Michael Zezima - 50 American Revolutions Youre Not Supposed to Know. Reclaiming American Patriotism

50 AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW

Reclaiming American Patriotism

by Mickey Z

Copyright 2005 Mickey Z

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Reclaiming American Patriotism

by Mickey Z

To Michele

The lover of a subversive is also a subversive.

Martin Espada

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood
of patriots and tyrants.

Thomas Jefferson

I've never seen one history book that tells me how anybody feels.

Bob Dylan

CONTENTS

Patriot Acts

Employing weapons of mass instruction

Henry Miller

Jimi Hendrix, If 6 Was 9

My wife Michele and I went to the Yankee game on May Day 2004. They gave out free caps: NY
on the front, of course and a shiny patch on the back of the hat acknowledged the giveaway
day sponsor: Hess.
The House that Ruth Built became a moveable ad for oil (instant replays brought to you
by Dodge).
The seventh inning stretch required fans to stand in honor of the men and women in uniform
who fight to preserve our way of life. Fifty thousand removed their free caps, watched a digitized
flag wave on the big screen, and held the Hess patch over cholesterol-laden hearts while belting

YOU'RE NOT
SUPPOSED TO KNOW

out God Bless America, collectively choosing to ignore the blood being spilled to keep the world
safe for petroleum.
The Yankees won (as usual) and many of those fans promptly rushed out to drive home in their
ubiquitous SUVs adorned, of course, with the ubiquitous support the troops yellow ribbon sticker.
Surely I wasn't the only one contemplating this my country right or wrong concept of
patriotism but just as surely, if I had articulated those feelings, some of my fellow Yankee fans
would have responded with hostility.
I know this from experience. For example, when I wrote an article about Pat Tillman that was
critical of the hero worship upon his death, many patriots sent e-mails that voiced sentiments like
this: What really sickens me is that good people like Pat died so you can talk shit about him.
It seems what offends this breed of patriot most is when someone else actually exercises the
freedom they claim to adore.
To such folks, says author Michael Parenti, America is a simplified ideological abstraction, an
emotive symbol represented by other abstract symbols like the flag. It is the object of a faithlike
devotion, unencumbered by honest history. For them, Parenti adds, those who do not share in
this uncritical Americanism ought to go live in some other country.
From taking up arms against one's oppressor to using art and words as weapons of mass
instruction, the 50 episodes presented here celebrate a different form of patriotism one based
on challenging tradition and taking action. Whether inspired by personal conviction or a larger