Jingoism

I've put a fair amount of mileage on the car this summer, most notably in the last two weeks when we visited London for a wedding, and I came back for work on a Monday only to return the following Saturday to retrieve the family. In the past, I was generally able to listen to what I wanted only when everyone else was asleep. But then I threatened to drive off during a pee break, so that changed things real quick. I'm kidding, of course. I could never get my way that easily. What actually changed things was Jude's recent obsession with Glee. And fortunately, many of the songs that have been featured in that show also appear in my music collection. What this all means is that I now spend much less of my time listening to the Pixar Cars soundtrack. And because Jude's favourite Glee episode is Episode 20: Theatricality, featuring tracks by Lady Gaga and Kiss, my most recent return trip contained 89% more dance party.

One thing I have noticed, crossing between the two countries as often as I do, is the difference in how patriotism is manifested. It seems to me, in the trying times in which we live, that US patriotism has been dialed up to 11, where, I dare say, it crosses over into jingoism. Take, for example, a rear window decal I saw displayed in countless pickup trucks:

Something about this imagery rubs me the wrong way. Thinking on the matter a little bit, I don't think that it's the flag that bugs me - it's kind of like an icon, and in any case, if flags bothered me that much, I'd have a stroke during the olympics. No, I think it's the whole package: the undulation, the eagle -- it's over the top. Part of it might be the association with rednecks: I've never seen one of these things on a minivan; just pick-up trucks (not that every pickup truck owner is a redneck, but the gun rack is kind of a giveaway). And don't confuse my aversion to a general anti-American sentiment. I like (non-Republican) Americans just fine. The design would look stupid, no matter what nationality. Take, for example the Canadian equivalent:



Yes, that looks stupid. A tasteful sense of aesthetics doesn't care if your national emblem has feathers.