Mickey Z. -- World News Trust
"We have two American flags always: one for the rich and one for the poor. When the rich fly it means that things are under control; when the poor fly it means danger, revolution, anarchy." --Henry Miller
Apr. 3, 2012 -- You know the drill by now: A Facebook friend posts a powerfully worded status in support of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and her/his more mainstream friends launch into reflexive, uninformed assault mode.
When this happened last week on a friend's page, I opted to step up and offer my two cents in solidarity. Not surprisingly, this only served to deflect the emotion in my direction.
You know this drill, too: If you hate America so much, why don’t you leave?
For the record, I don’t "hate America." In fact, I think it’s one of the best countries anyone ever stole. (insert rimshot here)
To such folks, says Michael Parenti, “America is a simplified ideological abstraction, an emotive symbol represented by other abstract symbols like the flag. It is the object of a faithlike devotion, unencumbered by honest history.” For them, Parenti adds: “Those who do not share in this uncritical Americanism ought to go live in some other country.”
When Paul Robeson was faced with a similar suggestion from the House Un-American Activities Committee, on June 12, 1956, he replied: "My father was a slave and my people died to build this country, and I'm going to stay right here and have a part of it, just like you. And no fascist-minded people like you will drive me from it. Is that clear?"
"Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use to first, shrink wrap people's brains and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead." --Arundhati Roy
It seems what offends flag-wavers most is when someone actually makes use of the freedom they (the flag-wavers) claim to adore. Somehow, we are ungrateful for our liberty if we have the audacity to actually exercise it. They claim to celebrate freedom but they refuse our right to exploit it and choose to ignore how that freedom was fought for and won.
Mic Check: If I make the choice to not salute the flag, somehow I’m not worthy of having the freedom to make the choice to not salute the flag?
But I am worthy of being labeled “anti-American.”
How totalitarian must a culture be to even entertain a concept called anti-American? What exactly does it mean? Does it mean I hate baseball? Do I say nasty things about abstract expressionism or hip-hop or jazz? Do I hold a grudge against the Grand Canyon or the Mississippi River?
Reality Check: We are occupying to challenge U.S. political and corporate leaders and any policies they espouse that do not represent the interests of, well... 99% of us (including non-humans and the ecosystem).
Still, in the land of the free, conformity typically rules the day... as long as so-called patriots -- within both the 1% and the 99% -- dominate the discourse. For such patriots the best way to celebrate freedom of speech is keep one's criticisms to oneself. In this way, the word patriot has lost all useful meaning.
Can you imagine the brainstorming session it took to satisfy the acronym, "USA PATRIOT Act"? The solution -- "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act" -- is not only cumbersome; it serves the Orwellian purpose of assigning the characteristic of patriotism to those who support the squashing of civil rights.
“Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.” --Barbara Ehrenreich
Patriotism long ago became a dirty word for aware Americans but Occupy is stealing it back and giving it new meaning... a radical new meaning.
I say, let’s call it radical patriotism when occupiers volunteer time and energy (under constant threat of arrest) to cook organic, locally grown food to feed the homeless.
Let’s call it radical patriotism when occupiers give up secure jobs in other states to come live in a tent in a NYC park and help nurture a movement.
Let’s call it radical patriotism when occupiers face up to the myriad crises facing all life on the planet and recognizing the urgency of these crises.
Let’s call it radical patriotism when occupiers stand up to relentless police repression and brutality without even a hint of retreat or surrender.
Let’s call it radical patriotism when occupiers spend hours putting together websites, newspapers, working groups, and events -- for free.
Let’s call it radical patriotism when occupiers imagine an alternative form of human culture and begin the process of making it happen.
Mic Check: Radical patriots are those ready to defend themselves, their comrades, and all life on earth against any and all government power -- and the corporations that control such power.
We are the 99%. Expect us. Join us…
#OccupyRadicalPatriotism. #OccupyYerFreakFlag. #OccupyHolisticJustice.
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Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on an obscure website called Facebook.
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