On the eve of America’s 250th birthday, patriotism is on my mind – thinking how to observe this milestone for our country while also examining my expression of national pride.

As a political liberal I frequently analyze the most common patriotic displays as potentially dangerously simplistic. At sporting events or the rare political rallies I attend, I often find myself in tension between support for my team or the cause at hand and discomfort with mob mentality and mass formation – aware of how the latter is a critical component down the slippery slope toward totalitarianism. It may sound extreme or overblown, but my thought progression remains. It is also not lost on me how my Jewish identity and our history informs this acuity.

Simply put, the basic demonstrations of national pride have never felt satisfactory. Flag waving and the like leaves too much space for interpretation. What does my doing so symbolize? What am I signaling that I support? Does it hint at certain complicities?

My patriotism is too complex to fit on a protest placard and too aspirational to be reduced to only a flag. Only when such expressions are simultaneously balanced with honest, constructive critique have I felt I could stomach them.

With........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)