Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Critical Patriot

          In the book The Wordy Shipmates, author Sarah Vowell is critical of America and its history yet she is still patriotic. Some people might say that it is impossible to be both critical and patriotic, but I disagree. Blind patriotism is almost the equivalent to stupidity. It’s the people who question authority and the decisions made by those with authority who make it possible for a society to change. Throughout the book, Vowell explains and sometimes ridicules mistakes made by the people of what is and what would be the United States, but she doesn't forget to remind the reader that she still believes in her country and its people.
          Throughout the historical commentary and excerpts from primary sources there are small bits of information about Sarah Vowell’s childhood. It’s through these snapshots of her life that you understand that not only has she questioned America’s history, but she questioned her religious upbringing and eventually changed her views so that they now are different than those of her parents. Her family “attended church three times a week.”(209) Belief in God was a big part of her early life. “I was exposed, from infancy on, to so much wrench-like-me, original sin talk that I spent my entire childhood believing I was as depraved as Charles Manson...”(163) Even after all of this, she says that she doesn't believe in God. It’s this free-thinking attitude that lead to The Wordy Shipmates.
          One of the ideas that was discussed from to beginning to end was the idea of the “shining city on a hill.” This city is a prosperous place without people suffering. It’s raised above everyone else on the hill out of reach and completely fictional. Winthrop introduced this idea and Ronald Reagan used it, making it a modern term. Sarah Vowell doesn't think that we are this perfect civilization. She said, “As I write this the United States of America is still a city on a hill; and it’s still shining—because we never turn off the lights in our torture prisons. That’s how we carry out the sleep deprivation.”(72) This is a strong statement explaining that even though we may seem like the “city on a hill” from the outside, things look different from the inside. Originally the idea of the city on a hill came from Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity.” As a result this speech has become a model of American idealism. “But… it reads more like an America that might have been, an America fervently devoted to the quaint goals of working together and getting along. Of course, this America does exist. It’s called Canada.”(38) Whether this is true or not, no one wants to hear that their country isn’t doing well.
          This was shown during the 1984 presidential race that resulted in Ronald Reagan’s second term. Reagan ran using the city on a hill metaphor. His opponent, Democrat Walter Mondale, was more realistic and reminded the country that things weren’t going so well and that it would take everyone working together to heal the country he also used an idea from Winthrop’s speech: “members of the same body.” “In The U.S.A., we want to sing along with the chorus and ignore the blues. That is why the ‘city in a hill’ is the image from Winthrop’s speech that stuck and not ‘members of the same body.’”(63) Using his realistic visions Mondale only won one state, his home state Minnesota.
          Vowell discusses the idea that the same beliefs in a group of people that promote democracy may also lead to a fear of intellectualism in leaders. “In the U.S. presidential elections the American people will elect a wisecracking good ol’ boy who’s fun in a malt shop instead of a serious thinker who actually knows some of the pompous, brainy stuff that might actually get fewer people laid off or killed.”(215) At a different point in the book Vowell discusses the presidential election of 2004 and how Democrat John Kerry sounded smarter than President George W. Bush, especially during the debates. “Winthrop’s heir, John Kerry, debates Hutchinson’s great-something grandson, George W. Bush. Only in this instance it’s the Hutchinson who’s flummoxed by his opponent’s sensical answers.”(224) America elected Bush.
          Even though Vowell doesn’t believe in the “city on a hill”, she says that she wants to. “America is supposed to be better than that. No: best. I hate to admit it, but I still believe it too. Because even though my head tells me that the idea of America was chosen by God as his righteous city on a hill is ridiculous, my heart still buys into it. And I don’t even believe in God.”(71) It was the reaction of the people in New York City after the 9/11 attack in 2001 that inspired Vowell to write the book. She saw people lined up to give blood and stores without any toothpaste because all of it had been bought and donated. This reminded her of the “city on a hill.” When asked why she wrote about the Puritans, “I would never answer with the honest truth.... Namely that in the weeks after two planes crashed into two skyscrapers here on the worst day of our lives, I found comfort in the words of Winthrop.”(52)

5 comments:

  1. Great post! I never would have thought to analyze Vowell's patriotism (and critical aspects) throughout the book, however after reading your blog it is clear how prominent both are in her writing. Also, nice use of supporting information throughout the entire piece. I very much agree that "blind patriotism is almost the equivalent to stupidity", those that can't question the authority and beliefs they have taken on by calling themselves a "patriot" (simply following the leader), might be jumping off a cliff without realizing it.

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  2. Nice Claire. Way to make the rest of our posts feel small :P. Anyway, I really liked your comment about blind patriotism. It makes me think of how many of our worlds tyrants and monarchs came to power. It seems as though people just want something to ally with and be passionate about. People don't want to see the truth they just want to believe in something. This can be seen through religion, governments, and even personal relationships. It seems that humans naturally want to see the good in things and is why we WANT to buy into the shinning city on a hill.

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  3. awesome post! I really liked when you talked about how American may seem like shining city on a hill from the outside but from the inside its really not. I really thought that it was interesting on how enthralled Winthrop was with making America a shining city on a hill and how it didn't exactly end up that way. I also really liked how you used lots of quotes from the book to help explain your understanding of topics from the book. Overall I really enjoyed reading this post. ps. I agree with Emmy haha way to make our posts feel small.

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  4. One of your first sentences "Blind patriotism is almost the equivalent of stupidity." was not only an attention grabber, but also a sentence that I agree with. If an person loves their country they should know why, and if they don't that citizen should try to fix their country into a place they will love. This is my definition of a patriot. Citizens who love their country but don't know why, aren't true patriots. I liked how you examined Vowell's life and political views though out the book, that was very outside-the-box of you.

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