Economic Patriotism


The idea that as citizens we should be willing to sacrifice our lives for the good of the country has been with us for centuries and has served us well when our country has been under attack by fascist leaders from abroad – sustaining our way of life through two world wars. But, what defines the good of the country? At first, this was understood as our democratic way of life and our basic freedoms to speak, gather, and worship as we wish.

Yet, the good of the nation has long been confounded with the good of the economy. For centuries, business titans seeking favorable government regulations, tax abatements and protection from foreign hostiles have expounded that what is good for business is good for the country. And politicians have acquiesced reasoning that successful businesses result in more tax revenue and job creation. They are right, but only up to a point. A little known fact in our history sheds light on the codependent relationship between the federal government and commercial interests: The reason Congress gave for forming and funding the U.S. Navy in 1775 was to protect merchant ships from pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. Skipping forward to the current time, the US Supreme Court has granted corporations the same constitutional rights as individuals under US law. And the influence of big business donations to political action committees has long since dwarfed the donations by private citizens.

But, a new and even more troubling evolution in this conflation of country and business is now beginning in the wake of the Coronavirus. The background is that the economy and the stock market appear at this time to be spiraling into another great depression of unprecedented proportions due to the government ordered quarantine of virtually all citizens, thus effectively locking down all non-essential businesses. While medical experts are unanimous that this is necessary to safeguard public health, the result has been a stock market crash of near epic proportions damaging the economic health of the nation.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick of Texas is arguing that it is our patriotic duty to go back to work – even if it means sacrificing our lives to coronavirus –  in order to save the economy and therefore our way of life for future generations of Americans. Yes, he actually said exactly that.  And, a growing number of people across the country are protesting the quarantine saying that we must reopen the country for business and get the economy moving again even if many people die from the virus. Our patriotic duty to the nation is being invoked not to defend the country from foreign hostiles, but to rescue the profits of American corporations.

Dismounting from my high horse, it’s likely that people demonstrating to reopen the economy are not motivated by any such philosophy of economic patriotism; they simply need to be able to work and support their families and will attach themselves to any movement that helps them.

But, if the common understanding of patriotism expands to include a duty to defend the economy, where will it lead?  One could easily write a dystopian novel about a future America  in which different branches of the military were funded by corporate sponsorships and wear uniforms with corporate logos in much the same way as NASCAR teams today.  Silly? Perhaps.

But, seriously, the idea that American citizens have a patriotic duty to the economy is a new and extreme form of nationalism that leads us on a dangerous path. Where once the world had kingdoms that evolved into city-states and then nation-states, each having their own armies to protect and defend their economic  interests, we are now leaning toward corporate-states where corporations directly control government policies to protect and defend their business interests. Respecting all those veterans who have sacrificed for our country in multiple wars, no one should be asked to risk their life in order to rescue the stock market!

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The new patriotism is not to country. It is to self.

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