Some musings from an Un-American

I thought I would write about a little experience I had this weekend while on holiday in the Miami area.

But first, some background:  I'm an American citizen who was born and raised abroad.  My first real extended stay in this country was for college, at a small liberal arts school in New England.  Since then, I've lived in a few different parts of the country:  mid-Atlantic coast, Southeast and now West Coast.

While I feel like I've really come to identify with being American over the last 10 years, I still feel distinctly foreign at times.  This weekend was one such time.  The area we were staying at was just outside of Fort Lauderdale, FL.  We went to an IHOP for breakfast one morning - the place was packed.  And while the crowd was quite racially diverse, everyone seemed to possess a common thread: a distinct American-ness about them that I couldn't see in myself.  It prompted me to muse, rather patronizingly, that these were the kinds of unthinking hordes that would enable a man like GW Bush to even get close to the office of the presidency.

So, I was much chastened a few moments later, when the group seated in the booth behind mine started to talk about the situation in Iraq.  They were 2 elderly white couples.  One of the women started to talk about the recent helicopter downings and how horrible it was that our young people were dying for such an ill-defined cause.  Then, one of the men mentioned that there had been nearly 200 killed in combat over there, to which the first woman responded that the real number of killed was close to 400.  They went on to discuss the situation in more detail, mentioning so-and-so's grandson was over there etc.  The conversation ended with the first woman saying, "That Bush - I've lost faith in him."

So that little exchange heartened me considerably.

But then, later that day, I witnessed what to me was a blatant bit of nationalistic-militaristic propaganda, but to the 70,000 others at the football game, seemed to be a perfectly acceptable way to honor the troops and the nation.  The singing of the national anthem before professional sports games always seemed odd to me, but at this game it was taken to a whole other level.  Probably because it was a few days after Veterans Day.  Anyway, after unfurling a gigantic flag on the field and playing the anthem, they showed a clip talking about the brave men and women in uniform fighting for our country etc.  It might have been a commercial for the Army, but I'm not sure.  Then, someone got up and said a prayer.  That was followed by two military helicopters flying very low over the stadium, emblazoned with the flag.  At one point, the crowd spontaneously erupted in chants of "USA, USA!"

I wish the troops well and hope that they all come home safely, and chip in for fundraisers whenever I hear about them.  But I felt like what I witnessed there was more than about "supporting the troops".  If that was the real goal, then they could have easily publicized any number of good causes that try to raise money, or put together care packages for the troops.  It was about something else, some kind of attempt, whether concious or not, to whip up the crowd into a nationalistic frenzy.  

Whatever it was, it gave me the creeps.  And it made me feel distinctly un-American.

So anyway, just some musings.      

•  Re: Some musings from an Un-American

  I understand your point of view.  The NFL and MLB in particular like to connect themselves with the military.  Both of them seem to me to be rooting for "the Prancer".

  by John Masotti on Mon Nov 17, 2003 at 08:59:17 PM PDT

•  Re: Some musings from an Un-American

  I'd like to think that the earlier experience is the truer omen as to how next year's election will turn out. Despite the ill-defined, lied about non-cause, people appreciate the troops and the work they're doing. After all, they are duty-bound to do it. Since there were obviously troops at the site flying the helicopters at the game, probably most felt like keeping the morale of the troops up, and did what they could to cheer. This doesn't mean that they wouldn't turn around and criticize Bush in private or to friends.

  by Doug in SF on Mon Nov 17, 2003 at 09:04:14 PM PDT

  •  Re: Some musings from an Un-American

    you think the football vote is going Bush-way?  I doubt it.

    by pyrrho on Mon Nov 17, 2003 at 09:10:50 PM PDT

  •  Re: Some musings from an Un-American

    Yes, I'm hoping the people will come to distrust Bush by next November.  Hyper-nationalistic sentiments aside.

    I know that my perceptions are colored by the fact that in Japan, where I grew up, this sort of blatant display of nationalism is frowned upon, for obvious reasons.  The anthem, especially, is problematic.  

    Anyway, I guess my inability to cheerfully participate in such moments, hand on heart, is what makes me feel like something less than American.

    by Koneko on Mon Nov 17, 2003 at 09:18:29 PM PDT

•  Re: Some musings from an Un-American

  Pomp and Circumstance.  Tying a ritual to the state and that to the military.  It is creepy.  I remember feeling the same way during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

  by a gilas girl on Mon Nov 17, 2003 at 09:09:20 PM PDT

•  Re: Some musings from an Un-American

  To chip in my two cents a few hours late...

  I'm as pro-peace as one person could be, which makes me directly opposed to Bush and his invasions, subjugations and occupations of foreign lands, and yet if I were at a football game I would sing heartily and hold my hand to my heart patriotically and cheer USA spontaneously as well.

  While I feel shame at the actions my government have taken, the SSB and the love of country reference something else entirely, which is the fundamentals of why this country is worth living in - "land of the free and home of the brave".  Is it really 100% a land of the free? No, but striving towards that ideal is noble and worthwhile.  Is it the home of the brave? Not always, but I am brave and my friends and loved ones are, and I salute that bravery, whether it is a soldier in a helicopter or a volunteer at a homeless shelter, with a solid cheer and huzzah for the USA.

  I understand the oddness of it all for those not American (and others), because you think I'm smiling and crying and cheering for 535 representatives and 100 senators and the president, but in reality it's for the common man and woman, the dreamers who dream great dreams, the people who actually live the words that all humans are created equal, and for those who by god get down and put their shoulder to the wheel to support the pursuit of happiness as a worthwhile endeavor for all.

  I guess you could say I cheer for the words on the base of the Statue of Liberty, and I cheer for those yearning to breathe free.  President Bush or Clinton or Dean I don't give two figs for because they work for ME.  I'm cheering for me and all my brothers and sisters out there.

  Pah..

  by Soj on Mon Nov 17, 2003 at 11:16:39 PM PDT

•  Re: Some musings from an Un-American

  I think it's possible to love your country and despise Bush.

  In fact I think the two are irrecovably joined.

  by Randomtask on Tue Nov 18, 2003 at 12:00:27 AM PDT