this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2024
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At this point, is being American basically a religion? Such weird cult-like displays of patriotism...
It has actually been described as such. (It's called Civic Religion) Many countries have elements of this, like France or the Soviet Union.
Only a couple countries on Earth where every member of Congress has¹ to wear a pin: the US and North Korea.
Patriotism is ingrained from birth like religion — They're forced to pledge allegiance to the flag through schooling, taught little about the world outside the US, and constantly propagandised by politics, hollywood, and capitalism from all angles; non-stop affirmation that the USA is the greatest Democracy™️ in the world, and their Freedoms™️ are the free-est free that ever freedomed.
And an irrational hate for "dirty commies", gays and jews for some reason. Maybe it was just the Midwest in the early 00s, but that was my experience throughout high school.
(I know, I know, McCarthyism and the Cold War all shaped public perception, but all the kids were screaming it to each other and I didn't understand why back then.)
Yes I know nearly every country has elements like this. But in the US it's a bit more than just some elements.
I can see it in American advertisements, TV series, movies, political speeches, and a lot of rather loud opinions.
There’s probably like 40% of us, at least, who aren’t jingoistic fuckbrains.
And they can't afford to miss a day of work to vote, thanks to that other 60%.
Yeah, that's about right. Not voting is just as bad as voting for the wrong person. There's this giant chunk of America that's sleepwalking everyone else into chaos.
There are few large countries in the world where this isn't the case. Nationalism, in general, is absolutely a cult.
It kinda is
Pretty much. Secular education tends to begin with Columbus sailing across the Atlantic and seldom ventures north or south of our boarders -- let alone touch on the rest of the planet until World War 2, after which a lot of curriculums just end. Elective courses are better... which is why nearly every year at least one of the states try to ban them.
Most of our protestant schooling likes to make special note of the fact that people fled here to escape religious persecution, that this or that sect wouldn't be possible without American Freedoms™. Hell, Mormon scripture straight up says the US is a promised holy land.
No, it's just what's on my passport. There's not much I can do about it.
They call themselves Patriots. They are a cult.