Why Anti-Patriotism is not the same as Anti-American

The US is the greatest nation on Earth....isn't it? I mean, we have the best schools, the best military, the best hospitals, the best cars, the best freedoms. And this is something we should all be proud of! God Bless America...right?

In my opinion, yes and no.

Now, it would be ridiculous for me to pretend the United States isn't special. Unless you count the European Union as a collective country, we have the largest economy in the world. But does this mean an American life is worth any more than a French, Morrocan, or Iraqi one? If so, how many Frenchmen would you have killed in place of one American?

Emma Goldman proclaims,

"We Americans claim to be a peace-loving people... Yet we go into spasms of joy over the possibility of projecting dynamite bombs from flying machines upon helpless citizens. ...Yet our hearts swell with pride at the thought that America is becoming the most powerful nation on earth, and that it will eventually plant her iron foot on the necks of all other nations.

Such is the logic of patriotism."

In this passage, Goldman speaks to the most disturbing aspect of patriotism: the need to conquer. Many interpret patriotism and being "American" as being the best and making sure everyone knows it. This is not and has never been a sustainable culture.

So what is the solution to this seemingly unintuitive conclusion? In a term: Global citizenship. Let us take into account what is best for the world long term, not for the US short term. If you want to get technical, the US would actually be most efficient, wealthy, and innovative in a global environment (see Game Theory).

We do have a lot to be proud of and we should celebrate our innovations and discoveries. But we need to recognize that these are not American accomplishments tailored exclusively for the benefit of Americans. These are human milestones we have reached together; these are milestones from which everyone should prosper.

Patriotism: A Menace to Society by Emma Goldman:http://goo.gl/RTg5

Game Theory: http://goo.gl/YPUl