Anyone who has listened to Trump’s rhetoric would most likely agree that it’s full of Nationalism. There might be some dispute on what exactly Nationalism means, but according to Trump, it appears to be the idea that American should come first no matter what, even if it comes at a cost of other nations or people from said nations.
This seems to be the logic behind some of the Trump’s ideas, e.g. building a wall along the Mexican border. Even though the consensus among American citizens is that the wall is an odious idea, Trump will not let it go. This leaves the question of how this is nationalism, considering that the American people literally don’t want it.
But this just goes to show the irrationality of nationalism, that it doesn’t help Americans but merely hurts people who aren’t citizens of America. In Trump’s eyes immigrants are less deserving of help and thus their lives are less important than ours. Yes, the administration or Republicans might try to justify these anti-immigrant policies by stating how they hurt our economy or society, but the proof of this is still to be shown.
And this is my point about being proud to be an American, it doesn’t seem to stem from love of one’s country but rather from hate for other countries. These so called “patriots” don’t really seem to cherish the current American life or culture, but rather, they hate a lot of things about America and wish to revert to days of even greater social inequality. For example, many of the neo-Nazis were holding American flags and were protesting in the spirit of patriotism.
It’s almost as if these people aren’t currently proud to be American, but would have been proud centuries ago. Or in other words, nationalism/patriotism is contradictory to progress, that pride leads to ignorance of the ever-changing world and the adaptations needed for societal improvement. Therefore, conservatives or Republicans are deemed nationalists, they don’t want to move forward to a better America, but return to the days of greatness, e.g. Trump’s campaign slogan.
With all this being said, I do think there is a way to be a proud American without hate or ignorance. If you truly loved your country, you would make sure to improve it in any way possible. And if your idea of improving our country involves helping immigrants, advocating for equal rights, etc. then your love for America would in turn mean love and empathy for everyone, not just Americans.
This is my ideal nationalism, and ideally, this sort of nationalism would turn into globalism. That by helping improve America, we are slowly attempting to improve the well-being of other countries. Because frankly, I don’t see why I should care more about someone half-way across the country than someone half-way across the world. I may have a better understanding of the problems of the person in America, but that doesn’t mean I care more about their well-being.
Now, I understand that America has a plethora of problems, and that we can’t solve all the world’s issues. However, that should be the ultimate goal, but the current administration seems set on isolationism and creating anti-immigrant policies in the spirit of putting America first.
So, when it is all said and done, I do not care to support America or nationalism. I didn’t choose to be born here and live here. Or to put it more bluntly, in no way, shape or form did I have a say in being an American. The condition of being an American is thus completely arbitrary and out of any individual’s control. If that’s the case, and being proud simply means hindering progress, then by all means, I would rather be a spiteful American than a proud one.