinned group of people. Those leaning towards white nationalism, whether or not they are fully conscious of the implications of their politics, are unlikely to be open to calls for justice if they were only couched in traditional patriotic language.
3
Let's just tackle a few of these false claims:
"This column is directed at all the high school football players...."
- No, it's clearly not, and invoking that theme is patronizing
"This civic religion was based on a moral premise - that all men are created equal"
- As long as you are white. Oh, and sorry women. Not your time yet.
"Recently, the civic religion has been under assault."
-How dare anyone question our American reality, and shed light on injustice
"If these common rituals are insulted, other people won’t be motivated to right your injustices because they’ll be less likely to feel that you are part of their story."
- I don't think even you believed this while writing it
"When you stand and sing the national anthem, you are building solidarity"
- When you peacefully protest, you are doing the same.
This is not your best work David, far from it
"This column is directed at all the high school football players...."
- No, it's clearly not, and invoking that theme is patronizing
"This civic religion was based on a moral premise - that all men are created equal"
- As long as you are white. Oh, and sorry women. Not your time yet.
"Recently, the civic religion has been under assault."
-How dare anyone question our American reality, and shed light on injustice
"If these common rituals are insulted, other people won’t be motivated to right your injustices because they’ll be less likely to feel that you are part of their story."
- I don't think even you believed this while writing it
"When you stand and sing the national anthem, you are building solidarity"
- When you peacefully protest, you are doing the same.
This is not your best work David, far from it
5
Those first settlers included some seriously intolerant sorts. The Puritans were not entirely nice people. See The Scarlet Letter as an example, and the Witch Trials for others.
The important point in athletics today is to avoid the football (soccer) hooliganism known as "The English Disease" as rowdies turn violent and ruin the sporting event.
The key is "We are all here in this together." We have a common ceremony before, and afterward players shake hands in another ceremony.
It does not matter if some go silent and kneel during the Anthem, rather than go silent and stand. It is enough that they join in the ceremony of silence and symbolism.
If they have a (silent) political statement of tolerance and good will to make during that ceremony, so much the better. That is the point.
The important point in athletics today is to avoid the football (soccer) hooliganism known as "The English Disease" as rowdies turn violent and ruin the sporting event.
The key is "We are all here in this together." We have a common ceremony before, and afterward players shake hands in another ceremony.
It does not matter if some go silent and kneel during the Anthem, rather than go silent and stand. It is enough that they join in the ceremony of silence and symbolism.
If they have a (silent) political statement of tolerance and good will to make during that ceremony, so much the better. That is the point.
4
Mr. Brooks: I'm a Vietnam veteran who, with many similar veterans of my era, grieves for my country and ponders the meaning of patriotism on a regular and tragic basis, having been permanently exiled from whatever America means by the horrible lie of a war into which I was conscripted. Weekly on TV we see the national anthem introduce professional sports in tandem with dangerous militarism, conflating them into one big faux-patriotic experience. As Tommie Smith and John Carlos protested in the 1968 Olympics, so Colin Kaepernick has the right to political protest regarding our vast inequality. I only hope that Mr. Kaepernick and other pro athletes reaping such high salaries are also contributing to the United Negro College Fund and other charities to help the poor and neglected.
173
"I only hope that Mr. Kaepernick and other pro athletes reaping such high salaries are also contributing to the United Negro College Fund and other charities to help the poor and neglected."
I can't speak to Mr Kaepernick's finances, but I know that LeBron James, who has also been outspoken on several social issues including Black Lives Matter, is extremely involved in charitable work in and around his hometown of Akron. He has spent a great deal of his time and money providing scholarships and support services for kids who are growing up in similar circumstances to his own youth.
I can't speak to Mr Kaepernick's finances, but I know that LeBron James, who has also been outspoken on several social issues including Black Lives Matter, is extremely involved in charitable work in and around his hometown of Akron. He has spent a great deal of his time and money providing scholarships and support services for kids who are growing up in similar circumstances to his own youth.
Why do we play/sing the national anthem at sporting events but not at movies, the theater, concerts, etc. Do sports fans need to be reminded of their patriotism more than fans of the arts? The concept of the national anthem at sporting events is an anachronism that should end.
Too often Americans conflate sports contests & war.
"We won", "we lost", when they didn't even play.
"We won", "we lost", when they didn't even play.
If our "crisis of solidarity" is so acute that it means people should feel compelled, by law or by social pressure (I put your argument, Mr. Brooks, in the latter category), to conform, then it becomes a hollow gesture. Democracy is difficult, for many reasons. One is that it not only allows its citizens to protest, it urges them to do so. That is the true common ritual.
4
I feel we are already on a path to social breakdown in this country. I no longer feel the unity that once was my country. We need to think in terms of assimilation, not separateness.
1
"By 1776, this fusion of radical hope and radical self-criticism had become the country’s civic religion. This civic religion was based on a moral premise — that all men are created equal — and pointed toward a vision of a promised land — a place where your family or country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities."
Ummmmm.....slavery.
This just might be the dumbest thing David Brooks has ever written.
Ummmmm.....slavery.
This just might be the dumbest thing David Brooks has ever written.
5
David Brooks - I am left speechless and will leave it to other commenters to help you understand the many, many problems of asking anyone who is not white and male to rely on "American Patriotism" to save us all.
7
I have always been suspect of displays of nationalism and excessive patriotism. It makes me think of nothing so much as all the good Germans saluting Mr. Hitler. Nationalism has led to some horrifying consequences. Just play football--leave the anthem out of it.
5
Please do not pretend this country was founded only by morally upright Puritans. The rapacious Virginia Company, the seemingly pious but quite happily slaveholding Catholic Marylanders and mercantilist New Amsterdam were all central to our founding as well. The violence and morality of those communities has had as much influence as the Puritans. Many of our founding fathers were their descendants. The story of America is complicated. While the aspiration of the anthem is admirable let’s not ignore the hypocrisy of unquestioningly parroting it.
A lot of us spend our time sleepwalking through the day. Let’s wake up and not let the anthem be one of those times. I’m proud to be American when I see people take a knee.
A lot of us spend our time sleepwalking through the day. Let’s wake up and not let the anthem be one of those times. I’m proud to be American when I see people take a knee.
4
A tired, racist, word salad was published by David Brooks yet again today.
3
Only 52% of Amwricans are proud of their country.
Goah!
David, do you think that if we slash the Koch brother's taxes even more that might help?
Goah!
David, do you think that if we slash the Koch brother's taxes even more that might help?
3
when th rich pay no taxes, all americans hearts will burst w pride for their country
if they havent starved to death before that
This article is the purest expression of white privilege I have ever seen. "Gosh guys, America has always been terrific (for me and my white friends)! Everyone (that I socialize with) thinks America is awesome! By kneeling during the anthem, you're making everyone love America less (by popping the bubble my friends & I live in)!"
I do agree with Mr. Brooks that people should unite in a sense of shared loyalty. He should really show some loyalty to his fellow Americans who are being mistreated by American society.
Kneel in solidarity with your fellow Americans David. Join in the new common rituals. Unite America again.
I do agree with Mr. Brooks that people should unite in a sense of shared loyalty. He should really show some loyalty to his fellow Americans who are being mistreated by American society.
Kneel in solidarity with your fellow Americans David. Join in the new common rituals. Unite America again.
7
Here false dichotomy - "You will strengthen Donald Trump’s ethnic nationalism, which erects barriers between Americans and which is the dark opposite of America’s traditional universal nationalism."
Ethnic nationalism is a specialty of Republicans as they continue their pandering to white supremacists, homophobes, and inane post-Civil War resentment against the victory of the Union (note the number of Confederate flags waved by Trump supporters). It is not people of color or gays that constructed or want these walls constructed against them, and oh, which party supports building an impossibly high wall with Mexico? Building walls between people is the entire point of the Republican party: "Divide and Conquer" said Julius Caesar.
The "crisis of solidarity" you write of is the aggressive agenda of the Republican party's divide-and-conquer strategy ever since Richard Nixon used red-baiting and the notorious "Southern Strategy".
Trump's overt appeals to white supremacists has resulted in his overwhelming support from Republican voters. The Civil War is not over and never was.
Ethnic nationalism is a specialty of Republicans as they continue their pandering to white supremacists, homophobes, and inane post-Civil War resentment against the victory of the Union (note the number of Confederate flags waved by Trump supporters). It is not people of color or gays that constructed or want these walls constructed against them, and oh, which party supports building an impossibly high wall with Mexico? Building walls between people is the entire point of the Republican party: "Divide and Conquer" said Julius Caesar.
The "crisis of solidarity" you write of is the aggressive agenda of the Republican party's divide-and-conquer strategy ever since Richard Nixon used red-baiting and the notorious "Southern Strategy".
Trump's overt appeals to white supremacists has resulted in his overwhelming support from Republican voters. The Civil War is not over and never was.
4
Actually, we have a persistent crisis of structural and systematic race-based exclusion that is felt in the hungry bellies of children and the pain of denial to access to health care, a good education and safe neighborhoods.
When you sit in protest while the anthem is playing, you are reminding us that there can be no solidarity while such racial bias, economic injustice, mass incarcerations, daily violence and abject poverty is the prevailing way of life for millions of Americans.
And what is radical about American is leads the world in gun deaths, is in last place on universal health care among developed societies, allows corporations and PACs of billionaires to control our politics, promotes a vacuous political campaigns, has a lame and useless Congress, a hobbled Supreme Court, and an obscene income equality.
So much for your civic lesson David. The high school football players to whom you addressed your message are much more advanced than you are when it comes to truly caring about America, and for making a statement about what it has become.
When you sit in protest while the anthem is playing, you are reminding us that there can be no solidarity while such racial bias, economic injustice, mass incarcerations, daily violence and abject poverty is the prevailing way of life for millions of Americans.
And what is radical about American is leads the world in gun deaths, is in last place on universal health care among developed societies, allows corporations and PACs of billionaires to control our politics, promotes a vacuous political campaigns, has a lame and useless Congress, a hobbled Supreme Court, and an obscene income equality.
So much for your civic lesson David. The high school football players to whom you addressed your message are much more advanced than you are when it comes to truly caring about America, and for making a statement about what it has become.
5
Ifin' y'all have a problem with American citizens peacefully protesting their government then y'all best go find yourselves another country.
6
The problem with Colin Kaepernick’s protest is that he links it to the Black Lives Matter protest over the “racial disparity” in police shootings. He says he will not stop kneeling until the shootings stop. But the Black Lives Matter protest is based on a false premise. Blacks make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, but about 25 percent of police shooting fatalities. The BLM movement uses this statistic to proclaim that police target blacks, but this is not the relevant statistic. The relevant statistic is that blacks make up about 37 percent of those arrested for violent crimes and about 25 percent of those shot and killed by police. The New York Times recently published a front-page article about a new study (“An Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences in Police Use of Force”) that shows no racial disparity in police-involved shootings. Each racial and ethnic group makes up about the same percent of police shooting fatalities as they do of arrests. Attributing the racial disparity in police shootings to white racism rather than its true cause—the racial disparity in violent crime rates—create racial animosity that serves no purpose.
3
There really is not much with which one can disagree in today’s column by David Brooks except, perhaps, the lack of fully appreciating how sincerely many young, black Americans currently feel they have a duty to demonstrate solidarity with other young black men who have been violently abused or killed.
Standing or kneeling or sitting during the playing of the national anthem is probably a reluctant gesture. These young athletes, however, have been conditioned by the hate-filled campaign of Donald Trump and the failure of some police departments to discipline bad cops to show publicly that they care.
The fact is, the people who express hate or dismissiveness towards black citizens are the same people most demonstrative in waving the flag in a show of phony patriotism. Making that connection is natural and logical on the part of the young black players.
Maybe the best solution for now is to tell young black athletes that they have every right in this great nation to decline to participate in singing and standing for The Star-Spangled Banner, but doing so in public shows disrespect for good Americans – many black – who sacrificed for the nation.
Tell them to demonstrate their disagreement by going into the locker room after warm-up and to come back onto the field after the anthem. There should be absolutely no discipline, and if their athletic ability is good enough, they should be in the starting lineup.
Standing or kneeling or sitting during the playing of the national anthem is probably a reluctant gesture. These young athletes, however, have been conditioned by the hate-filled campaign of Donald Trump and the failure of some police departments to discipline bad cops to show publicly that they care.
The fact is, the people who express hate or dismissiveness towards black citizens are the same people most demonstrative in waving the flag in a show of phony patriotism. Making that connection is natural and logical on the part of the young black players.
Maybe the best solution for now is to tell young black athletes that they have every right in this great nation to decline to participate in singing and standing for The Star-Spangled Banner, but doing so in public shows disrespect for good Americans – many black – who sacrificed for the nation.
Tell them to demonstrate their disagreement by going into the locker room after warm-up and to come back onto the field after the anthem. There should be absolutely no discipline, and if their athletic ability is good enough, they should be in the starting lineup.
3
Colin Kaepernick is a brave and unusual citizen. He capitalized on the national platform that was available to him, of which there are few and far between for the under heard voices in this country. He put his personal achievements in the U.S. to a bigger purpose on behalf of the country even though it put him at risk. And he held his ground as not many came quickly to his support. He is a model patriot putting the good of the nation ahead of any nationalistic rituals or ideologies.
4
The early settlers may have thought that God was directing them, but the later, enlightened founding fathers expressed no such sentiment. It's good to see young people begin to examine the subtle indoctrination that has been hanging over their shoulders since they were born. Time to take a stab at independent thinking. the kind of "patriotism" we see, today is nothing but nationalism and jingoism, both unfortunate expressions of loyalty to one's country.
1
Stand or sit, whatever be your pleasure. Protest is a good thing. Sometimes protest becomes the only voice of reason. Standing, or sitting, up for what you believe in is all that matters.
1
David Brooks really should provide the complete quote when he is quoting Abraham Lincoln. To do less, is a disservice to the memory of Abraham Lincoln. In this particular case, the "complete" Lincoln quote appears to serve the position taken and demonstration by Colin Kaepernick.
“If ever I feel the soul within me elevate and expand to those dimensions not wholly unworthy of its Divine Architect, it is when I contemplate the cause of my country, deserted by all the world beside, and I standing up boldly and alone, hurling defiance at her victorious oppressors."
January, 1840 debate in Springfield, Illinois (at the Presbyterian Church)
Source: “Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln and Notes of a Visit to California: Two Lectures” by Joshua F. Speed (1884)
“If ever I feel the soul within me elevate and expand to those dimensions not wholly unworthy of its Divine Architect, it is when I contemplate the cause of my country, deserted by all the world beside, and I standing up boldly and alone, hurling defiance at her victorious oppressors."
January, 1840 debate in Springfield, Illinois (at the Presbyterian Church)
Source: “Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln and Notes of a Visit to California: Two Lectures” by Joshua F. Speed (1884)
113
Wow! This is brilliant. Thank you SO much for correcting Brooks, who seems to have pulled a move right out of the right-wing playbook, distorting and misusing this great quote by failing to use it completely. Or maybe he failed to read it completely; his blind narcissistic jingoism at work so deeply, he no longer even sees words that don't align with his fantasies.
1
Thanks for that enlightenment.
Hear, hear. Thank you.
David, David, David. MLK's actions "gave people a sense of purpose", "bonded them together" and made them feel as if "they were part of the same story"? None of this happened, David.
3
This column is premature, only half thought through. The half that is thought through is fine--we live by ideals, by the ideals of justice and equality before the law, for example, and it states this well. The other half that needs to be thought through is how complicated this makes things when reality doesn't measure up to the ideals we all share, as is usually the case, given the nature of ideals. Sure, the kneeling of athletes at athletic events is likely futile and complicates the process of using athletic events to build community when community is in such short supply. Isn't that your point? It's unpleasant to think about racial injustice when one comes to an event where one hoped to vent one's tribal instincts by vanquishing the other tribe. Yes, indeed, it complicates and it's unpleasant. If it don't get in the way of one tribalism, it just gets in the way of t'other.
As to the 1/2 that has been thought out my response to the column is a sort of paraphrase of a review I once read of Jack Kerouac that went "Now Jack, Dear Jack, 1/2 an idea to a hundred pages, now Jack, dear Jack, that ain't fair wages, dear Jack, just to be told we should read Zen." You get the idea.
As to the 1/2 that has been thought out my response to the column is a sort of paraphrase of a review I once read of Jack Kerouac that went "Now Jack, Dear Jack, 1/2 an idea to a hundred pages, now Jack, dear Jack, that ain't fair wages, dear Jack, just to be told we should read Zen." You get the idea.
1
Replace "pulling a Kaepernick" with virtually any historic protest, such as Selma, and how is the conclusion any different? Protests are not comfortable with everyone, they're not supposed to be.
1
Typical establishment white male response.
1
American History is not taught in schools anymore? How and when did that happen? I knew Civics (the most important class any student could ever take to prepare them for voting - to at least understand the system) had bit the dust in many schools. But History? Wow.
I loved studying American History in school because I loved my country. But it wasn't until I was in my 40's and picked up Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" that I truly understood this country. We didn't get much of the 'dark side' of America in History classes. I wish the Zinn book could be used right along with the 'conquering' story. Then we'd have the full picture - and see where America must do more work to live up to it's original creed.
I fear for our country. This election cycle has proven we have a long way to go before we give ourselves even bigger pats on the back for being 'the good guys'. If Trump wins, that myth will disappear. And Fascism will rise. Never happen here? Yes, indeedy, it could. And we're on the verge of it happening.
Never Trump. Never.
I loved studying American History in school because I loved my country. But it wasn't until I was in my 40's and picked up Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" that I truly understood this country. We didn't get much of the 'dark side' of America in History classes. I wish the Zinn book could be used right along with the 'conquering' story. Then we'd have the full picture - and see where America must do more work to live up to it's original creed.
I fear for our country. This election cycle has proven we have a long way to go before we give ourselves even bigger pats on the back for being 'the good guys'. If Trump wins, that myth will disappear. And Fascism will rise. Never happen here? Yes, indeedy, it could. And we're on the verge of it happening.
Never Trump. Never.
2
The forward success of Black America in American society died on April 4, 1968. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr understood one important concept, you have to get people to empathize with the cause. Should I empathize with a cause that does not empathize with my beliefs?
Yes, if it is just (and it is).
1
David, I don't know that your intellectual appeal will reach the people it wishes to influence. You can't DECREE reverence. I agree that the continuation of our American experiment requires people continuing to participate in the social contract of peaceful membership and peaceful expressions of protest, etc, which is under assault from the whole Trump camp, as well. I don't know how to make the emotional appeal. I suppose that African-Americans will have to make it to other African-Americans, in the case of the young folks mentioned here. I agree that it's important! I hope we can do it!
The white male perspective on race relations gets a lot of print as always. I feel the NYT columnists in no way represent your readers anymore. I would like more diverse voices especially more women on the Opinion page.
2
False patriotism is a tool used by unscrupulous government leaders to keep their unthinking citizens in check.
1
David Brooks has been willfully obtuse and tone deaf before, but today takes the cake. How dare he? Brooks will never know the fear or discouragement of systematic racism. If he has a son, or grandson, he will never have to worry about said son or grandson being gunned down by Police with no repercussion. But yet he had the nerve to "whitesplain" how black people should choose to protest.
What alternate universe are we living in these days.
This has got to be a joke.
What alternate universe are we living in these days.
This has got to be a joke.
3
' First there is Patriotism, then follows Chauvinism, then follows Nationalism'
Marcel Reich Ranicki, famous German literature critic, Jewish, lost most of his realatives during the holocaust.
We do not need that.
Marcel Reich Ranicki, famous German literature critic, Jewish, lost most of his realatives during the holocaust.
We do not need that.
2
Wow, the university of Chicago says we're the "most patriotic" nation. Can't imagine a more ridiculous study, obviously based on extremely subjective criteria, rendering it as enlightening as determining which country has the best sense of humor or most fervently embraces artistic ideals. Everyone has there own notion of patriotism and, for my money, a professional athlete who risks his career and financial endorsements in order to bring attention to what he believes is unfair treatment of American citizens is much more patriotic than someone who condones brutality but wipes away a tear each time the anthem is played. I have a much different notion of scoundrels and patriots than Mr. Brook.
1
America's foundational "civic religion" was that all white men were created equal. Women and black people need not apply. And if you belonged to the right, state-sponsored church, you were a little more equal. Better yet, if you owned property, you were even a little more equal than that.
Is it any wonder that people of color are somewhat reluctant to fortify our national creed? Colin Kapernick has fostered a dialogue with his simple act that the apparent wrongful deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police were unable to do.
So, no, high school football players who are following his lead are not doing something that is extremely counterproductive. They are moving the conversation along. National solidarity can only come about if we talk to each other and, more importantly, if we listen to each other.
Stop preaching, Mr. Brooks, and start listening.
Is it any wonder that people of color are somewhat reluctant to fortify our national creed? Colin Kapernick has fostered a dialogue with his simple act that the apparent wrongful deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police were unable to do.
So, no, high school football players who are following his lead are not doing something that is extremely counterproductive. They are moving the conversation along. National solidarity can only come about if we talk to each other and, more importantly, if we listen to each other.
Stop preaching, Mr. Brooks, and start listening.
3
Well, singing the anthem "expresses solidarity" for David, and that is exactly what the opting out of singing is addressing - solidarity for what, exactly? It is intended to provoke some thought about what we stand in solidarity for, and not just rubber stamp. Without thought about what is being supported, singing the anthem is just a rote exercise.
4
It takes a lot more effort to take a knee than raise your hand. People take a knee to pray. I think it is admirable that these young students are paying attention to politics. These young people are our future. By taking a knee they are making a statement. We want a better tomorrow. We want a better America. We want an America for the rest of us.
5
AND, this is absolutely!! a NON VIOLENT protest!! (like the '68 Memphis strikers). Dr. King, Gandhi, Mandela are proud, I think. &, let's remember a LOT of young black boys & men are gone now from bullets..
Mr. Brooks I would argue that if we as a country are headed toward an era of post-nationalism, this is no cause for worry. Indeed a mentality of true globalism, which embraces the notion that American greatness for the continued pursuit of our founding creed need not to come at the expense of our global brothers and sisters. That if we are all in fact "in this together" that together in this case is not merely a reference to America, and the unison we must seek should not be limited to our national borders.
2
This is as tone deaf a piece as you have ever written, Mr. Brooks, and that's saying a lot. You speak in the future tense -- we WILL lose the sense that we're all in this together -- when vast swathes of the country feel as though they never were in this in the first place. Think of the African American experience -- taken from the places where they were born, not lured by the promise of a land of opportunity. Enslaved, forced into the white gene pool through monstrous crimes against their women, then forced to carry the legacy of those crimes in their own bodies. Shoved to the back of the bus. Applications to the elite institutions that the David Brooks of the world take as their birth right, either tossed aside or shunted to the bottom of the pile. Jobs open to whites only. Housing reserved for people of a certain genotype, one that is not theirs.
Where were you when the halls of power were stocked only with white faces? Were you concerned about the illusory fabric of America unraveling then? Where was your indignation when blacks were earning pennies on every dollar that their white counterparts made?
There was no indignation. There was silence. There was complicity. Now, when the cash cow of thirty some odd billionaires might be tipped because of a minuscule gesture from a backup quarterback on a lower-tier team, now of all times you choose to be indignant. And choose to lecture the black community as if they were children. Shame on you Mr. Brooks.
Where were you when the halls of power were stocked only with white faces? Were you concerned about the illusory fabric of America unraveling then? Where was your indignation when blacks were earning pennies on every dollar that their white counterparts made?
There was no indignation. There was silence. There was complicity. Now, when the cash cow of thirty some odd billionaires might be tipped because of a minuscule gesture from a backup quarterback on a lower-tier team, now of all times you choose to be indignant. And choose to lecture the black community as if they were children. Shame on you Mr. Brooks.
250
Very well said! Thank you for your passion and honesty and excellent writing.
I find quite interesting that those who protest the protest display no outrage at the treatment or lack there of, of veterans coming back from war going back many, many decades. When my dad and his black comrades at war came back from fighting for their country, they came home to even worse racism and persecution. Where was the outrage for the way they were treated? Peaceful protest is one of the rights that make this country great.
1
I believe in "Liberty and Justice for all" I also believe in good manners in a civil society. I always stand for our anthem and flag.
I also feel that we have become a fearful people who have abandoned Liberty and Justice along with our respect for ourselves and each other out of fear and a lack of leadership. I think there is a connection.
I also feel that we have become a fearful people who have abandoned Liberty and Justice along with our respect for ourselves and each other out of fear and a lack of leadership. I think there is a connection.
1
What seems not to be getting through all the cultural static is that we are still the land of greatest heritage and opportunity despite the inevitable having to move over for the rise of other nations. While I don't think we all must become neo-Spenglerians, how else to regard some aspects of globalism we either do not understand enough to adapt or else cannot avoid blaming somebody or something that we have in error taken for granted.
Last night on PBS a woman speaking for the cuturally and economically lost stated that Trump was a bull in the china shop but that we need one to shake things up because the economy is not working and so on. Figuratively, the insurance company will not pay if you invite a vandal in to destry the place. You will be left to gloat amidst your ruin.
Last night on PBS a woman speaking for the cuturally and economically lost stated that Trump was a bull in the china shop but that we need one to shake things up because the economy is not working and so on. Figuratively, the insurance company will not pay if you invite a vandal in to destry the place. You will be left to gloat amidst your ruin.
1
David,
On the money, as usual. The anthem (for whatever reason it is played) and our reaction to it is our solidarity. Recall 9/11 and the aftermath of flags and rousing renditions.
Also, the anthem and flag are about the ideals -- do these objectors want to amend the Constitution? I think not -- they are frustrated by the failure to live up to the ideals. So laud the ideals, and find a way to protest the failures.
I also should add that especially for football players, where "taking a knee" is a sign of surrender, their gesture is disturbing.
On the money, as usual. The anthem (for whatever reason it is played) and our reaction to it is our solidarity. Recall 9/11 and the aftermath of flags and rousing renditions.
Also, the anthem and flag are about the ideals -- do these objectors want to amend the Constitution? I think not -- they are frustrated by the failure to live up to the ideals. So laud the ideals, and find a way to protest the failures.
I also should add that especially for football players, where "taking a knee" is a sign of surrender, their gesture is disturbing.
1
I disagree, Mr. Brooks. Kneeling for the anthem and the flag is more patriotic than following the empty customs of patriotism. "Liberty and Justice for all" - when that phrase is fulfilled in reality, THEN maybe we will stand for the bellicose anthem whose third verse reveals our national sin and shame. Meanwhile, at the new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C, a statue of Thomas Jefferson stands in front of the names of the over 600 people he owned in his lifetime.
People have already become strangers to one another and interact in cold instrumentalist terms. There is nothing colder and more instrumentalist than a gun wielded by a state officer against a black citizen. The difference between your patriotism and true love of American principles is the difference between religiosity and true principled faith. What you call for is religiosity on the part of the oppressed rather than religion from their oppressors.
1
Isn't dropping to one knee just the respectful living out of the classic American struggle which Mr. Brooks holds up as a model of behavior?
And those who express their patriotism by arming themselves against the institutions of the country for which they claim patriotism?
1
David writes about the New England colonists and their holy experiment, but forgets to mention Jamestown and the Chesapeake, founded not on religious beliefs but on the pursuit of wealth. Southern colonists consciously and ruthlessly exploited slavery for their own bottom line. And the legacy of that profit over people model, which fed racism and discrimination, is still too much a part of our society and culture. Civil protest to argue against the abuses in our country is not unpatriotic. On the contrary. It is a most American form of patriotism.
What makes me proud is that this country has a great Constitution, justice system, institutions, etc. On paper it is a marvel.
But this wonderful justice system is not applied equally to all people everywhere in every county in every state. That is not justice and that does not make me proud. And when I consider highlights from the actual history of the United States such as the genocide of the native Americans, slavery, The War Between the States, Jim Crow, the KKK and the Ludlow and other labor massacres, I am not proud. And when I look at the current state of the union as a polarized nation of blue and red states and people with ongoing racism, homophobia, hypocritical religiosity, capital punishment, guns, guns and more guns, great doctors but a lousy health care system and then only for some of us, a quagmire of foreign entanglements, a government for and by the wealthy and a borderline lunatic on the verge of being our next president, I am not proud.
I am long past the draft age and if I wanted to enlist, I would be rejected. But I try to imagine those circumstances under which I would be willing to fight and possibly die for my country besides in response after a foreign attack. Was there anything after World War II except a brief excursion into Afghanistan following 9/11 that could be justified sending ground troops into harm's way? Yet, this country has been sending brave men to die non-stop and for what? For ExxonMobil? For Halliburton? I am not proud.
But this wonderful justice system is not applied equally to all people everywhere in every county in every state. That is not justice and that does not make me proud. And when I consider highlights from the actual history of the United States such as the genocide of the native Americans, slavery, The War Between the States, Jim Crow, the KKK and the Ludlow and other labor massacres, I am not proud. And when I look at the current state of the union as a polarized nation of blue and red states and people with ongoing racism, homophobia, hypocritical religiosity, capital punishment, guns, guns and more guns, great doctors but a lousy health care system and then only for some of us, a quagmire of foreign entanglements, a government for and by the wealthy and a borderline lunatic on the verge of being our next president, I am not proud.
I am long past the draft age and if I wanted to enlist, I would be rejected. But I try to imagine those circumstances under which I would be willing to fight and possibly die for my country besides in response after a foreign attack. Was there anything after World War II except a brief excursion into Afghanistan following 9/11 that could be justified sending ground troops into harm's way? Yet, this country has been sending brave men to die non-stop and for what? For ExxonMobil? For Halliburton? I am not proud.
Music, especially group singing, is a very powerful tool to display a collective sentiment, for example, as evidenced in the power of the Poles singing in Gdansk shipyards and churches and elsewhere during the "Solidarity" Movement in then Soviet-controlled Poland. They sang in unity to signify that they were united toward a common goal; they worked together, and succeeded, despite of the differences among them. Mr. Brooks is not advocating the suppression of freedom of speech at all. Singing our anthem together does not mean that we are saying that our country is perfect; Mr. Brooks is asking us to display our unity in working together toward a more perfect union, despite our differences.
2
Well done, Mr. Brooks.
I hope you contemplated the kind of feedback you would receive from publishing such an opinion piece. It still must be frustrating, however, that the majority of those people completely missed your point.
I hope you contemplated the kind of feedback you would receive from publishing such an opinion piece. It still must be frustrating, however, that the majority of those people completely missed your point.
3
"Americans know less about their history and creed and are less likely to be fervent believers in it" - You couldn't be more mistaken. First off, the problem is that people do know more about what the "secret government" has done and is doing, and they are horrified by it. Extrajudicial killing by police and secret military interventions are just the tip of the iceberg. Secondly, the American history we were taught in high school is pure pablum and propaganda. Things like southern reconstruction and the role of the KKK completely whitewashed or left out. You did correctly call out the dualism between "my country right or wrong" and the desire to atone for our sins. Fortunately, the pendulum is swinging back towards atonement.
1
The advantages of being a mixed blood United States Citizen is I can choose which I want to be on any particular day. Today I choose to be Anishinabe. The European settlers treated this land as their private garbage can.
Protests are the very first steps toward healing that that needs healing. I salute the Blacks and American Indian that protest the injustices past and present. Vini Vidi Vici is an accurate description of the problem.
Protests are the very first steps toward healing that that needs healing. I salute the Blacks and American Indian that protest the injustices past and present. Vini Vidi Vici is an accurate description of the problem.
"Many schools no longer teach American history, so students never learn the facts and tenets of their creed. "
Really? This just doesn't seem possible. How many is "many" schools ? Four?
Really? This just doesn't seem possible. How many is "many" schools ? Four?
1
I think "owning" this, our America is an amazing privilege but I wonder how I would feel if I were a young black man. I think Mr Kaepernik has shown a leadership of strength & courage. This leadership and freedom of voice is exactly the "tie" that binds we Americans and tethers us to this place & time. If we don't align with his position or actions we can reflect & discuss our concerns & grievances. This distinguishes us from all other sovereign nations and is what we continue to fight for. Those who cannot endorse his actions need to consider why he, who apparently has all the "benefits" of being an American would take such a stand. I believe he wants a better America.
1
A comment and a question:
1. I support peaceful protest and the important conversations arising because of that protest.
2. Although he writes this column attempting to speak to "all the high school football players.. who are pulling a Kaepernick" is there a high school football player in this country who reads David Brooks?
1. I support peaceful protest and the important conversations arising because of that protest.
2. Although he writes this column attempting to speak to "all the high school football players.. who are pulling a Kaepernick" is there a high school football player in this country who reads David Brooks?
1
Better black, and some white, football players peacefully protesting than turning to more radical and violent means. Any expected or forced reverence is empty.
Brooks' fluent, smooth flowing writing omits certain essential facts which would put SF's quarterback's gesture, that of a "enfant gate,"into a more realistic perspective. First,CK coyly waited until AFTER he signed a lucrative contract before making his quixotic gesture of not standing for the National Anthem. Second,CK is making more money professional footballers attached to west African teams put together. Entire budgets of Black Stars and Royal Oaks, 2 of Ghana's best, would not come close to what SF player makes in a single season. Average monthly salary of a Ghanain player, grosso modo, is $900.00.There r no "no cut" clauses in contract, and if u r injured, no Workmen's Comp., and a meager compensation from ownership. U r left on ur own.In Boke,Guinea taught French to adults aspiring to become elementary school teachers--no other TFA could handle it--and had several ex footballers in my class cut by their teams and who had few resources left. OPUKU NTI , greatest footballer in Ghanaian history, was earning equivalent of $600.00 and no golden parachute when he hung up his spikes.Michael Essien, No. 2 in terms of talent on the field, known as the "Rubber Man" for his agility, earned equivalent of $1,000.00 at retirement.If SF q.b. really wanted to back a just cause, he should lend his support to African players who r just as gifted, just as fearless as himself, and who would really appreciate "soutient" from their fellow professional athletes in the US.
3
This column is directed at high school football players in the same sense that Donald Trump's outreach to minorities is directed towards those groups.
2
Mr. Brooks, I think this is one of your best columns ever. I am mortified by the vitriol directed at you and the sentiment of this column in the comments section. It speaks of a very badly fractured country where one's nobility is increased by one's ability to indict America. E pluribus unum? Less every day. I stand with the flag, I stand for the anthem.
39
That is your right, but I intend to continue to assert my right not to do so. I strongly support restoring "E Pluribus Unum" as our national motto to replace the overtly sectarian religious motto chosen by Congress in the 1950's to replace it, "In God We Trust."
1
The anthem and the flag can bring tears to my eyes, warmth in my heart, and a great sense of security in that a greater sense is not known or conceived of in my mind. America is righteous because of freedoms extended. I love this country with great pride and conviction as a naturalized U.S citizen because of what America represents; freedoms extended - not always implemented - but protected as rights for all, to continue this young country's quest for a more perfect union. Not a lock step fall in line shut up and do what we say society, but when just reason exists, to question and oppose, to challenge, to protest; it is sacred, its is American. It is what we fought against 240 years ago - tyranny. The Bill of Rights protects the singular or lone voice or minority voice from being mistreated or stomped down by masses; that is exactly what they are for. Equality. It is unpatriotic to have a problem with the act of protest for just reason. To expect fall in line because of tradition and large corporate dollars and military promotion (commercial sport events are not military exercises) is counter to everything this country and the flag and the anthem stands for. To expect anything else moves towards tyranny.
1
Fresh out of meaningful ideas for an op/er piece, Mr. Brooks? With everything that's going on in this country (including and especially Donald Josephine Trump), the kerfuffle over Mr. Kaepernick's refusal to kneel while our anthem is being played barely even rates a mention. The Star Spangled Banner is, in the end, just a song, and not even a particularly catchy one. There's no law requiring that we stand or kneel or sing while the Anthem is played, just as there's no law dictating that it be played at football games in the first place. As for patriotism, each of us has his or her own idea as to what that means and whether it's merited by this nation or any other (imagine being a citizen of the DRK and being required to sing that country's national anthem!). No one questions Mr. Brooks' definition of patriotism or his right to sing the Star Spangled Banner, the Internationale or Deutschland Uber Alles as per his own preference. He can respond by leaving the rest of us alone to make our own decisions on how (or whether) to express our love of country.
4
So our country was founded on self-criticism, but now that founding principle cannot be tolerated. Got it.
4
First, it's interesting to remember (or learn for the first time) that the tune of the Star Spangled Banner originated as the anthem of an English gentlemen's drinking club, "Anacreon in Heaven." There is a reason no one can sing those high notes, "and the rockets red glare" : originally these were sung in falsetto by a man parodying the Greek god of debauchery. Hardly patriotic, but a call to comic, drunken rowdiness - "Then over each head My Laurels I'll spread"
Second, many people came to the New World in the 1600s either as a result of colonialism (think Jamestown, Williamsburg, New Amsterdam) or because the cod fishing was a whole lot better. Nothing to do with religious idealism.
Mr. Brooks jumps suddenly from about 1620 to 1776 without mentioning that during this time, beginning in New England and spreading westward into the 20th century, European-Americans were systematically pushing Native Americans out of the way, and, if not exterminating them, confining them to reservations in the most out of the way places. Well, unless gold happened to be discovered in those places, then we pushed them out again.
Ask an Italian immigrant in 1914 about life in the US, and she would tell you about the exploitive working conditions in the textile mills in Lawrence, MA. Anyone who refuses to sing The Star Spangled Banner (oh, how many times do we have to suffer through someone not being able to reach those high notes?) is inspiring the rest of us to rethink what patriotism means.
Second, many people came to the New World in the 1600s either as a result of colonialism (think Jamestown, Williamsburg, New Amsterdam) or because the cod fishing was a whole lot better. Nothing to do with religious idealism.
Mr. Brooks jumps suddenly from about 1620 to 1776 without mentioning that during this time, beginning in New England and spreading westward into the 20th century, European-Americans were systematically pushing Native Americans out of the way, and, if not exterminating them, confining them to reservations in the most out of the way places. Well, unless gold happened to be discovered in those places, then we pushed them out again.
Ask an Italian immigrant in 1914 about life in the US, and she would tell you about the exploitive working conditions in the textile mills in Lawrence, MA. Anyone who refuses to sing The Star Spangled Banner (oh, how many times do we have to suffer through someone not being able to reach those high notes?) is inspiring the rest of us to rethink what patriotism means.
1
"Many schools no longer teach American history..." Really? It is a requirement for graduation in public schools. Charter and private schools are not required to teach it, but public schools must. I must be among the 48 percent who are not particularly proud of my country at this time. With half of my fellow citizens, including the likes of David Duke, salivating about a Trump presidency, how could I be?
2
I understand and agree with your appeal to solidarity. However, standing at a sporting event while someone else sings the "National Anthem" and waiting until you can start cheering and drowning out the end of the song does not grow solidarity. It's too easy. Reaching out to one's neighbors and working to get across lines that divide us grows the community/national spirit we need, and I hope people care enough to make it happen.
2
Thanks for the whitesplaining, Dave!
3
On the other hand, if our national anthem didn't glorify war it might be more inspirational for some of us. America the Beautiful praises our country in a less violent way.
1
Glorify war? That's a good one. So, just because the setting is a battle, war is being glorified? Is war being glorified when this or any other newspaper covers, say, the Syrian civil war? Pro tip: if you want to glorify war, you'd be better off using words that actually describe the battle in detail, not the flag waving in the breeze above the battle.
(America the Beautiful - the Ray Charles version - is a great song.)
(America the Beautiful - the Ray Charles version - is a great song.)
2
Oh those amber waves of genetically modified grains!
1
I'm pretty sure the first thought that many Europeans had when arriving in this country was "how can I take this land from these people already living here whom I consider inferior, for as little as possible, to my own enrichment." Then, a few years later, some more of the Europeans thought that it would be nice to have some inexpensive labor to help them work their recently acquired land, but they didn't want the help to get any of that land.
So after exterminating the natives and bringing in the slaves, Europeans said, "let us all be equal." And by "us" they meant, white, Protestant, land-owning men. Then they said, let us fight to kill, jail, subjugate and take from anyone who disagrees that we are the ones who should be at the top of the food chain. This, with bombs bursting in air, is how patriotism came to be defined. Now we are offered the opportunity to "make America great again" -- gee, wonder who that is intended to benefit?
So young black men of America, I admire your peaceful, symbolic and meaningful protest against this false notion of "patriotism." I look forward to David Brooks seeing the light.
So after exterminating the natives and bringing in the slaves, Europeans said, "let us all be equal." And by "us" they meant, white, Protestant, land-owning men. Then they said, let us fight to kill, jail, subjugate and take from anyone who disagrees that we are the ones who should be at the top of the food chain. This, with bombs bursting in air, is how patriotism came to be defined. Now we are offered the opportunity to "make America great again" -- gee, wonder who that is intended to benefit?
So young black men of America, I admire your peaceful, symbolic and meaningful protest against this false notion of "patriotism." I look forward to David Brooks seeing the light.
152
Mr. Brooks the most offensive thing I see is high school football teams PRAYING - as if some god thinks their winning a game is something of importance.
Mr. Kaepernick is calling attention to the wholesale slaughter of black people by bad cops. That is a worthy cause.
Mr. Kaepernick is calling attention to the wholesale slaughter of black people by bad cops. That is a worthy cause.
14
The problem with patriotism is it's too often used to stymie efforts to improve our society and to gin up or backstop support for foreign adventures not in our national interest. It's use as an ad hominem attack on those who simply have different views breeds an animosity that serves to further divide us and inhibits the compromise our system of government requires to be effective.
3
Mr. Brooks claims we have "a crisis of solidarity." But he doesn't mention that dividing the country has been a hallmark of Republican politics for decades.
For Republicans, it's "Real America" vs. those snobby elitists on the coasts. It's those "welfare queens" that are ripping off honest, hardworking folk in the heartland. It's the "gay agenda" vs. those faithful believers in the Bible Belt. It's the 47% of the country that are "takers" dragging down the "makers."
Yes, Mr. Brooks. There is a crisis of solidarity. Your party built that.
For Republicans, it's "Real America" vs. those snobby elitists on the coasts. It's those "welfare queens" that are ripping off honest, hardworking folk in the heartland. It's the "gay agenda" vs. those faithful believers in the Bible Belt. It's the 47% of the country that are "takers" dragging down the "makers."
Yes, Mr. Brooks. There is a crisis of solidarity. Your party built that.
14
Well said. As a veteran I served and fought to preserve what we have achieved. Certainly we're not perfect, but we are on a journey toward that end. It is a continuous process.
Mr. Kaepernick needs to channel his frustration in a positive, more constructive way. Hold a press conference. Volunteer. Speak to kids; both white and black. Educate.
Mr. Kaepernick needs to channel his frustration in a positive, more constructive way. Hold a press conference. Volunteer. Speak to kids; both white and black. Educate.
1
But he has started the dialog. That is needed and we shouldn't miss the opportunity it presents.
"We’re expressing gratitude for our ancestors and what they left us. We’re expressing commitment to the nation’s ideals, which we have not yet fulfilled."
"We will lose the sense that we’re all in this together. We’ll lose the sense of shared loyalty to ideas bigger and more transcendent than our own short lives."
Written like an economically privileged, white male. Our ancestors left many 'great' things for white men. Maybe not everyone agrees with the ideal that women and people of color are worth less than the great white males. This article could not be more tone deaf to the very context that has inspired people to stand up for themselves as human beings and Americans. Much of America still considers whites more American than people of color.
"We will lose the sense that we’re all in this together. We’ll lose the sense of shared loyalty to ideas bigger and more transcendent than our own short lives."
Written like an economically privileged, white male. Our ancestors left many 'great' things for white men. Maybe not everyone agrees with the ideal that women and people of color are worth less than the great white males. This article could not be more tone deaf to the very context that has inspired people to stand up for themselves as human beings and Americans. Much of America still considers whites more American than people of color.
13
Those who kneel DO feel that some/many are regularly EXcluded from the 'ALL' in "We're All in this together." That is their point!!
&, as I see little (even 3 & 4 year olds) darker-shaded boys overlooked or quieted down when they seek to express their opinions, it appears to give credence to the picture that some are regularly EXcluded!!
&, as I see little (even 3 & 4 year olds) darker-shaded boys overlooked or quieted down when they seek to express their opinions, it appears to give credence to the picture that some are regularly EXcluded!!
Sorry David, this is just shallow thinking. We don't praise symbols in this country, we praise the rights and freedoms those symbols are supposed to represent.
11
Do not protest racism because it is counter productive? Hogwash. Remember that all evil needs to flourish is for good people to do nothing.
16
Let me suggest another use of patriotism Mr. Brooks as described by Jeffrey Toobin in the 9/15/2016 New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/colin-kaepernick-and-a-landm...
It was expressed by the SCOTUS in 1943 at the height of WW II regarding saluting the flag and reciting the pledge of allegiance. In short “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.” It had reversed itself in just 3 years on that matter.
Now that's solidarity. And yes this is a radical place.
It was expressed by the SCOTUS in 1943 at the height of WW II regarding saluting the flag and reciting the pledge of allegiance. In short “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.” It had reversed itself in just 3 years on that matter.
Now that's solidarity. And yes this is a radical place.
2
This mythic America that half-Canadian DB cites is very different from the Native American-killing, anti-Catholic, enslavers of people of color, persecutors of Italian, Irish, Polish, jewish citizens and interners of citizens of Japanese descent that I know from history.
Really, DB, you're giving lessons on patriotism to a black man?
Really, DB, you're giving lessons on patriotism to a black man?
3
In the 1950's, one in 200 Virginians was foreign-born; today, that figure is one in nine. My guess is that the Carters of Virginia feel more connected to the soil than the recent arrivals from India, Bosnia, etc. Nevertheless, it seems to be the blacks in America, many of whose forebears toiled under the Carters hundreds of years ago, who are protesting the national anthem. It is inescapable that this "unpatriotic" movement is occurring at the end of the second term of the first black president. It is reasonable to ask why.
For me patriotism has been hurt by all the uber-patriotic groups that use it to push their ideologies in your face. Look at at all the bikers with American flags flying off their bikes and pickups with flags flying. I ask myself why do I need a flag flying on a bike in my own country? It is just a form of intimidation just like all those pictures you see in Germany in the 1930s, all those parades were saturated with flags of the group claiming the patriotic high ground. Using patriotism as a tool for your ideologies is what diminishes it.
3
"This civic religion was based on a moral premise — that all men are created equal — and pointed toward a vision of a promised land — a place where your family or country of origin would have no bearing on your opportunities".
Unless you were Native American and the original people in this country, in which case you were slaughtered by arms and disease by these people that "believed" that all men are created equal.
Unless you were Native American and the original people in this country, in which case you were slaughtered by arms and disease by these people that "believed" that all men are created equal.
4
It's worth sitting during/ignoring the national anthem at all occasions. Not just to draw attention to the real injustices in our country, but because nationalism is creepy and evil. Loyalty ceremonies to the state belong in places like North Korea, not in the land of the free (and certainly not before every sporting event).
6
So, your advice is "Suck it up, all you angry people, because you're ruining our myth that America is just one big united happy family"?