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November
Patriotism? Too much of a good thing? Co-opted?
You bet!
Remember the foo-foo bird? When we were grade
school-aged guys, we passed around the story of the
legendary foo-foo bird. This winged wonder flew
around faster and faster, in ever tighter circles,
until it finally flew up its own backside and
disappeared. A laughable paradox, yes. Wisdom? We
didn't recognize it then. We need to recognize it
now.
Our culture is like this. It has develop
marvelous traits and values and stories to help us
survive and thrive on our part of the planet. It
enables us to soar upward and outward to new levels
of well being. But then, the environment changes,
but our thinking does not. What worked before
should work again and again, like a magic spell.
The culture starts to crumble under the weight of
the senseless repetition of now destructive ideas
and actions. We ignore our neighbors and exhaust
our resources--and theirs as well. The momentum
increases.
Or, there is a serious threat to the
environment, like 9/11. Instead of taking advantage
of diverse values and perspectives, politicos,
drunk with the chance to sieze power that crisis
offers, magnify the threat. They call on most basic
and most primitive values and responses that our
culture holds. They tell the same stories over and
over until nothing else can be heard. They are now
free to do whatever they want, as panicked people
buy duct tape to seal their windows instead of
their ears.
Beset by fear and urgency, we respond to slogans
and suspicions that elicit primitive flight and
fight responses. Some of us blindly lash out at
anyone who looks or feels like the enemy. We
intensify the vortex. Others, more timid, do
nothing but add dead weight to the momentum of the
deadly swirl.
Immigrants who flocked to our shores, now flee
the ugliness. They pack their bags and go, taking
their diversity with them. Friends and
long-friendly nations who see and disagree are
branded weasels and traitors. The vertigo increases
as the nation gets ready to fly up its own ass.
How do we stop this vicious spiral? Patriotism?
Well, yes. A hair of the dog that bit us. Millions
are starting to see that we are on a collision
course not just with the rest of the world, but
with ourselves. They demonstrate, write letters,
resist. We will see more and more patriots placing
themselves in the line of fire.
This column will have one simple objective--to
look at and put into play our full and diverse
heritage in this time of crisis. It will restore
circulation to the rich, nourishing patriotic
values and stories of the USA. We will focus
specially on "Bellicose Veins," values and beliefs
that have atrophied, been plugged up, and turned
into weapons of mass psychological destruction. We
will turn them into prescriptions for healing.
Each column will discuss a traditional US
cultural value. It will identify the images and
history that have emerged from it, and finally
offer a Rx for turning it into sane, sound and
motivating medicine for the health of our nation.
You can look forward to discussing Manifest
Destiny, Frontier Justice, In God we Trust, Horatio
Alger and Hoop Dreams, and many more of the
messages that live in the corners of our national
consciousness, messages that can give us glory or
add to our pain. It will welcome your insights and
viewpoints.
© 2007 George
Simons
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There are no elements so diverse that they cannot
be joined in the heart of a man. - Jean
Giraudoux
George Simons
is a US specialist in intercultural and gender
communication who hangs out in Mandelieu - la
Napoule, France, as well as in Santa Cruz, CA. In
the 1980’s he was one of the founders of the
Hidden Valley Center for Men and the Cyberguys
network. He is currently the treasurer on the board
of The National Men's Resource Center™. He is
on the faculty of Management Centre Europe, where
he consults on virtual global teamwork. He has
written over a dozen books on culture and gender
including Working
Together: How to Become More Effective
in a Multicultural
Organization and
with Deborah G. Weissman, Men
& Women: Partners at
Work. (Crisp
Foundation) and is the creator of the award-winning
Diversophy® game. www.diversophy.com
or E-Mail.
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