The death of patriotism

By LUKE O'NEIL

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American patriotism, long prized for its ability to inspire feelings of fellowship among adherents, was laid to rest on Tuesday night when a baseball fan was escorted from Yankee Stadium after leaving his seat during "God Bless America." Signs of illness had plagued the once robust notion for some time. Patriotism is survived by its heirs, nationalism and jingoism.

Patriotism once seemed easy to define, but malleable enough to encompass interpretation, allowing broad swaths of personal expression. In America, rigidly defined rules by which we express our love of country always seemed anathema to patriotism itself (e.g., saluting the flag and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.) Until September 11th, 2001, when (we're told) everything changed.

Like so many of our long-held truths, the attacks of that day muddied the political waters determining how we understood patriotism. It became quantifiable. American flag sales soared, yellow ribbon stickers on cars multiplied and "Support the Troops" became a ubiquitous motto. Patriotism began its gradual slouch toward "patriotism," and was reinvented as commodified performance art. Tiny flag lapel pins became a legitimate measuring stick for the merits of a presidential candidate.

Perhaps this convolution of patriotism into an arms race of political theater manifested itself most at sporting events. Leagues have started games by playing the national anthem since major league baseball adopted the practice during World War II. After 9.11, many added "God Bless America" to the repertoire. It was a supersized value pack of American pride. More to the point, it gave us another opportunity to proclaim our pride in front of thousands. And yes, they were watching.

It makes sense that in our sporting temples, where people are buzzed on competition, patriotism has been celebrated above all else. But unlike sports, politics and national interest have no defined boundaries. Their reality is arbitrary, messy and cruel.

I experienced this firsthand at Gillette Stadium two years ago. Neglecting to stand for some display of nationalistic pride, I found myself demonized by a group of overly concerned citizens. Perhaps they took the name of the home team too literally.

An unassuming, middle-aged woman transformed into a guardian of groupthink, and barked out marching orders: "Stand up. Why won't you stand up?" You'd have thought I'd denounced capitalism in French, then wrapped a bald eagle in an American flag and set it on fire.

If being a sports fan means chronically renewing a loyalty oath, I'll pass.

It could have been worse. I could have ended up like Bradford Campeau-Laurion, the 29-year-old Queens resident forcibly ejected from Yankee Stadium last week for committing the grave sin of walking to the bathroom while "God Bless America" played during the seventh-inning stretch. Post-9.11, the stadium created a rule restricting fans' movement during the song. Really. A true patriot, you see, knows his place. He understands that any American who "loves freedom" must sing and salute when commanded to do so.

Shocking, right? While it's a practice glaringly antithetical to the freedoms we hold so dear, it seems incidents like this become increasingly common every day. It's hard to remember that freedom business we were all so proud of in the first place.