Blind patriotism
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: August 14, 2024 -

"YOU'RE not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it," thus spoke Malcolm X, an African American revolutionary and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement until his assassination in 1965.

He spoke this line while delivering a speech on the "prospects of freedom" during a rally of the Organisation for Afro American Unity (OAAU) held at the Militant Labour Forum in New York City on January 7, 1965.

The powerful message conveyed in his speech was such that he was assassinated a month later.

Even though Malcolm X had delivered his "prospects of freedom" speech in the context of America's "racist system" prevailing then, his take on blind patriotism is still relevant, even more so now than ever before, not just in America but all over the globe.

In a joint research study carried out, Robert T Schatz, who is a professor of Psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver; Ervin Staub, who is professor of psychology and emeritus, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; and Howard Lavine, a political psychologist and associate dean of Social Sciences at the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota had delved into exploring the distinction between "blind" and "constructive" patriotism.

They defined "blind patriotism" as an attachment to country characterised by unquestioning positive evaluation, staunch allegiance, and intolerance of criticism as opposed to "Constructive patriotism" which is an attachment to country characterised by support for questioning and criticism of current group practices that are intended to result in positive change.

The result of their study, which was published in the Political Psychology, Vol. 20, No 1, 1999 under the title, "On the Varieties of National Attachment: Blind Versus Constructive Patriotism" came up with the conclusion that "blind patriotism" was positively associated with political disengagement, nationalism, perceptions of foreign threat, perceived importance of symbolic behaviours, and selective exposure to pro-US information while "constructive patriotism" was positively associated with multiple indicators of political involvement, including political efficacy, interest, knowledge, and behaviour.

As a norm, we should be ideally talking about the observance of 133rd Patriots' Day or "Athoubasingee Numit", as some people prefer to call it, rather than quoting some obscure lines from a speech made by Malcolm X long ago or analysing a research study conducted by some American professors. Afterall, August 13, which is observed every year as Patriots' Day, is a red-letter day in the history of Manipur.

It was on this fateful day in 1891 when the prince of then independent kingdom of Manipur Bir Tikendrajit and General Thangal were executed by the British on the alleged charge of waging war against the Queen Empress by hanging them at Pheidapung in broad daylight before thousands of mourning Manipuris.

The fact that the death sentence had been given without a fair trial in a court constituted by the colonial British officers themselves and despite the effort made by Queen Victoria to save the life of at least prince Tikendrajit is piercing through the hearts of Manipuri people even after more than 133 years and would continue to do so.

But the speeches of adulation delivered by many of the current leaders and floral tributes paid to the martyred forefathers, who did not hesitate from going to the gallows for the sake of safeguarding their motherland, have been so removed from their own personal life and conduct that it is simply obnoxious.

They may be exhorting the people to draw inspiration from the courage and sacrificial spirit of the departed forefathers, but they themselves have no compunction about using the same people as tool to achieve their political ambition.

This is where we, the harassed and hapless people, need to understand and be able to differentiate "blind patriotism" from "constructive patriotism."

Let's remember, what john M Devine (June 18, 1895 - March 8, 1971), a highly decorated officer in the United States Army, had once said, "Patriotic talk is no proof of patriotism. Anyone can wave a flag. The real patriot lives his patriotism in everything he does".