Anecdotal maybe, but it aggravates me how effective RWers are at using the term "Patriot" locally.

[dameatball]

I live in small town America, in the south. There is still a pervasive myth that in the good ol days people were happier and things were better in general. The truth is that these parts are sort of like Norman Rockwell meets meth lab. Things ain't so great.
But one thing I can't help but notice is how damn patriotic everyone is. No matter what the event, it is guaranteed that the "fill in the blank Patriots" will have a presence there. Farmer's market?....there's a booth and they have flags. Parade?.....there are trucks and they have flags. Save the statue rally? There's a group and they have flags. Pissed off at the schoolboard?....There's a table and some flags. Even I can see a pattern there and I am a bit dense.
Free food giveaway?.....There's a bunch of volunteers....and they have flags. Neighborhood crime watch?....you guessed it. They have meetings.....with flags.

Democrats attend these events too. They are just as concerned and civic minded and work just as hard. But we don't really seem to have much brand recognition.

Our side has many really good ideas and messages. Unfortunately it is harder to make them into a simple concept. The right wingers have basically fear and whatever flows from that. "Patriotism" is the quick fix. It seems to work. No wonder the other guy always wanted a military parade.

Okay, rant over. I have to go to town in a while.

[appalachiablue]

1. Sick of watching so many positives

being owned by the far right- patriotism, heritage, the flag and plenty of history in this country. It's unfair, lethal and what can be done about it.

[Hoyt]

2. White wingers use the term "Patriot" to refer to gun-toting, racist, America First GOPers.

[Midnight Writer]

3. Carl Jung warned us that symbols will become more important than the reality they represent.

I see this every day.

Flying a flag is now more "patriotic" than actually doing the work of protecting our Democracy.

Wearing a cross is now more "Christian" than following the teaching of Christ.

Jung wrote in his final days that this devotion to symbols over reality will devastate the American social contract by fragmenting us along imaginary fault lines.

He predicted in 1961 that a tipping point will be reached in about 50 years.

I reckon he was pretty close.

[gratuitous]

4. I've seen it with Christians

When someone waves a cross or a bible around as a screen for their reprehensible beliefs and behaviors, there's never a shortage of folks popping up to declare the "No True Scotsman" fallacy for anyone who says that these charlatans aren't really Christians. I wonder if the same analysis applies for the folks screening their reprehensible beliefs and behaviors with a flag who aren't really patriots?