Volume 6, number 3
February 11, 2002
A double dose of militaristic
patriotism. How else could one characterize a week which included
both the U.S.
State of the Union address (on January 29) and the Super Bowl
(February 3) with its unexpected winner...you guessed it, the
"Patriots."
The hoopla was a bit much, as was the excessive attention to things
military. At the same time, the double extravaganza included some
intriguing and hopeful signs in the longer-term response of our
southern neighbours to the tragedy they suffered on September
11.
Even to an occasional football game watcher like myself, the changes
in the usual thematic frame for the Super Bowl were impossible
to miss. Instead of the usual interviews with screaming fans in
bars and and on crowded streets, we heard from the U.S. troops
in Afghanistan. Instead of firecrackers at halftime, we witnessed
a giant scroll with the names of those killed on September 11.
All of which echoed the solemn words of president George W. Bush
five days earlier: "Our nation is at war.... We will win
this war; we'll protect our homeland...."
From the speech as presented on television it was hard to get
past the call for extra spending on security and the military.
The full text, as downloaded from the White House web site (the
first State of the Union address to be webcast), provided more
nuance to the patriotic outpouring.
One hopeful sign is the presidential challenge for every American
to commit at least two years, 4,000 hours over a lifetime, to
some form of service to neighbour or nation. Along with that call,
Bush announced the formation of a new agency, USA Freedom Corps-which
is to incorporate and rejuvenate the Peace Corps established in
the 1960s by president John F. Kennedy, and also to enhance several
other service initiatives of the past decade, AmeriCorps and Senior
Corps.
While the term "Freedom Corps" seems presumptuous, the
president is to be commended for declaring: "For too long
our culture has said, 'If it feels good, do it.' Now America is
embracing a new ethic and a new creed.... In the...bravery and
generosity of ordinary citizens we have glimpsed what a new culture
of responsibility could look like. We want to be a nation that
serves goals larger than self...."
According to reports, the commitment of U.S. citizens to voluntarism
(43 percent) is already higher than that of Canadians (27 percent).
If the extra nudge can shift even more self-serving hedonism toward
broader service, that's a good thing.
A second hopeful sign in this post September 11 era is a growing
intolerance of religious intolerance, not only in other cultures
but also within American culture. According to a Baptist news
source (www.ethicsdaily.com), "September 11 ended the age
of Christian fundamentalism" after its "20-plus year
run...as a shaper of American culture."
George Bush's critique of intolerance toward Islamic believers
and his participation in interfaith services, say these observers,
has significantly undermined the influence of some U.S. fundamentalist
Christian clerics who helped to put him in office.
The problem with fundamentalism is not the adherence to core beliefs,
but an attitude of excessive intolerance and a willingness to
employ coercion in requiring adherence from others. The waning
of support for such destructive attitudes can help to restore
the good name and purpose of religion, in whatever culture.
I'm under no illusion that either the Super Bowl or the State
of the Union address have ushered in God's kingdom. But signs
of hope sometimes emerge in the most unlikely places.
-Ron Rempel, editor
Copyright
for the contents of this page belongs to the Canadian Mennonite.
Please seek permission to reprint from the editor
.