In his address at Selma, Alabama last year, President Obama stood beside the sacred bridge where, 51 years ago, Rep. John Lewis, then a young man, marched with so many others to face tear gas and clubs to gain, in Obama’s words, “the equal treatment promised to them almost a century before.
“What greater form of patriotism is there than the belief that America is not yet finished,” Obama declared. “That each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that it is in our power to remake this nation to more closely align with our highest ideals?”
This idea of patriotism — confidence in U.S. values mixed with an unflinching eye toward her faults — is under assault from the very people who appreciate our values more than anyone else. Young liberals view patriotism as a dirty word. This manifests itself in a left that ignores the progress the United States has made both at home and in the world, while simultaneously magnifying her faults. To be sure, pointing out the deep flaws in our domestic and foreign policy is a great act of patriotism. But it is almost as important, if not equally so, to recognize that the United States is, in essence, the most powerful liberal society on Earth.
All the things that young liberals love, including freedom of expression, freedom to practice religion and, of course, the freedom to speak out against injustice, are nowhere more dearly protected than in the United States. The political corruption that plagues many African and South American nations is far lesser in the United States. Authoritarian governments in China and Russia kill and imprison political dissidents. Meanwhile, the United States is having open conversations on sensitive topics, like the ethics of torture, race relations and digital privacy and censorship — the list goes on.
However, despite its greatness, the United States fails. We have supported dictators and terrorists, right-wing juntas and al-Qaida, facilitated the oppression of others abroad and been complicit in the harming and subjugation of U.S. citizens at home. Yet despite its checkered past, there is no greater vehicle for freedom in this world than the U.S. We cannot succumb to self-hatred; that’s too easy. It is, in fact, only through confidence in the essential goodness of U.S., liberal values that we can combat our own worst impulses.
So I say to my fellow liberals: your fight is good. It is only through a critical eye toward our own faults that we can correct them. But it is also imperative to understand that the United States, leading by the example of our largely tolerant and extremely diverse democracy, is a force for good in a world that can be dark.
In these times, a patriot must recognize the ugliness and complexity of our country and of our world, and must recognize that we fail, often, to live up to our values. But he or she must also realize that it is precisely because of that ugliness that we must appreciate the beautiful country we have inherited, and leave it better than how we found it. I love the United States not despite of her past, but because of her future. If we stay committed to our values and confident in the good we can and must do, while keeping the memory of those we have failed, then we can progress toward a greater future.
Aaron Bondar is a sophomore double-majoring in economics and political science.