“Union workers march along the street with a huge American flag during a May Day rally in Los Angeles, Wednesday, May 1, 2013. In celebration of May Day, people have gathered across the country to rally for various topics including immigration reform.” (Photo credit: AP Photo | Jae C. Hong. Source: OregonLive)
An essay in The Berkeley Blog by author Jeremy Adam Smith (via The Dish) frames patriotism as a double-edged sword — as both a unifying and dividing influence — and proposes a focus on “authentic pride” versus hubris:
If we feel pride, it should be in the accomplishments of our fellow citizens and in any contributions we ourselves have made toward making our country and community a better place, however small and local. Pride of simply being born American leads to hubris, which leads to bigotry and belligerence. For pride to be authentic, it must be something we feel we have earned.
Read more at The Berkeley Blog.
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