A Just War and Just War
There’s a world of difference between a just war and just war. There is war for a just reason, and there is war just to be able to say you did something while in office. Wars can serve to boost patriotism, nationalism. and For the GOP, it often bolsters the “rah, rah, rah” spirit that […]
“Make America Great Again” and Other Stupid Nationalist Songs
For a song that refers to itself as a “mighty melody,” it’s about what you’d expect: a florid piece of music, full of bombast and clanging cymbals. The Independent, a British newspaper, said that the production “has a strong North Korean vibe.” That may be overstating it, since the lyrics are more anodyne than jingoistic. But still, what are we supposed to do with a song like this? Will it join the great tradition of martial American songs that paint the aspirations of our nation as pre-blessed by an omnipotent and Americanized creator (cf. Battle Hymn of the Republic)? Or, as seems more likely, will it fade from our collective memory sooner than the swine flu hysteria?