6 Votes
Patriotic Myths.
Young commentator Rey Barry makes these:comments about many things which Americans have been taught to hold dear.
The US separates church and state
Justice will triumph
We have self-government
You cannot be forced to incriminate yourself
Americans have free speech
Americans have free radio and TV
No man is above the law
Corporate political contributions aren’t bribery
The best is yet to come
Abner Doubleday originated baseball
Some of his assertions of myth implying falsity touch us in a deep place: pride in our country.
Perhaps this is this simply provocation from an immature journalist. Is he right that every nation must teach that it is superior if it is to convince its soldiers to risk their lives?
What do you think of his hypothesis that inventing these things is a necessity for any national government?
If so, have we becoming so accepting now that we can understand that, although they are based on only partial truths, they enhance our performance and we should continue to teach them? Or, should we replace them with the real truth? Does it matter?
My feeling is that, although these statements have a strong ring of truth, there has been no conspiracy to enhance or burden us with these pleasant assertions about American society. Some of them are more goals than achievement but still worthy of striving for. After being proposed by various idealists, they gain credibility because we like them, and we repeat them until they become the common wisdom that we teach our children.
I think that truth always matters, but I am not sure that we are mature enough yet as a nation to face the untruths. Americans are no different in this respect than other peoples. We might become so if we could acknowledge the faults and fix them.
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What The Truth Really Is by Travis
Let me preface my statement that I am referring to some or most of the list above. I do think the journalist is a bit immature to wrap constitutional principles with subjective notions; i.e self governance, church and state, free speech, with baseball, cliche sayings and modern economic and political relationships.
I think I understand the point you are making, however I don’t think it is so much that we are perpetuating notions that are wholly untrue, rather that we are nostalgic in what was wholly true in its inception and perhaps hopeful that we might return to core founding principles that did uniquely differentiate this nation form any other.
From this perspective I like to think that most Americans are mature to enough to realize that these ideals and objectives have become distorted and corrupted over time by political evils; yet at the same time are left with hope by a glimmering thread of truth left in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence that give us aspiration to return the such ideals and founding intents. Perhaps I’m confirming your point that it is in that hope or faith in something that soldiers us up in support our nation that is no different from any other people. But I think that’s a good thing and it’s that hope and striving after such ideals that provides the endurance and courage to acknowledge the faults and fix them.
With that said, what does differentiate us from other peoples is that which we are striving after, the return to our Constitutional and Independence principles. I truly believe that this nation was set up as an example to the world by providence, however that is not to say that we are currently sustained by such. We do need to acknowledge our deviation from correct principles and strive after them.
Most ignorant site on the web? by Anonymous
We wonder no longer what site that is. Omninerd wins. Your misunderstanding of the Myths series of articles is truly mind-boggling. The “young journalist” label is especially astounding, considering that the writer was over 60 and had completed careers in journalism and government when he wrote that series. He is also a Mensan with an IQ in the top 2% of the population. Could he possibly have a better grasp of reality than is usually encountered on the web?