Criticizing America: Patriotic
Criticizing the Press: Unpatriotic Chilling of Dissent

Dummocrats gets off a good rejoinder to a very whiny reporter.

Just Realized: For some time I've been annoyed at the "dissent is patriotic" bromide.

For one thing, dissent is neither automatically patriotic nor unpatriotic. Being a knee-jerk contrarian doesn't make you a "patriot"; most would say it just makes you a prick.

But the really annoying thing is that this claim seeks to attack the patriotism of those who actually do love their country. "You're not the patriots," the America-Libelers say, "We are. We love America so much we speak nothing but vicious lies about her."

Yeah. You do nothing but bitch and carp at your wife for a year, never once praising her or telling her you love her -- indeed, scorning such confessions of love as "jingoistic" or "fascist" -- and then try convincing her you treat her like a cheap whore because "you just love her so damn much."

I think this article gives the game away, because this so-called liberal patriot demonstrates the natural human reaction when something you actually love is attacked. Reporters love the press, because the press is they themselves. And when the press is attacked, they respond as Press-Patriots, defending the press, attacking those who attack their first and only love.

See, the thing is, reporters, many of us actually feel that same way about this country, and we respond in the same manner to constant attacks on her.

If "dissent and criticism equals love," then you should praise our attacks on the press, because goshdarnit that just shows how much we love the press.

posted by Ace at 04:35 PM

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