Trump's "Day of Patriotic Devotion" vs Obama's "Day of Renewal and Reconciliation"
33 replies, posted
[quote]
President Trump has officially declared the day of his inauguration a national day of patriotism.
Trump's inaugural address on Friday frequently referred to patriotism as the salve that would heal the country's divisions. “When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice,” Trump said from the steps of the Capitol after being sworn in as president.
Later that day, Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, said that naming a national day of patriotism was among the executive actions that Trump took in his first few hours as president.[/quote]
[URL]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/23/trump-names-his-inauguration-day-a-national-day-of-patriotic-devotion/?postshare=531485218941723&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.140d36a54bdc[/URL]
Perhaps nothing major in itself, but you might be more interested in the comparisons between Obama's 2009 inauguration speech and Trump's.
[quote=Obama]
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God. We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven. On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright -- it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more. So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.[/quote]
[quote=Trump]
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION A new national pride stirs the American soul and inspires the American heart. We are one people, united by a common destiny and a shared purpose. Freedom is the birthright of all Americans, and to preserve that freedom we must maintain faith in our sacred values and heritage. Our Constitution is written on parchment, but it lives in the hearts of the American people. There is no freedom where the people do not believe in it; no law where the people do not follow it; and no peace where the people do not pray for it. There are no greater people than the American citizenry, and as long as we believe in ourselves, and our country, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2017, as National Day of Patriotic Devotion, in order to strengthen our bonds to each other and to our country — and to renew the duties of Government to the people.[/quote]
Something that I noticed immediately was Obama calling America's legacy "not simply a birthright", but Trump calling freedom "the birthright of all Americans". I also think there's a bit of funny irony in saying "this is a day of patriotic devotion" then immediately having millions-strong protests against you.
it's like trump can't decide if he wants to be 1984 or brave new world
sounds very much like those days of patriotic devotion the chinese or north koreans have...
Proclamation is a little weird but that's just Trump speech for you. I appreciate the comparison between his and Obama's writing; it's really great to go back and remember what it was like to elect him. My, how things have changed.
[QUOTE] When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice [/QUOTE]
Favorite line of the inauguration IMO. It's creepy when you look at it by itself, but in the context of that idealistic reality Trump paints it's really a beautiful and optimistic saying.
[QUOTE=Judas;51717659]it's like trump can't decide on literally anything[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]. “When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice,” [/QUOTE]
i dont think patriotism is what you should appeal to if you want to heal relations between the people considering how many feel a lot of dissapointment with the us and its government are feeling a distinct lack of patriotism
[QUOTE]“When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice”[/QUOTE]
He says, only months after calling for totalitarian-style Muslim registrations, and total bans on Muslim immigration.
[QUOTE=Chonch;51717746]
Favorite line of the inauguration IMO. It's creepy when you look at it by itself, but in the context of that idealistic reality Trump paints it's really a beautiful and optimistic saying.[/QUOTE]
Were Trump's actions and words even slightly in alignment with this speech, the words wouldn't ring so empty.
Trump literally was so enormously obsessed with himself that he transcended the third demnsion and began controlling the election outcome in order to EMPHASIZE AMERICAN VALUES; LIKE NO ONE EVER BEFORE ..besides lincoln
Therefore heil Trump 01/20/17; the last election in US history
Trump needs to work to unify Americans because right now there is a huge split in what people consider patriotic.
I wonder why a demagogue would want patriots
[QUOTE=Chonch;51717746]Favorite line of the inauguration IMO. It's creepy when you look at it by itself, but in the context of that idealistic reality Trump paints it's really a beautiful and optimistic saying.[/QUOTE]
Oh yeah it's beautiful if you forget that it came out of the mouth of someone who himself has prejudices and has decided to put a bunch of people with strong prejudices in power.
[QUOTE=Raidyr;51717917]Trump needs to work to unify Americans because right now there is a huge split in what people consider patriotic.[/QUOTE]
If you see any pigs flying, he probably succeeded
Sorry prez, patriotism is dead and you killed it.
Why would we be patriotic if America is not great again yet?
Time for the Two Minutes Patriotic Devotion
it's a fucking wank saying because patriotism is literally prejudice towards your own country. But whatever I don't care.
[QUOTE=CreeplyTuna;51719732]Why would we be patriotic if America is not great again yet?[/QUOTE]
Because some people are still grateful even when things aren't going exactly their way
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;51720118]I can't imagine being proud of yourself because you happened to be born in a specific area on Earth. It's so egotistical.[/QUOTE]
its not just about being proud, its about thinking youre [i] better [/i] than people who werent born there
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;51720118]I can't imagine being proud of yourself because you happened to be born in a specific area on Earth. It's so egotistical.[/QUOTE]
Some of the greatest men and women of human history have been Americans. Do you think sharing a cultural ancestry and birthplace with these people is not something to be proud of?
[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;51720118]I can't imagine being proud of yourself because you happened to be born in a specific area on Earth. It's so egotistical.[/QUOTE]
Why can't I be proud of my country and my people? I don't think we're better than anyone else, mind, but I am absolutely proud of the way we have transformed our country in the past 100 years and the impact we have on the world.
I would welcome anyone to this land if they follow our lands and customs. I would consider them as Irish as myself then.
EDIT: the problem with American "patriotism" is that it's not patriotism. Patriotism implies you can be critical of your people when the fail, or your government, or what your country does.
Americans are instead much more nationalistic - which usually ignores and disbars that criticism. It asks for "proof" that people are so called "patriots" instead of taking their word.
[QUOTE=Chonch;51720668]Some of the greatest men and women of human history have been Americans. Do you think sharing a cultural ancestry and birthplace with these people is not something to be proud of?[/QUOTE]
it's pointless? escaping a vagina on the same tenuously defined patch of dirt as someone who did a thing isn't very noteworthy.
[QUOTE=Chonch;51720668]Some of the greatest men and women of human history have been Americans. Do you think sharing a cultural ancestry and birthplace with these people is not something to be proud of?[/QUOTE]
A persons birth is the biggest accident in ones life. The fact that you were born within the same borders as someone you view as special is not something you have personally done. It's not an achievement. If you want to be proud about something then do something that you can be proud of.
[QUOTE=Chonch;51720668]Some of the greatest men and women of human history have been Americans. Do you think sharing a cultural ancestry and birthplace with these people is not something to be proud of?[/QUOTE]
When it comes to patriotism, everyone always accepts the great many things their ancestors have done like they did it themselves
And when they face the great many [B]horrible[/B] things their ancestors did,[I] they weren't the ones to do it, c'mon dont blame them[/I]!
it's 100% hypocrisy
[QUOTE=SebiWarrior;51721015]When it comes to patriotism, everyone always accepts the great many things their ancestors have done like they did it themselves
And when they face the great many [B]horrible[/B] things their ancestors did,[I] they weren't the ones to do it, c'mon dont blame them[/I]!
it's 100% hypocrisy[/QUOTE]
This exactly. The only thing worth pride is one's own achievements.
[QUOTE=Chonch;51720668]Some of the greatest men and women of human history have been Americans. Do you think sharing a cultural ancestry and birthplace with these people is not something to be proud of?[/QUOTE]
And you think you're entitled to share the glory of their achievements because you merely share their nationality? Patriotism is empty rhetoric, you did nothing to become American, you were simply born there, same way you could have been born in any other place.
True Patriotism is a pride in the guiding principles of a country - Not jingoism, which is destructive to it.
It means taking a stand when a country is moving away from those principles - as it has been with Trump, and the mass surveillance under the Obama administration.
[QUOTE=gokiyono;51720984]A persons birth is the biggest accident in ones life. The fact that you were born within the same borders as someone you view as special is not something you have personally done. It's not an achievement. If you want to be proud about something then do something that you can be proud of.[/QUOTE]
Being born in the same patch of land as someone famous really isn't a reason to be proud of that fact. Being proud of positive changes your country has influenced? Yeah okay, that's neat. But just being proud because you were born there and like the place because people you like come from there? That's dumb.
I was born and raised in the same town as one of the founding fathers of the USA. A genuine agent of change that, despite the problems the country has, certainly helped propel us technologically and academically in a positive manner for a while.
This righteous lad to be precise;
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine[/url]
But I'm not remotely "patriotic" towards my town or country because of this. It's just a neat fact about a place I lived and grew up in. The town is a fucking shithole with no real prospects. It's been trying to reinvent itself which is good, but I'm not going to be arbitrarily proud of somewhere I was randomly born in.
[QUOTE=SebiWarrior;51721015]When it comes to patriotism, everyone always accepts the great many things their ancestors have done like they did it themselves
And when they face the great many [B]horrible[/B] things their ancestors did,[I] they weren't the ones to do it, c'mon dont blame them[/I]!
it's 100% hypocrisy[/quote]
There's no denying the many horrible things that have been perpetrated by Americans, but patriotism to me is about optimism--looking at the good and the bad and choosing to represent the good. It's not hypocrisy, it's a belief in the net positive effect your nation has had on the world and the inspiration it provides to do good and live up to a righteous ideal.
You don't have to be head-over-heels blindly in love with the US, but wouldn't it be much nicer to believe you are part of a virtuous community? Why focus on the bad? Why not praise the good deeds of the people you come from and try to live up to that example? These are some hard feelings we're talking here.
[QUOTE=Chonch;51721109]There's no denying the many horrible things that have been perpetrated by Americans, but patriotism to me is about optimism--looking at the good and the bad and choosing to represent the good. It's not hypocrisy, it's a belief in the net positive effect your nation has had on the world and the inspiration it provides to do good and live up to a righteous ideal.
You don't have to be head-over-heels blindly in love with the US, but wouldn't it be much nicer to believe you are part of a virtuous community? Why focus on the bad? Why not praise the good deeds of the people you come from and try to live up to that example? These are some hard feelings we're talking here.[/QUOTE]
You have to focus on the bad. Patriotism isn't just about celebrating the good - it's about holding your country, its military and its government to the highest standard - about calling for justice when they fuck up or do something malicious, about getting out there with the other protesters to demand accountability. It's about remembering mistakes and pledging never to allow them to be repeated.
Many people are tough on loved ones with problems precisely [I]because[/I] they care, and want things to improve. It's no different with patriotism - it's a duty born out of love for one's country.
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