The true meaning of patriotism

I was appalled by the simplistic and utterly condemnable view of patriotism expressed in the April 6 letter from Wilson Hartz. His glib remarks display a remarkable lack of appreciation for the complexity of the long and agonizing controversy in this country over national symbols. Hartz would have the Japanese revive the same sort of pernicious nationalism that Douglas MacArthur hated and sought to stamp out.

Let's be straight about what true patriotism means. It is anything but blind obedience to the state. Still less is it the kind of socialistic collectivism that defines the narcissistic "my country right or wrong" mentality. True patriotism is the product of the individual conscience.

Mark Twain said it means supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it. The Japanese people quite rightly have a healthy suspicion of emotionalistic nationalism. Prior to the Pacific War, a regime that the Potsdam Declaration aptly described as "irresponsible militarism" "deceived and misled the people of Japan," and the Hinomaru flag was its symbol. Japanese courts have repeatedly recognized the misbehavior of the Imperial Army toward the very people it claimed to be protecting, most recently in Okinawa.

Whether Hartz knows it or not, the Japanese have learned through painful experience that those who wrap themselves in the flag and falsely arrogate the mantle of patriotism are the very ones who time and again bring the most agony and sorrow upon the homeland they profess to love so dearly.

If the Japanese can be truly patriotic now, it is because Japan is a free, democratic nation and a responsible member of the international community. While it is unfortunate that many Japanese still associate Hinomaru with "irresponsible militarism," they have good reason to object to having any kind of patriotism shoved down their throats by force. If they react against such social engineering, it is most assuredly not because they do not love their homeland. It is because they know that true patriotism cannot and need not be forced.