see also Pratchett, Small Gods
The whole concept of patriotism is nothing more than a simulacr[um] for the ideals supposedly put forth at the founding of the United States. I would even argue that the Constitution itself is a poor simulacr[um] of the ideal of individual liberty that really motivated the Revolution. So, we go from a passionate defense of individual liberty to the creation of a government designed to represent that ideal, to blind patriotism for that government, to blind loyalty to the President and the flag, to a chubby old guy wearing an American flag T-shirt, who has no idea what liberty is all about. It didn’t take very many generations at all to get to the least common denominator.
A belief in liberty is self-sustaining: it doesn’t require a government to keep it alive. Creating a government to protect liberty is a self-defeating proposition. Government only dilutes the essential essence of the concept, and can only lead to what we have today – idol (some would say ‘idle’) worship of a meaningless symbol with no thought given to its origin. Throw out your Pocket Constitutions – Constitution Worship might seem to be more intellectual, but it’s only a few notches more advanced than that guy in the T-shirt.
Bob Tipton: Serenity blog
Since that domain no longer exists, here is the post in full, taken from Google’s cache.
Okay, now stay with me:
One of the most interesting things about the first Matrix movie was the interview with Keanu Reeves in the Extra Features section of the DVD. Reeves really comes across as much more intelligent than he usually appears as his characters, and he’s speaking very passionately about Baudrillard’s “Simulation and Simulacra”, which is apparently part of the philosophical basis for the Matrix trilogy. Reeves talks about how simulacra (an image or a representation) can diminish the impact of very powerful ideas. As an example, imagine God, then imagine a painting of God, then imagine postcards of God, right on down until you have a plastic Jesus glued to the dashboard of your car. Once you get to the plastic Jesus phase, it’s hard to take the concept of God very seriously. If this doesn’t seem all that important, consider the Biblical fable of Moses coming down from the mountain, and his anger when he sees his people worshipping “graven images” (simulacra). Or consider how Islam prohibits the creation of representations of their prophet. These are all examples of how simulacra can take the place of once-mighty ideals.
Now to the Current Affairs portion of my post. The Drudge Report had a little blurb today about how many of the people coming to view Reagan’s casket weren’t “appropriately” dressed. Next to the blurb was a photo, probably one of the saddest photos I’ve ever seen. A chubby older gentleman, wearing shorts and an American flag T-shirt was facing the casket with his hand over his heart. His expression was almost confused, as if he didn’t know what emotion he was supposed to express. He probably imagined that he should feel sadness, but he wasn’t really sure why. Ronald Reagan, like his T-shirt, was a physical manifestation of some vague feeling of patriotism he’d probably had his entire life. Reagan made speeches that made him feel good about his patriotism, without requiring him to actually think about it. By packaging liberty so well, Reagan has been nearly deified by conservatives, despite the fact that his policies were blatantly anti-liberty. The whole concept of patriotism is nothing more than a simulacra for the ideals supposedly put forth at the founding of the United States. I would even argue that the Constitution itself is a poor simulacra of the ideal of individual liberty that really motivated the Revolution. So, we go from a passionate defense of individual liberty to the creation of a government designed to represent that ideal, to blind patriotism for that government, to blind loyalty to the President and the flag, to a chubby old guy wearing an American flag T-shirt, who has no idea what liberty is all about. It didn’t take very many generations at all to get to the least common denominator.
A belief in liberty is self-sustaining: it doesn’t require a government to keep it alive. Creating a government to protect liberty is a self-defeating proposition. Government only dilutes the essential essence of the concept, and can only lead to what we have today – idol (some would say “idle”) worship of a meaningless symbol with no thought given to its origin. Throw out your Pocket Constitutions – Constitution Worship might seem to be more intellectual, but it’s only a few notches more advanced than that guy in the T-shirt.