The National Anthem Controversy
A NFL football player refused to stand for the national anthem. While I reckon he has a right to do so, it makes little sense to me. He says he will not express pride for a country that mistreats black people. Very well then, why doesn’t he go out and march with ‘Black Lives Matter’? Suppose everyone who doesn’t like the way our government operates in this or that area, for this or that group or principle, did the same thing? Who would be standing? And no one would have the vaguest notion why they were not standing. Perhaps the football game could be delayed while each person not standing explains why.
Frankly, I don’t know how singing the national anthem at sport games or marching bands to support veterans, etc in the slightest way improves the subject being honored. Nobody is there to change anything for country or veterans, they paid big money to see the game. In other words it is meaningless patriotism or support. How can such meaningless gestures become so sacred? The real patriots are out doing real things to improve their country or help this or that disadvantaged group. I get the feeling that those who stand the straightest, and sing the loudest are often the ones who never help others outside their family cabal.
I never really understood why some religious persons insist on their ‘right’ to impose their prayers or hymns or rituals on everyone at a public meeting or gathering. I keep waiting for some ‘heathen’ with a different inherited religion to leap up and be converted. Haven’t seen it happen yet. Actually doing something to make your country better or help those citizens in need is patriotism. Disingenuous displays of patriotism is rather Trumpist or Hitlertarian. Power, money or fame seems to fuel the fire for public display of patriotism.
Patriotism essentially means doing things and living such ways as to make your country a better place for all citizens. If the most someone can do is live their life as a good example for others, that is meaningful patriotism. Meaningful patriotism is living the Golden rule regarding other members of your country, it means supporting the politics which is geared toward helping all citizens have more successful and peaceful lives.
In practice, those who get too carried away with inherited religious doctrine or self-serving family values or contribute via inheritance to sequestering a nation’s wealth into genetic cabals are poor patriots. History teaches us that great empires which allow wealth to accumulate in genetic cabals always implode for that reason along with the tremendous costs to maintain foreign military bases.
Let’s be a tad honest and realistic here. We can’t fill stadiums for people to gather for patriotic hymns, and speeches, and Hitler-like blind patriotism, or to sing praises for our soldiers—so we attach these things to athletic contests where we have a captive audience. If we attached devices to measure our emotional state during the national anthem and during the football game the difference would be huge.
I reckon it is no less patriotic to sit out the national anthem for personal inclinations than it is to support using paid mercenaries to fight our wars instead of putting this possibility on all able citizens, or financing invasions via borrowing the money for such adventures to be paid by the next generation, who—naturally—decline to pay it off either. We live in an age where people like myself never have to sacrifice personally for wars, to keep all our citizens gainfully employed, or to ensure all kids have good schools and good teachers, and good health care, and a safe environment, and so on. This is a pretty good deal and perhaps I, and others receiving a pass from the real nitty gritty of patriotism, should stand the tallest, sing the loudest, and wave the flag around most vigorously during the national anthem. On the other hand, unless the God we pray to is an idiot, I doubt He would be impressed. The ultimate absurdity is playing the national anthem before the start of the first horse race. Hardly any actually go to the race track anymore except for a handful of special races, so you have clusters of mostly down and out regulars who, like zombies, rise from their seat, with racing form in their hand, still focused on their upcoming horse picks, many so absorbed with getting their picks right that they actually forget to sit down for some time after the anthem ends. It’s understandable enough—when the anthem ends one can hear a pin drop. No cheering, no clapping, no visible sign of emotion—-and I doubt there is a patriotic thought anywhere in the room. Well, who am I to judge this since I too am still trying to decide between horse # 4 and horse #5 to squeeze into a trifecta.
When politicians and Presidents always say “God Bless America” at the end of speeches is this an order—or a plea—or a prerequisite required before God will considerate such a thing? Me thinks, that whatever form we envision God, the evolutionary process proceeds independent of any input from any species or individual members of any species. I would like to be more important personally but on what basis eludes me. And yes, I stand during the national anthem, sit where my ticket demands, park where I am supposed to, refrain from obscenities, and in general just go along with civilized behavior. None of this is patriotism.
