Friday, September 21, 2001

Nationalism can have drawbacks
Patriotism brings profound political and sociological changes
By Chrissy Braden
Senior Reporter

Former President Bill Clinton waited until the wee hours of the morning for former Vice President Al Gore who drove to Chappaqua, N.Y. after being stranded in New York due to the airline shutdown, according to a Sept. 15 Washington Post article. The reunion was the first time the two have spoken since an argument during the 2000 election.

Tragedies like the “attack on America” on Sept. 11 can bring people together and create a strong sense of nationalism.

Nationalism, devotion to the nation, can act as a therapy and platform for political and military action, but it can also be the downfall of a nation.

Mike Ewen/KRT Campus Tallahassee Community College student Jane Dudley pauses during a moment of silence to reflect on the lives lost during last Tuesday's terrorist attack on the United States at a rally on the campus on Tuesday, September 18, 2001.

Definition

Many Americans, including members of Congress, are singing songs about America, wearing red, white and blue ribbons and posting the American flag on their cars in response to last week’s terrorist attacks.

Though these are all signs of nationalism, nationalism is an important social and political phenomenon that involves the process of making a nation or nation-state a definable identity, according to the Country Scope’s Web site (www.countrywatch.com).

“Nationalism, as a concept, is usually merged with other political philosophies (moderate and radical) to create a powerful and believable ideology that is supported by the masses,” the Web site said.

As a therapy

People find comfort in nationalism in the wake of national tragedies.
John Schuster, clinical psychologist at TCU, said people band together after some traumatic experiences.

After the Wedgwood Baptist Church shooting and the Oklahoma City bombing, Schuster said he saw many people wanting to talk about their personal experiences.
“After the Oklahoma City bombing, everyone and their brother came in,” he said. “But I’m kind of surprised more people haven’t come in about (the attack on America) issue.”

Schuster said he didn’t think people were coming in because TCU is far enough away from New York and Washington geographically that most students weren’t directly affected.

“But this is all over the news and it’s indirectly affected us all,” he said.

Schuster said he recommends unity as a therapy for the Sept. 11 attacks.

“The best thing any of us can do when we’re feeling down about this is to get with other people,” Schuster said. “This can be through your church, a group of friends or your family.”

Dan Gregg, a pastor at Sagamore Hill Baptist Church, said faith and the church are important in helping people deal with tragedies and that there have been more people at church services since last Tuesday.

“As a people, this tragedy has drawn us together in dependence on God and prayer,” he said.

As a platform

Since the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, approval ratings for retaliation have been extremely high, according to CNN’s Web site (www.cnn.com).
Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor, said nationalism becomes stronger and can be used as a motivational device during traumatic times.

“Nationalism is omnipresent in the United States, and the media clearly feeds that,” he said.

A rise in nationalism can be due to some form of political, social or economic crisis (whether real or imagined) and generally provides the impetus for people to respond to nationalistic sentiments, according to Country Scope’s Web site.

Riddlesperger also said praxis, a combination of will and action, is used by the government to take action against things like the terrorist attacks.

The dangers of Nationalism

While the terrorist attacks on America have brought most of the country together, the attacks have also divided some people, like Muslim-Americans, from their communities.

Carol Thompson, chairwoman of the department of sociology and criminal justice, said people must be careful not to let their senses of nationalism become negative.

“When people have a heightened sense of unity and empathy, it’s important for everyone involved to not say things that are inflammatory or would create backlash,” she said.

Over the past week, the president has repeatedly said Muslim Americans can’t be blamed for the attacks and should be treated with the same respect as any other American.

The Country Scope Web site said the United States, although it is a diverse nation, has a strong sense of nationalism, while other nations, like the former Yugoslavia, endure separatist movements with violence and bloodshed.

But recent attacks on mosques around the nation suggest that America is suffering its own separatist movement.

Mosques in Irving and Denton were attacked last week in the wake of the terror attacks, according to CNN’s Web site.

“People have a lot more empathy when they share a national identity,” Thompson said. “But empathy can turn into anger and wanting to fix the wrong immediately, which can shut some people out.”

Endurance

People responded to the attacks on Sept. 11 immediately by donating blood, items and money for victims and showing their nationalism through the red, white and blue ribbons pinned to their chests.

Riddlesperger said that although nationalism is permanent, it is only shown when praxis is high.

“But (praxis) doesn’t necessarily last over a long period of time,” he said.

During the Persian Gulf War in early 1991, President George Bush’s approval ratings were sky high, according to the Gallup organization’s Web site (www.gallup.com).

But Riddlesperger said the praxis of this nationalism was temporary.

“By 1992, people had forgotten that (nationalism) and were worried about the economy,” he said. “So Bill Clinton was able to develop an election plan to defeat George Bush for reelection.”

Though George W. Bush is warning people that action against the terrorists could be long-term, Riddlesperger said a similar loss of praxis that happened in the Persian Gulf War is possible now.

“Though it is probably too early to tell,” he said.

Chrissy Braden
l.c.braden@student.tcu.edu