Patriotism
Recently, a shooter in New Zealand killed about 50 people. I thought this was a good comment about it on reddit (emphasis mine):
"We are experiencing an invasion on a level never seen before in history." - White Nationalist mass murdering psychopath who killed 49 Muslims in a place of worship yesterday
“People hate the word invasion, but that’s what it is.” - Trump
This is so sickening. We're not being invaded. So many people killed for what? He doesn't have to bring the dead back to life. All he has to do is say, "There is no place for this kind of ideology in America."
Edit.0: To all the lovely people saying a mountain out of a molehill is being made here or how this incident should not be politicized:
The shooter wrote in his manifesto about how Donald Trump was one of his inspirations. The rhetoric of the president carries a different gravity, a different impact on the world than the rhetoric of pundits, doctors, lawyers, and other everyday folk. Every word needs to be carefully considered. It's part of the responsibility of office, to attempt and to give the best at all times. It is a very small hallmark of competency in respect to the presidency for Trump to acknowledge and use different rhetoric. The context of this incident is very important, and expecting better from him is our right as citizens, regardless of how one feels about his views.
Edit.1: I will now be sourcing claims. To all the people saying I am misquoting the manifesto, taking things out of context, or lying about the shooter being inspired by Trump:
"The manifesto also included a single reference to President Donald Trump in which the author asked and answered the question of whether he was a Trump supporter: "As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.""
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-mosque-killer-white-supremacy-20190315-story.html
He thinks Trump is a uniting force for resurgent white nationalism. There is no extrapolation of ideas, no reading between the lines, no assumptions being made here. I am simply reading the quote and taking it at face value. For anyone who would like to contest this point, I will make it simple: "renewed white identity" = resurgent white nationalism/"common purpose" = uniting force. When I look at this quote, it makes me ask in what world is that not being inspired by Trump to shoot up a mosque in the name of fighting off an invasion of non-white people? It's not like Trump's economic policies are the things being discussed here.
Edit.2: To all the fine people saying Trump is talking about illegal immigration and the shooter was against legal immigration, please read this article from another post on this sub. The subjects of the article quite clearly states they tried to enter legally.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/one-year-ago-america-stole-my-7-year-old-i-want-him-back
Edit.3: To all the folks who have taken the time to message me to say I am spreading hateful rhetoric and that I am stooping low and taking advantage of a crisis, politicizing a tragedy, and various other similar acts, measured discussion in the face of horrendous, trying circumstances is the best approach in my eyes. Don't look away from this tragedy. Look at it. Look at everything around it. Decide and debate what is right, what isn't, and what people should do in these circumstances. I stand by my initial stance to all of you. I am discussing the rhetoric used by the president and how in the face of tragedy, it doesn't hold up to the standard expected of the office. We as citizens have a civic duty to evaluate and dissent when our government, particularly the highest office in the land, is not performing to a level that we find adequate, especially in the worst of circumstances. I'm not saying Trump thinks mass shootings are good or that violence should be endorsed. I really do kind of regret posting this now due to the racist replies and all the smack talk in my inbox. But, to hold your tongue in the face of this tragedy is wrong. I firmly believe that, and giving in and refusing to state something I believe should be discussed would be letting terrorism win.
The Trump era is full of dumb, fake patriotism. People wrapping themselves in flags. Trump wrapping himself around flags. Chanting "USA" at rallies.
The Trump era is also full of people lowering their standards for what a US President should be. The consoler in chief. Someone to look to for leadership. A role model for kids. A uniter. A pragmatist who will take political hits, so their countrymen can have a better life. Trump is none of these things.
Real patriotism is about love of country. I don't know if I could be a patriot anywhere else, because, to me, America is uniquely an idea. An idea that I cherish, that I believe in. The idea that people should be equals, that they have rights that must be respected, no matter their race, religion, or lack thereof. The idea of America is a land strengthened by its diversity and tolerance. People and their ideas competing on their merits, so the best ideas prevail. The idea that by taking in other countries' tired, poor, huddled masses, and giving them freedom and an equal voice, we strengthen our stock of perspectives and that allows us to outcompete other nations. An idea that we've never perfectly implemented, that we must always strive harder to realize.
Real love is about respect, and holding people to standards you know they can live up to when they're trying their best, so they can live up to their potential. Real love is uplifting, hopeful and forward thinking. Criticism of your government is an expression of this. Criticism of your leaders and representatives is an expression of this. We criticize because we care. Because we know we can be better. To look the other way when an idiot like Trump trashes our nation's essential values is not an expression of love of country. It's not patriotism.
A love that is unconditional, that isn't rooted in respect, is meaningless.
Blood and soil doesn't make you an American. Waving American flags, and worshipping symbols doesn't make you a patriot. Championing our founding principles does. People who have never yet stepped foot in the US, dragging themselves across the desert, yearning to breathe free, wanting to live in peace, to work hard, to pit their efforts and ideas against those of their neighbors, are infinitely more American than those of us who believe America is theirs by birthright.
The idea of an American culture that must be artificially preserved, instead of constantly challenged, added to, and evolved, is a profound misunderstanding of what American culture is.