Patriotism Essay, Research Paper

On July 4, 1776, the male parents of the United States of America officially declared our

independency from British regulation. Missing a stable authorities and fiscal resources, our

predecessors marched on an eternal grid of bloody conflict Fieldss with the vision of a new

state & # 8212 ; a state in which they shared a love non for what it was, but for what it had the

possible to be. This was an epoch of absolute commitment, when small male childs paid court to

our politicians and hoped to one twenty-four hours be a leader in a free and equal state. Such

love & # 8211 ; such patriotism & # 8211 ; has ne’er been so powerful as that critical minute in history.

Unfortunately, our state has seen a arrested development in loyal workss. Politicss are

disregarded and, similarly, politicians are deemed as saps. Paul Goodman addresses this

issue in the extract, Patriotism, from the novel, Turning Up Absurd. In this piece,

Goodman attempts to place some of the key factors which have contributed to the

diminution of nationalism, finally puting the duty on many of society s affluent

establishments and beliefs.

Goodman first places the duty on parental counsel within the place.

& # 8230 ; .patriotism is the civilization of childhood and adolescence. Without this first civilization, we

come with a fatal emptiness to the humanist civilization of scientific discipline, art, humanity, and God & # 8230 ;

( Goodman, 1962 ) . Here, Goodman molds a comparing between nationalism and the

subjective facets of grownup society. He implies that, if as a kid, one can non construct a

faithful relationship with his ain state, he will non be able to organize more complex

relationships nor addition grasp for trade goods such as art, scientific discipline or faith. This

thought supports the model of our modern educational system. We teach come ining

pupils the necessities. We create vocals, drama games, frock up, all in efforts to excite

the icinesss larning capablenesss every bit good as expand the usage of imaginativeness, while keeping

an environment that is of involvement to the kid. This technique allows room for growing, in

which the kid will bit by bit construct more cognition upon the base of wisdom in which he

has antecedently acquired. Therefore, the kid may hold on more luxuriant constructs with clip.

The deficiency of this foundation & # 8211 ; or thought of nationalism in this instance & # 8211 ; within the childhood

developmental phases, does non let those in the stripling phase to do the complete

passage into maturity due to the fact that they are unable to understand more complex

thoughts. In this mode, Goodman is able to tag nationalism as the new faith.

Following, Goodman attracts the thought of censoring in America. He does this by first

remembering the Russian protests against the forbiddance of Pasternak s Dr. Zhivago and the

spring theater festival. The really model of our state lies on the belief in freedom of

address, imperativeness, faith, and thought, yet, the major intelligence beginning at that clip, The New

York Times, choose non to give any acknowledgment to these loyal workss. News was once more

withheld from the American people with the secret atomic testing and the withholding of

a wavelength of a orbiter for strategic grounds ( Goodman, 1962 ) . What does it state about

a state when its people are misinformed? The intent of the authorities is to stand for

the people, yet, the people are incognizant. Here, Goodman implies a really of import point.

How can we anticipate nationalism to boom when the legislators of our society are non giving

us anything to hold faith in? Goodman besides inquiries the irresponsible competition that

existed within infinite geographic expedition. The Americans became so overwhelmed with the undertaking of

crushing the Russians in infinite engineering, they were unable to truly appreciate the

progresss of world. In add-on, the United States placed restrictions as to who could

participate in the infinite docket, finally promoting the thought of conformance.

Following, Goodman goes on to discourse the corruptness of political relations. He accredits this to

the deficiency of civilian engagement in the political procedure, If people had the chance to

novice community actions, they would be political ; they would cognize that eventually the manner

to carry through something great is to acquire together with the like-minded and make it straight. (

Goodman, 1962 ) . This quandary supports the recent issue of elector turn out during

American elections. The consequences are let downing when compared to those such as

England. The fact remains that the American people are distanced from their political

leaders and they are incognizant of the issues that face our authorities. People would much

instead bend on the telecasting to see their favourite talk show or soap opera, than melody into

a political matter. Part of this, harmonizing to Goodman, is a direct contemplation of American

politicians. In the yearss of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, politicians evolved from

true leaders. They were non work forces who went to Harvard or Princeton and received a

grade in jurisprudence or political scientific discipline, instead, they were work forces who had a overpowering concern

for the commonwealth of their equals. Today, society does non hail its leaders, it

ridicules them. Scandals such as Watergate in the 1960 s, the Dan Quail V. Potato

incident, and the most recent Bill Clinton/ Monica Lewinsky sex dirts,

are all illustrations

of the neglect of political intent. Goodman goes on to back up this statement by

citing, As it is, what must be the consequence on a male child when he comes to recognize that the

populace spokesman up there is non even talking his ain words, but reiterating, like a

performing artist, something written for him by a staff from Madison Avenue? ( Goodman,

1962 )

Goodman besides focuses on the forsaking of the American community. The

determination of the Brown vs. Board of Education to integrate schools caused a mass

resettlement of white Americans to the outer metropolis bounds. This migration led to the creative activity

of what is now known as suburban area. Whereas early American rural and urban

communities where closely knit, the creative activity of the suburbs led to a lessening in concern

for these countries. Americans became fascinated with the American Dream and adopted a

more egos indulged position of the community. Goodman besides mentions the fact that kids

turning up in these closely knit urban countries were more likely to get a local

nationalism, but this was lost one time the kid entered into the maturity phase of

conformance. On the contrary, he mentions the positive effects of the station war roar of

immature matrimonies and the addition of the urban birth rate every bit good as the debut of

Real Fatherhood & # 8211 ; the engagement of work forces in raising their kids & # 8211 ; into society.

Goodman illustrates his regard for the suburban thoughts and doctrines, but discredits the

deficiency of accent on community development. The radical thoughts of kid raising that

engulfed the suburban community took on a more broad attack. The thought of rigorous,

austere subject was abandoned along with thoughts sing gender. Goodman is in

understanding with this free signifier of kid raising due to the fact that it stimulates and

promotes individuality instead than advance the thoughts of conformance which were instilled in

society s dominant establishments. On the contrary, the creative activity of suburbia leads to the work forces

of the communities transposing to and from their professions, therefore, taking off from the

construct of True Fatherhood and the focal point of absorbing young person into the community.

Goodman proceeds to demo his concern for the educational establishments during the

tallness of the Communist menace. The probes of Dies, McCarthy, and Feinberg

instilled fright into the professors to the point in which they were unable to efficaciously learn

the turning coevals. This, harmonizing to Goodman, led pupils to go misanthropic

about political relations. Students are non allowed to freely confirm themselves politically if there are

effects in respects to their political beliefs. In this sense, Goodman shows a regard

for Communists ; esteeming the aspiration and willingness to acquire involved despite the beliefs

of mainstream society, & # 8230 ; & # 8230 ; in their lecherousness for control apart from any nonsubjective good and,

more profoundly, in their usage of an organized power-system in order to do the artless

and worthy non be. Goodman goes on to discourse other factors which mislead the

pupils of society s universities. First is the atomic bomb panic and the fact that pupil

were overwhelmed with the idea that the Russians may assail. Following, he discusses the

enlisting of upper category pupils to the corporate universe, one which rewards the thought of

conformance. Likewise, Goodman mentions the enlisting of low-class male childs into the

military.

Finally, Goodman discusses his concern for the exclusion of citizens from the

community. He proceeds to mention an incident from the New York Times, which portrayed

the common position of African-Americans during the period. The article explains a instance in

which a Black household efforts to travel into a suburb of Chicago. They are restricted due

to concerns of locals that they will hold trouble selling their places in the hereafter in the

instance that they decide to relocate. Goodman challenges the portraiture of the occupants in the

article as an attractive immature married twosome because he feels that it is an effort to

topographic point a boundary around American civilization. This thought of exclusion is once more discussed

within the text of the Beatnik motion. Goodman respects the Beat motion s

effort to organize a sense of nationalism within its ain subculture, but fears that it takes

off from overall nationalism. The Beats effort to confirm the castaway of racial

subcultures buy geting their ain community and system of art, literature, and music.

This, nevertheless, harmonizing to Goodman, does non let them to go lending

members of society because they become nescient to the outside universe.

Throughout his essay, Goodman attempts to nail the key factors which have

led to the diminution in nationalism. The concerns that he portions are of a nature that they

continue to be in today s society. Has American suffered a arrested development in concerns to the

political relations which structured our society? Americans now live in an environment where it is

every adult male on there ain. Children show there regard for telecasting visual aspects and

portion an ignorance for political issues. What does this state about the hereafter of America

jointly? What will go on to the land of the free and will it be able to endeavor despite

the fact that its citizens do non care?