The Weekly Way (7/2/21)
Analyzing the Oregon GOP, patriotism, and more.
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It's hard to be a global citizen if you've never left the country. It's impractical to champion a continent-wide community when its inhabitants share little, besides geography, in common. What's left is patriotism—a nation is the broadest jurisdiction capable of creating a sense of community, even among strangers.
Only those with the privilege of traveling like global citizens, reading like global citizens, and guiding global businesses are likely to second guess the merits of patriotism. For the rest (and majority) of Americans, the nation will remain the most proximate and most powerful source of loyalty, and, consequently, action.
Absent reviving a sense of patriotism, the American Experiment is destined to fail. Though patriotism operates at the national level, it's our best shot of solving national as well as global problems.
If you care about climate change, you should promote a strong, nation-wide community that's willing to collectively sacrifice for the good of the entire country (and, by secondary effects, the world). If you care about income inequality, the odds of redistributive policies passing are much greater if elites feel a common bond and share common goals with the likely recipients of government support. Finally, if you care about the health of our democracy, then patriotism can make possible bold, nation-wide, democracy-building projects like creating an expected national service program.
Attacks of patriotism generally suffer from a fatal flaw: assuming that patriotism means total and unequivocal support for a nation's history and current actions. Patriotism, though, is more akin to your relationship with your parents. Lord knows they aren't perfect (neither are you), but you persist in talking with them, learning from them, and sharing with them. Their flaws are painful and often detrimental to your own well-being, but you don't give up on them. The good they've done has made possible the opportunities available to you today, so you remain thankful for the positives, while still acknowledging that negatives exist.
It's true that new symbols, new heroes, and new stories may be necessary to make patriotism as positive and powerful as possible. The old means of encouraging love of country among Americans have grown tired and have been exposed as less unifying than previously imagined (or acknowledged). So rather than abandon patriotism, we all should help develop new means of tying all Americans together under our national umbrella.
Here’s to a better Oregon,
Kevin (Wishing everyone a safe Fourth of July)
To think on: YIMBY or NIMBY?*
To read:
Tam Moore recounts his political journey and acknowledges his “RINO”-ship—being a Republican in Name Only.
read the full piece here.
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Kevin Frazier reviews Open Democracy by Helene Landemore. Can you imagine politics without politicians? Landemore can and paints a compelling picture.
read the full piece here.
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Ben Sand reminds us that the State cannot fill every need. We need to actively be strengthening our communities to help solve problems.
read the full piece here.
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Taylor Stewart asks, “How do you reconcile a lynching?” The answer is something Taylor’s already working on. Don’t miss this important piece.
read the full piece here.
To do:
Invite three friends to subscribe to The Oregon Way
Nominate a contributor — send Kevin their name and why you think they’d be a good fit for the blog (kfraz@berkeley.edu)
Submit a letter to the editor. How are we doing? What are we missing? How do you define The Oregon Way?
Welcome new contributors!
Alberto Moreno
Reagan Knopp
Andy Kerr