Instilling Patriotism the American Way

Inside many American churches you’ll find a strange scene: at the side of the pastor’s lectern is an American flag. At first I was very puzzled as to why. Afterwards I realized in America, patriotism borders on becoming a religion.

Ceremonies and gatherings small and large, especially sports events, are the medium for America’s national religion. For example, before the start of a ballgame, every one of the tens of thousands of people in the audience will stand up and respectfully listen as a clergyman leads a prayer, and afterwards they loudly sing the national anthem. The national anthem and other patriotic songs are another important medium of America’s national religion. “God Bless America,” “America the Beautiful,” and other such songs are widely appreciated and sung; they express a common idea that America and its system of values is blessed by God.

America is a country where ceremonies are numerous and highly valued; ceremonies are so important that some have said that without ceremonies there would be no America. Each year in America there are more than 10 federal holidays, and on each holiday many kinds of ceremonies and celebrations are held, from those at the governmental level down to those held by private citizens. Some of these holidays are of a religious nature, some are political, and almost all have to do with the history of the founding and development of the country. Americans also have many ceremonies in their everyday lives. By far the most typical of these is the students’ pledge of allegiance. In the majority of public schools and a good many private schools, from elementary school through high school, at the start of every school day students must pay their respects to the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s no exaggeration to say, from the president down to the average citizen, every American grew up reciting from memory the Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge of Allegiance accompanies Americans as they grow up, becoming a firmly held, lifelong article of faith.

Some have said it’s precisely because they value these numerous ceremonies that Americans have been able to cultivate the uniquely American psychology, that is, the “American spirit.” On average days and holidays, among average citizens and at the governmental level, day after day, year after year, all kinds of ceremonies continuously rouse Americans’ historical memory. Bringing Americans together spiritually, they are an adhesive that strengthens Americans’ social identity and sense of unity.

In the summer of 2009 I met a professor in Beijing who had spent many years in America teaching political science. He mentioned the experiences of his two children, reciting the pledge from childhood to adulthood, and felt deep regret. He said “Americans’ patriotism is not at all spontaneous, it’s completely instilled.” The professor assessed American patriotism like this: Americans love their country: They love it deeply, they love it absolutely, they love it foolishly. The flag is placed all over, the anthem is sung everywhere and the daily recitation of the pledge is unalterable. As America lacks cultural traditions, various forms and degrees of McCarthyism are in fact a necessary political adhesive.

In this professor’s view, as America lacks a unified ethnic inheritance, accumulated historical wisdom, and deep and concrete cultural traditions, “American” is not a true ethnic nationality, but instead a nationality based on politics. Moreover, it’s an extremely ideological national identity. The reason why Americans everyday without fail carry out this patriotic education, starting with young children onwards, is because they must use instilled patriotism to make popular will come together, otherwise the American national identity wouldn’t form a nation. “If France was dissolved, the French would still be French, but if America was dissolved, Americans would no longer be Americans.”

On the subject of instilled patriotism, the chorus sung by American soldiers as they do exercises can be said to be absolutely unique. It’s a lively exercise in patriotism. So, what is their chorus? “One-two-three-four, I love America.” At the front the officer calls out, and the soldiers behind him follow. The first time I saw this scene on television, I was astonished.

Another aspect of America’s patriotic education is that it is subtle and ever present. While studying abroad, I lived with an American family for 5 years. The stars and stripes of the American flag hung from under the eaves of our house. That flag was a present from the landlord’s 80-year-old mother. She wanted her son to hang the flag prominently at the entrance to the house, flying day and night, all year round.

Americans like to hang the American flag. On Capitol Hill, at the entrance to their homes, in front of stores, on campuses; the red, white and blue stars and stripes are visible everywhere. Because of this some Europeans ridicule Americans as childish and superficial. They say the way Americans express their national spirit is too blunt, and that it reflects a lack of deep cultural inheritance. In fact, the significance of Americans hanging flags is far more than a reflection of nationalism. It’s a kind of silent, omnipresent patriotic education. Even though there isn’t incessant preaching and indoctrination, American ideological education is more effective than any other country’s. It’s a kind of pervasive but imperceptible influence, a kind of enjoyable and infectious way of learning. Their “revolutionary” traditional education uses music to inspire, uses cartoon stories to enlighten, and uses Hollywood movies to arouse emotions.

Regardless of whether America’s patriotic education is instilled or subtly absorbed, it shows that America is an extremely ideological country. Western scholars have pointed out: “Among the dominant countries of the second half of the 20th century, America is the country with the most ideological coloration.” American nationalism has all the characteristics of a powerful ideological creed: a sense of having a mission, a belief in historical inevitability and a passion for sermonizing.