This commentary is by Mark Skelding of St. Albans, a retired Vermont educator and horticulturist.
“But please don’t call it patriotism. Don’t pretend it’s about freedom. Because real patriots serve and sacrifice for all — whether they agree with them or not.” Gov. Phil Scott stated this during his Nov. 17, 2020 Covid-19 update press conference covered by WCAX. I’ll come back to his quote, but first …
There are basic dichotomies we all wrestle with. For example, are there absolutes or is everything relative? Can absolutes be relative? Maybe it’s relativity that’s absolute.
At some point in our lives, we align ourselves with the sides of these dichotomies we believe are prevailing truths. Those “truths” shape our worldview and guide how we live our lives — and, of course, our politics.
Absolutism versus relativism is one dichotomy. Others include: an individual’s rights vs. the rights of others, competition vs. cooperation, independence vs. interdependence, selfishness vs. selflessness, and humility vs. arrogance and narcissism.
Republicans and Democrats generally find themselves on opposite sides of each of these dichotomies. It makes sense, since left and right are opposites
Republicans generally fall on the sides of individual sovereignty and hands-off government, absolutes, competition and independence. Democrats typically espouse equal rights and the necessity of government, relativism, cooperation and interdependence. Here are quick examples for both.
Republicans support the concept of capitalism. They believe that every individual has an equal opportunity to achieve prosperity if they are willing to compete with one another in an economy free of “excessive” government interference. They maintain it’s as simple as that.
Democrats, on the other hand, argue that it’s not that black or white. They believe systemic inequities exist within capitalism that give some a privileged head start while prohibiting others from ever being able to truly compete. Opportunity to prosper is relative, especially in an economy that is not free but instead completely dependent on a highly regulated global (interdependent) market.
In these two examples, we clearly see self vs. other, individual vs. society, government is bad vs. government is good, competition vs. cooperation, independence vs. interdependence, and absolutes exist vs. everything is relative.
So back to Gov. Scott’s quote and the title of this commentary.
Conservatives, by and large, claim to be patriots and Christians (or “Christian” nationalists*) and that their words, actions and deeds are driven by their allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, democracy, the Bible, and the sovereignty of God. Regarding patriotism, Gov. Scott couldn’t have said it any better: “… Real patriots serve and sacrifice for all .…” As for Christianity, the key tenets of the faith are humility and selflessness (putting others before self).
If we look at each dichotomy, it appears there’s a contradiction between who conservatives say they are versus how they act. The party, in general, fights to ensure that individuals’ freedoms aren’t compromised by the rights of others or for the good of society (take, for example, its stand against gun control and government-led vaccination programs).
Conservatives defend competition, despite knowing it naturally keeps others down (somebody has to lose). They argue for less government, knowing a) it will mean less help for others in need (who will always be among us) and b) that trickle-down economics and charity don’t fill that need. They stand by capitalism and a person’s right to accumulate wealth (storing up vs. giving away; one person’s gain is another’s loss). And, they believe in independence (“I alone …”) and individual sovereignty despite the fact that every aspect of their lives is dependent on others.
Clearly the conservative platform is steeped in self. Given who their party’s current front-runner for president is, that couldn’t be more blatant. So even though patriotism and Christianity are all about prioritizing others over self, most conservatives contend they’re patriots and Christians.
And finally, narcissism. It is principally Republicans rabidly denouncing woke, a call for us to “be aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social injustice)” (Merriam-Webster definition). They are afraid of having America, and consequently themselves, exposed and our country’s “exceptionalism” questioned.
Their crusade is a narcissistic one. A narcissist is someone who is unable to recognize, admit and accept their faults and mistakes. They are unable to own up to the fact that they, like all of us, have an ugly side. They are void of humility.
America’s patriots recognize and accept that their nation (government and citizenry) isn’t perfect yet humbly serve and sacrifice for her. Christians humbly recognize and accept that humans are imperfect, that they have an ugly side. And woke is simply a call for us as a nation to humbly assess equity in our society rather than be arrogant and defensive about it.
So if conservatives are patriots and Christians, how can there be such a dichotomy between who they say they are and who they actually are?
*If we take an honest look at what nationalism is and compare it to the fundamental message of Christianity, it’s hard to argue the two aren’t completely contradictory. The term “Christian nationalist” is an oxymoron.
