THE UNIVERSITY community embarrassed itself two weeks ago. At the Wake Forest basketball game, in a horrid show of supposed patriotism, a fan screamed obscenities at an opposing player who had emigrated from Eastern Europe, and chanted "U-S-A" while he was taking his free-throws. Putting aside the issue of inappropriate fan conduct, the more wide-ranging issue at hand is inappropriate nationalism. All Americans, especially University students, need to reexamine how they perceive this concept. When nationalism causes alienation, we need to deal with it.
I admit it. The word scares me. I instinctively associate the concept with the totalitarian states of the Second World War. When I hear "nationalism," I also hear fascism and, more specifically, Nazism. My own images of nationalism are numerous and negative. It is violent, fanatical and racist. The line between nationalism and jingoism is a thin one, and seemingly invisible to the ignorant.
A tremendous patriotism always has engulfed this country. After recent events, the government has tried to encourage it even further. Many Americans find comfort in the unity that comes with nationalism, especially in times of crisis. But while some Americans bask in the warmth of a close-knit nation, others are left in the cold. Taken a step too far, nationalism leads to heckling immigrants at college sports games. And in its most corrupt form it breeds a new demon: the hate crime. Americans that recently have immigrated to the United States from other countries now face two problems. They have to contend with threats from abroad as well as attacks from within, perpetrated by internal ultra-nationalists acting in the name of America.
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We recently have botched other attempts at nationalism. In one of the first "patriotic" actions following the terrorist attacks, the professional baseball leagues announced that all players would have flags sewn to their uniforms. The University followed in the same vein. Basketball players at the Wake Forest game all wore the stars and stripes. The ideology behind this probably played a role in creating the situation at the Wake Forest game. Consider the implication of the American flag affixed to the uniform. Our players are competing for the University, not the United States. In the upcoming Olympics, Americans will have the opportunity for national representation. But the Cavaliers clearly play for the University. After all, an international student potentially could play on our basketball team. The presence of American flags on University uniforms erroneously suggests that our players compete for their shared country. School pride and responsible nationalism are not mutually exclusive, nor are they synonymous.
Despite all of this, a positive type of nationalism can and does exist. Discounting the obvious difference in degree, the atrocities of Hitler and Mussolini and the University's fan conduct remarkably are similar in principle: Both are examples of patriotic ideologies in ignorant hands. The difference between them is that the latter occurs in a country that is worthy of the love and devotion of its citizens. Therefore, I believe that American nationalism has a chance to experience its finest hour. American patriots need to recognize that in loving your nation, in devoting yourself to your country, you devote yourselves to what America stands for. In the hands of a democratic society, nationalism encompasses a love of that democracy, an adoration of independence and individuality. The American trademark is its diversity of all kinds, including ethnic backgrounds. By discriminating against any American citizens - nay, any person - we become anti-American.
We all have personal loyalties, whether they be to our family, nation, school or state. And we all have the prerogative to prioritize these as we wish. But consider one more group that deserves our allegiance: humanity.
Supporting "America" means support for all Americans and should not even exclude other nationalities. We are the most powerful nation on Earth and we need never be afraid. But recall that our power lies with the founding principles of our land: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I implore all of our citizens to buy the American brand of nationalism.
(Kimberly Liu's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at kliu@cavalierdaily.com.)
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