What worries me, however, is the tendency of many
basically good people to be overcome with self-righteous certainty that they’re
right and that those who disagree with them are wrong.
Having grown up during the ’60s, I have ugly
memories of the brutality and futility of close-minded ideological warfare
about the Vietnam War.
The conduct and name-calling from anti-war factions
was often ferocious and unfair. They called people who believed the war was
justified warmongers, imperialists, or ignorant government stooges. Worse, some
went beyond protesting policies; they belittled, condemned, and rejected the
military personnel who gave and risked their lives in service to their country.
The other side was no better. Adamant hawks labeled
war opponents traitors or cowards. They considered any dissent to be disloyal,
even criticism of the atrocious slaughter of innocent civilians in a village
called My Lai. They evoked the all-purpose shield of national security to
suppress documents (the Pentagon Papers) that discredited government claims
about the conduct of the war.
Patriotism shouldn’t take the form of arrogant,
chest-pounding, flag-waving claims of superiority or the morally blind
chauvinistic claim that we have an inherent right to do whatever we think to be
in our national self-interest.
Patriotism doesn’t require us to support whatever
national policy our elected officials pursue, but it does require respectful
and responsible discourse – on both sides.
About the author: Michael Josephson is one of the nation’s most sought-after and quoted ethicists. Founder and president of Josephson Institute and its CHARACTER COUNTS! project, he has conducted programs for more than 100,000 leaders in government, business, education, sports, law enforcement, journalism, law, and the military. Mr. Josephson is also an award-winning radio commentator.
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