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Ain in-depth comment by the author:
About the only complaint, which I got second hand, was that someone didn't like me making fun of his flag and his freedom. Well, the song doesn't make fun of the flag, but it does make fun of his LACK of freedom. What I suspect the person actually felt was that I was mocking his version of patriotism. And in a way, I probably was.
Occasionally someone tells me I'm a "true patriot." I assume they mean it to be nice, but I'm not fond of "patriotism" at all. What I'm loyal to, and what I love, is not about an imaginary line around a piece of dirt, or about people who live inside such a line. It's not about any flag, or any republic "for which it stands." What I care about is humanity, which requires free will, which in turn requires liberty. I don't much care WHERE it happens, or to whom it happens. I don't want freedom any less for the guy in Alberta than I do for the guy in New Mexico, nor do I feel any special connection or bond to one over the other.
The trouble is, what most people call "patriotism" is nothing but mindless pack mentality. They "love" what they call their country based purely on the ACCIDENT of where they were born. So, it follows, if they were born in Germany in 1900, they would have ended up as "patriotic" Nazis. What would be good about that?
Other people, when they speak of "patriotism," mean loyalty to the idea of FREEDOM, because of the role that idea played in the creation of this country. Okay, THAT is something worth feeling attached to, even if the idea was mangled and corrupted along the way (from the very beginning, actually). But I think the difference in how people react to my silly video depends upon WHAT they are loyal to. If they are loyal to a flag, or a piece of dirt, they will probably feel insulted by it. And they should be. If, on the other hand, they are loyal to the idea of FREEDOM, I think they will completely approve of the message.
Sincerely,
Larken Rose
http://www.larkenrose.com
