How is it that the U.S. invasion of Iraq is seen as a mere \u201cmistake\u201d? How did the entire editorial board of the New York Times become convinced that the U.S. military enters wars \u201cto promote freedom and democracy?\u201d How does one maintain belief in the U.S. as a force for good in the world in light of the genocide of its indigenous people, slavery, and decades of imperialism around the globe? What ideological work is involved to view these actions as mere \u201cmistakes\u201d, \u201caberrations\u201d, \u201cnecessary evils\u201d, or even \u201cthings of the past,\u201d rather than as constitutive <\/em>of the U.S. State itself?<\/p>\n Throughout the talk, Sirvent explores how ideologies of American exceptionalism and American innocence are tied to the way many people in the U.S. venerate the military, flag, law, and Constitution. Thus, not only is a critique of ideology <\/em>required to properly philosophize about the ethics of patriotism; a critique of idolatry <\/em>is required as well. To be sure, there is much at stake in debates about patriotism, especially since the stories we tell ourselves \u2013 whether it\u2019s about slavery, genocide, colonialism, or empire \u2013 have significant implications in struggles for social justice. After all, if the system is broken, then it needs to be fixed (or reformed). But if the system is working exactly as it\u2019s supposed to be<\/em>, then it needs to be dismantled. And it\u2019s time to start imagining what a new world might look like.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Prof Roberto Sirvent If you\u2019re a player in the United States\u2019 National Football League (NFL) and you\u2019ve decided to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem, you have been called many things: unpatriotic, ungrateful, and even a \u201cson … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/politicalscience.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Roberto-Pic-for-UCD-002.jpg\")
<\/a>Roberto Sirvent is Professor of Political and Social Ethics, Hope International University, Fullerton, CA. This blog is written in advance of his Dublin Political Theory Workshop<\/a> on\u00a0Friday, 6. April 2018, 13:15-14:15, in G316 Newman Building.<\/p>\n