Every Fourth of July, it's the same old crap. Americans just want to enjoy their day, and the media just want to rain poop all over it.
And that brings me now to the Associated Press, who woke up yesterday and decided that nighttime on the eve of Independence Day would be as good a time as any to talk about how the word "patriot" has been appropriated by white nationalists and other far-right bigots. No, seriously. That's what the AP did:
The term ‘patriot’ in America has become infused in political rhetoric and school curriculums, with varying meanings, while also being appropriated by white nationalist groups. https://t.co/UO2stwBz51
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 4, 2023
“Patriotism really depends on which American is describing himself as patriotic and what version or vision of the country they hold dear,” said Matthew Delmont, a historian at Dartmouth.
...
For many white Americans who see themselves as patriotic, “They’re thinking of other white Americans as the true definition of Americans,” Delmont said.
...
The term works as a branding tool because many Americans have a positive association with “patriot,” which hearkens back to the Revolutionary War soldiers who beat the odds to found the country, said Kurt Braddock, an American University professor and researcher at the Polarization and Extremism Research & Innovation Lab.
One example is the white supremacist militia group Patriot Front, which researchers say uses patriotism as a sort of camouflage to hide racist and bigoted values. Some white nationalist groups may genuinely view themselves as pushing back against tyranny — even if in reality they are “very selective” about what parts of the Constitution they want to defend, Braddock said.
Gaines Foster, a historian at Louisiana State University, said patriotism at one point was seen as a civic nationalism that held the belief “that you’re an American because you believe in democracy, you believe in equality, you believe in opportunity. In other words, you believe certain things about the way the government works, and that’s a very inclusive vision.”
He said the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was the most dramatic example of how the view of patriotism has shifted in recent years, saying “people began to lean less toward a commitment to democracy and more to the notion in the Declaration of Independence that there is a ‘right of revolt,’ and that becomes patriotism.”
I could have just posted a photo or gif of a raging garbage fire instead of those excerpts. Because those excerpts are a garbage fire.
Are there some white nationalist nutballs who have tried to appropriate "patriot" for their own effed-up purposes? Sure. But I'm willing to bet money that there are a lot more Americans who aren't racist bigots who don't see anything inherently wrong or evil about patriotism. The United States of America wouldn't be here without the ideas and actions of patriots. It's OK to be patriotic. In fact, it's perfectly natural to be patriotic. It's perfectly natural to be proud that you live in, for all its flaws, the greatest country on earth.
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The AP, on the other hand, should be wallowing in shame right now.
Just can't help themselves... https://t.co/WMNjebQkxg
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) July 4, 2023
The AP could've done a piece on how white supremacist groups have tried to co-opt "patriotism" but ultimately won't succeed because their definition of patriotism requires a perverted interpretation of the original American patriots' vision. The AP could've talked about how the white supremacist groups attempting to brand themselves as "patriots" make up a small fraction of Americans, most of whom categorically reject what these white supremacists stand for. Instead, the AP decided it was a better use of their journalists' time and energy and resources to shame Americans celebrating patriotism today.
If you love America and its founding ideals, you, too, can be a patriot.
— Pete Kaliner (@PeteKaliner) July 4, 2023
The Left's abandonment of patriotism is truly remarkable. https://t.co/gGd4EiO7qP
Well, that's OK. Because:
— Gordon Kushner (@Gordon_Kushner) July 4, 2023
"news" has been highjacked by propagandists.
"honest history" has been hijacked by revisionists on the left.
"white supremacy" has been hijacked by leftist activists to mean "anyone of any color, belief or race who doesn't support our agenda." https://t.co/AvDsE6QZ6D
I’m an American woman of Cherokee descent who considers herself an ardent Patriot. Now what?... https://t.co/lIwjtWz4wo
— Alicia T. (@ShayShayShotgun) July 4, 2023
Nah. I’m a black patriot and I’ll die as such. Stop trying to divide us
— hope & fear (@the_spoken_lies) July 4, 2023
All you guys do is try to call anything positive about our culture white supremacy. You aren't journalists, you are low IQ race baiting trash.
— LetsBeFriends🐊 🐊 (Proxy wars are bad) (@BadOpinions5) July 4, 2023
Yep. And with all due respect (i.e. absolutely no respect whatsoever) to the Associated Press today:
— pirkster (@pirkster_jax) July 4, 2023
Happy Fourth of July to all, even the haters and losers at the AP.
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