H. L. Mencken's early 20th century observation about radical patriotism — rebuts President Trump's bigoted posturing

© 2017 Peter Free

 

27 September 2017

 

 

Background — President Trump's wrath

 

President Donald Trump evidently does not like the anthem-kneeling protest — against murderous racism — that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began last year:

 

 

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he's fired. He's fired."

 

© 2017 Brian Stelter, With 'son of a bitch' comments, Trump tried to divide NFL and its players, CNN (23 September 2017)

 

 

H. L. Mencken once put Kaepernick-style "radical" patriotism into perspective

 

He said that:

 

 

The notion that the radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic.

 

He is, more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime; he is a good citizen driven to despair.

 

© 1991 Gore Vidal (quoting H. L. Mencken) in Marion Elizabeth Rodgers, The Impossible H. L. Mencken: A Selection of His Best Newspaper Stories (Anchor Books, 1991) (at Foreword, pages xxvii-xxviii)

 

Exactly.

 

 

The moral? — President Trump feeds on bigotry and misdirected anger

 

He may succeed in modeling (into full view) the unspirited filth that underlies significant aspects of our culture. Just keep Mencken's observation about the "whos" of genuine patriotism in mind.

 

Power and volume do not equate to heroic status. Spirit-based courage does.