Saturday, July 4

Patriotism vs. Imperialism

Had quite the mind-bending discussion the other day in my college-level writing class. Told my infamous "I left the country one week after 9/11" story. Yep, there was no fear or paranoia for me, an American, as I studied for one year in euphoric Tokyo.

I still remember the odd feeling I had upon returning to American soil that somehow my country had been hijacked by a bunch of flag-waving, xenophobic imperialists. Hence, the story and my thought-provoking discussion topic last Wednesday before the big 4th of July holiday.

Since there are a few Muslims in my class, my story and the ensuing discussion seemed to particularly hit home with them. Still, students from other countries were quite involved as we explored, "What is the difference between patriotism and imperialism?"

Don't get me wrong; I do love my country. But after 9/11, I felt the national atmosphere had a more imperialistic flavor than ever. Luckily, I can see the scales are tipping the other way, especially with a less war-mongering head in the White House.

Nevertheless, Happy 4th everyone.
Go drive your SUVs, shoot your guns, and peruse porn freely.
It's your right.

2 comments:

ebidebby said...

Isn't it worrying, though, that now there's a new standard of patriotism after our last president? It's scary, to think that criticizing your country means you're not patriotic, when free speech is the very foundation of America. Hopefully, you're right about the scales tipping the other way.

Cindy said...

Ebi-chan,
I totally agree with you, especially because my original profession was journalism; I'm a big proponent of free speech. Won't even shop at Walmart because of the censorship practices there.

It was sad to see the media turn into little p*ssies that couldn't objectively say things that might even have a tinge of anti-government sentiment.