State vs Country

by John Markley

One of the chief tactics of statism is to warp the meanings of words. The word "liberal" has been all but lost, and words like "freedom" and "rights" are used to mean their opposites more often than to refer to genuine rights and freedoms. Now, we may lose patriotism as well.

In the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy, we saw a sudden surge of patriotism in this country. Some of this patriotism represented a genuine love for America, but some of it was simply a mindless support for the state. The latter reaction has, rightfully, been the subject of criticism by libertarians. However, in the process of condemning this reaction, libertarians risk throwing out what is good as well as what is bad, by adopting the statist definition of patriotism as their own.

In his article, "The Shallowness of Patriotism," Gus Ellis does an outstanding job of skewering the unthinking adoration of the state that the September 11th attacks have spawned, especially on the Right. However, in his condemnation of patriots and patriotism, he paints with too broad a brush.

Specifically, Mr. Ellis seems to immediately accept the statist definition of patriotism, and regard it as the only possible definition. Every reference to patriotism he makes equates it to love of the state, and to patriots he ascribes every conceivable political vice. He seems to consider all patriots – he does not seem to allow any room for exceptions – to be mindless, unthinking, intolerant of disagreement, and amoral. His anger is certainly just, for the unthinking statolatry of many people since September 11th has been an appalling and shameful display. However, by accepting the statist definition of patriotism, he has missed the possibility of an alternative.

I am both a free-market anarchist and a patriot. I am an anarchist because I have recognized the men who rule America as the thugs and fools that they are. I am an anarchist because I truly believe in the possibility and goodness of a society where people work together through free, peaceful exchange, and not because they all toil under the same lash.

I am also a patriot. I am a patriot because of the pride I take in my ancestors, who fought for our freedom from Britain and have worked productively to make better lives for themselves and their descendants. I am a patriot because I love the land that gave my ancestors refuge from the religious violence and intolerance of Europe. I am a patriot because I believe this country's people – not it's rulers – once carried a spirit of freedom that can still be reignited someday. Finally, I am a patriot because this country and people are mine, in a way that no other country is. I am a human being, with roots and attachments to the place I've spent my entire life, not a dispassionate, disembodied intellect.

It is not necessary for a libertarian to be patriotic, and I do not mean to impugn the character or dedication of anyone who is not. However, when country and state are properly recognized as separate, there is no tension or contradiction between patriotism and anti-statism. Indeed, if a man passionately loves his country and his people, it is hard not to come to despise what oppresses it and robs it of it's vitality and potential – the state.

August 30, 2002

discuss this article in the forum!