Flag Waving and the Nature of Patriotism

While chatting with a fellow hiker in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains about our travels to South American and the poor conditions many people there live in, our new friend said, “We should send some of our dissidents there and maybe they will come back appreciating our Country”.  What she meant by dissidents is the liberal democrats and progressives who oppose Trump and don’t want to protect our country from immigrants.  My wife, whose superpower is the quick come-back, responded, “Yes, and maybe they will come back more tolerant of poor people from other countries”. 

The conversation disturbed me because of the easy way our hiking buddy equated opposition to Trump and his policies with dissidence to the country.  This theme has been building ever since tea-party Republicans took to flag waving several years ago.  Walk down any street and see which houses display the American flag in their front yard, and you will know who votes Republican.  Flag wavers equate support for the Republican party with support for the country.   Conservative talk show hosts first took up flag waving by arrogantly claiming that the political opposition was un-American.  Trump waved the same flag saying, “Liberals don’t care about this country”.  Now, conservatives are taking the next step and accusing Democrats of being dissidents.

Trump extended this theme to the extreme by stating that government officials investigating him could be guilty of treason, and that when the free press criticizes him they are enemies of the people.  He is effectively equating himself with the country.  What is good for him is good for the country and what is good for the country is good for him.  In Trump’s view of the world, he is the country, and anyone opposed to him is unpatriotic.  This is why Trump so fiercely attacked Senator John McCain, a decorated war hero and patriot who opposed him.  In Trump’s view it is not possible to oppose him and still be a patriot.

Such audacious grandiosity is a hallmark feature of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and as I have shown in another Essay (called “President Donald Narcissus”), Trump appears to meet the clinical criteria for that diagnosis.  Being a good liberal attuned to making accommodations for people with a wide range of disabilities, perhaps I should forgive Donald for his grandiose misstatements because they are part of his disorder!

Much like our fellow hiker, many people believe that the only true patriots are those who support Trump and his policies.  From a psychological perspective, adopting this view of the world reflects a concrete style of thinking in which everything is viewed as only one of two ways, either black or white.  Individuals with a concrete thinking style quickly categorize ideas and people into neatly preconceived boxes as soon as possible, and then close themselves off to new information which may be contrary to their pigeon-holed view of the world.  There is no grey or uncertain area in between (e.g., “You are either with for me or against me”). 

From a political perspective this language further divides the people into one of two camps and blocks off communication, debate and compromise.  Thus, effectively preventing anything from getting done in Congress for fear of being accused of aiding and abetting the enemy. 

Most alarming, however, is that this language is anti-democratic.  Branding the political opposition as un-American dissidents or enemies of the people simply because they have a different view of what is best for the country is the language of totalitarian regimes.  Such rhetoric undermines the democratic system of government that is the very foundation of our country.

Those who do not support Trump’s policies should be most concerned about the charge of being anti-American.  Patriotism means devotion to one’s country, not to a person or political party.  America has a two-party system, Republican and Democrat.  People with very different ideas on what is best for the country can be equally patriotic.  As for me, I going to start flying my American flag!