Unveiling the Dark Side: The Surprising Downfalls of Blind Patriotism That Demand Our Attention

January 26th. July 4th. October 1st. 

What do all these dates have in common?

 

Right. These are the national days (or Independence Day, for some of you) for Australia, America, and China. It’s a special holiday that’s recognised nationwide as people gather to celebrate their country together. Visiting America, I remember 4th of July fireworks and parades being a common spectacle, whereas in Australia it’s more common to just hang out with family and friends for a barbeque or by the beach (or both!). In China, millions participate in government-organised festivities, with music and festivities running late into the night.

And the point?

 

Why, to ‘put aside our differences’ of course, and rejoice in how great our country is, how much it’s done for us, how much its people sacrificed for us to get here! The opportunities it affords us, the resources we’re blessed with, isn’t it great to be here, isn’t our country the best?

 

 

"But why?” you might ask, and fair enough. Allow me to direct your attention to e. e. cummings, famous American poet known for his innovative style and controversial poems. His pacifistic sentiment overflowed into him writing about dangers of blind patriotism, revealing the close link between patriotic fervour to the ignition of war. His short, yet renowned poem “next to of course god america i” clearly conveys these ideas.

 

Nationalism and Exclusion

 

The poem opens with a dramatic monologue by the poet’s persona, a patriotic American man. The tone of his grandiose speech is quickly set the moment he refers to America as “land of the pilgrims”, effectively erasing centuries of the land’s history prior to British settlement when America used to be inhabited and, in a sense, ‘owned’ by the native Americans. This is further supported by his clear disinterest for the country’s heritage, stating “centuries come and go”, noting they “are no more”, and callously, “what of it”. This lack of acknowledgement shows a disregard for the land’s original inhabitants, revealing the speaker’s ignorance towards the true history of his beloved country. Maybe, just maybe, his “love” for America isn’t quite as deep as he believes…

Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon. This type of behaviour has been observed throughout history, when colonisation was widespread and accepted. Upon arrival, colonialists often alienated the Indigenous people of a land, seeing them as ‘uncivilised’ and ‘brutish’. The superiority complex they had led to attempts at eradication of local customs and traditions in the name of ‘re-education’ and ‘civilisation’ which, sadly, were often successful. Oftentimes, a loss of Indigenous lives were commonplace, in the name of a ‘better future’. In Australia, we saw a loss of over 10 thousand Aboriginal Australian lives, cutting down at least half of the Aboriginal tribes that once existed.

 

Conflict and Aggression

 

Speaking of which, let’s talk about the more tangible effects of extremist patriotism. Often, we see extreme patriots morph from taking pride in their country to antagonising someone else’s due to a difference in ideals. This leads to some… unfortunate consequences, ranging from minor things like family disputes to more radical cases like threats of war directed at other countries. Cummings highlights this when his persona rapidly tangents from a patriotic ode to glorifying the horrors of war, saying “what could be more beautiful than these heroic happy dead”. 

 

CLEARLY something has gone awry in this man’s brain. Here, “these” seem to refer to soldiers. Coupled with traits of heroism and happiness, these are attributes that were often presented and highlighted in jingoistic propaganda. The jarring contrast of “dead” is disconcerting, to say the least. The fact that he seems to think of the death of people - his own people! - as something “beautiful”? Pretty messed up. Yet during the 1910s, the sentiment was commonplace, and often celebrated, though expressed more tactfully. Cummings essentialises it in an effective protest to how truly horrific war is, forcing his readers to consider the consequences that come with.

 

Aside from pointing out the brutality of war, Cummings goes a step further and illustrates the graphic violence in it, depicting the brutal death of millions of soldiers. The speaker glorifies it, describing them as those who “rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter”. The majestic nature of the animal likens soldiers as fierce, heroic, brave men, “roaring” with fearsome strength; yet cruel reality sets in as they’re inevitably slaughtered in the end. The intent here was clearly not to glorify, but to vilify the speaker and highlight the absurdity of the situation. 

 

Let me make one thing clear: there is NOTHING glorious about war. Thousands of lives are lost, the land itself gets damaged, families get torn apart. Soldiers are forced to face all of this and more daily: seeing their superior misuse their power causing innocents to suffer, see their friends suffer in anguish during their last moments, enduring harsh conditions unable to focus on anything but survival. It’s a living nightmare. And for what? For the sake of a political scuffle, a display of military prowess, to satiate a leader’s lust for wealth and power. A lifelong pacifist himself, Cummings mocks them, reminding them of what war fundamentally entails: nothing more than death and destruction.

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As usual, I just want to end with my closing thoughts. (Maybe I started that a bit earlier already, oops-) Anyway, I just want to clarify: I don’t believe there’s anything innately wrong with patriotism. Being proud of your country and national identity is normal and results in unity stemming from a joint national identity. However, it's crucial to strike a balance between patriotism and critical awareness. Taken to extremes, nationalistic pride blinds us to the challenges and imperfections our countries face.

 

The only thing we can do is to recognise that no nation is perfect. Acknowledging our faults is first step towards inciting change, and with time, our joint efforts will be rewarded: with a better, more compassionate, and inclusive society for us all.