Mike writes:
>I think there izs ZERO chance of over-intellectualizing the
>pleduge of allegiance. The dangerous trend in this country
>is just the opposite. If you think this piece of fozzilized
>iconogaphy is in danger of being overintellecutalized, Edouard,
>I suggest that you ask your college class to write an exegsis
>of its meaning and its history without opening their books
>and then examine the resulting intelletual content.
Perhaps I have missed some sort of "insider's cynical commentary" and
thus my comments seemed out of line. At the same time, I am disappointed
by the apparent lack of concern for the emotional bonding that one would
hopefully have with one's country (at least in the xmca commentary so
far.) This is a holistic matter that cannot be decomposed into
intellect, emotion, etc. (without imposing the same distortion that
occurs when we decompose human beings in a like manner.)
I'd like to share with all of you an experience I had this summer. I
felt it was important for me to go to Arizona memorial to pay my respects
to those men who died there (as I had done at Verdun years ago.) It is
now run by the Department of the Interior (not the Navy.) The "visit"
consisted of: A pseudo hollywood film with mediocre effects describing
"the social and economic effects of the war" (as if the war could be
reduced to facts and figures.) I was then herded on to a cattle boat and
paraded past and though the memorial, surrounded by tourists who did what
tourists do best: take pictures and say stupid things. No one brought
flowers to honor those who had died, no one paused to pray for those who
were given no choice in their sacrifice. In short, as a nation we have
institutionalized the desecration of a tomb, and we now do so with
clockwork efficiency.
Admittedly, no one is required to care about the history that brought
about our world. No one need pay their respects to the cultural customs
that are formed around national boundaries. Certainly, American culture
(a product of American history) is in no danger of disappearing - on the
contrary it seems likely to be appropriated in large measure by the
emerging world culture (that is a product of mass media.) In contrast,
other nations (like France) are clearly on the wane and may in a century
or two cease to exist to be anything more than a historical oddity. It
seems most odd to me that at a time when we strive to preserve cultures
(Native American culture, French Basque culture, etc.), there is almost a
religious righteousness to destroying the icons of national culture.
Must we wait until a culture is nearly gone before decide it, after all,
has some value?
As someone very much without a single country to call my own, perhaps I
long for a sense of embodied identity that most people on xmca take for
granted. However, my thoughts cannot help but turn to Edward Everett
Hale's story: "A man without a country." It is ever so easy to scuff on
the "empty ritual" of reciting the pledge - when one's position in this
country is secure and it's benefits unquestioned. I wonder how many of
you would *FEEL* the same way about the pledge if you were forced into
exile. As someone who may be forced to do essentially that (thanks to
the surplus of PhDs,) I can assure you it is a painful and difficult step
to take.
Admittedly, confronting the possible loss of citizenship would be a much
better way for school children to come to terms with their own sense of
national identity than an empty recitation. On the other hand, I
haven't seen much concern on xmca (or previously on xlchc) on how to
positively instill a critical, yet empathetic, sense of *national*
identity. If the intellectual elite of this country find no interest in
constructing a new sense of national identity - it is every unlikely that
politicians will do more than perpetuate the "tried and true."
Edouard
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: Edouard Lagache :
: lagache who-is-at violet.berkeley.edu :
:..................................................................:
: Sitting at the table doesn't made you a diner, unless you eat :
: some of what's on the plate. Being here in America doesn't make :
: you an American. Being born here doesn't make you an American. :
: :
: Malcolm X, _Malcolm X Speaks_ (1965). :
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