What a peculiar nation we live in, where two completely different people can each commit themselves to a life they regard as the epitome of "patriotic" and at once be lionized by their own supporters and yet absolutely reviled by devotees of the other.Over the past 2 weeks I've watched (and thoroughly enjoyed) both American Sniper - the story of Chris Kyle - and CitizenFour - the story of Edward Snowden. Kyle is considered a hero and patriot by many because of his fearless defense of American interests in Iraq, sharp-shooting and assassinating his way into our collective hearts and minds. Snowden is a considered a hero and patriot by many because of his fearless whistle-blowing against the NSA's unrestrained institutional spying apparatus, among our government's myriad other invasions of privacy and violations of essential constitutional rights held by American citizens.The question of why both cannot be considered heroes and patriots by the same people is fruitless because in our overly politicized society it's nearly impossible for folks to respect two conflicting beliefs at the same time. Either Kyle is "right" because he kills in the name of the American state, or Snowden is "right" because he opposes that same American state in its infringement upon the rights of its citizens. Kyle's most passionate disciples believe anything done in the name of the power of the state is righteous; Snowden's believe anything done to protect the rights of the people is of essential importance.For me, the matter can only be resolved through an examination of the very concept of "patriotism" - what is it and how does it manifest itself? Patriotism is not a blind allegiance to some esoteric set of beliefs or dogma, nor is it the blind obedience of, or compliance with, commands from up high without substantiation of their merit. Simply put, patriotism is about protecting "we the people"; it's not about protecting surreptitious institutions or dubious doctrine.Patriotism is also about taking a stand when it's not so popular, looking the power structure straight in the eye and not flinching when it puts all of its resources to bear against you, because you're steadfast in your crusade to protect and inform fellow citizens. It's about being a lone voice of dissent when few want to hear what you have to say; it's about risking your own life and freedom to protect the lives and freedoms of others. And rather than finding pleasure in the injury or death of others, it's about going out of your way to avoid it while subjecting yourself to danger in the process.American Sniper viewed like a piece of propaganda to me. It glorified Chris Kyle's relentless spirit and aggression yet did not endeavor to ask the critical questions about what put him into harm's way in the first place. Or why he was there. Or what exactly he was there to achieve. CitizenFour plays much less like propaganda and much more like a biographical documentary. Yet it too fails to provide sufficient context into the plausible rationale behind the policies he fought and fights so hard to expose and defeat.Perhaps both are patriots. Perhaps neither is a hero. But to truly appreciate either man or their stories requires a deeper level of contemplation than most are affording them. These are literally matters of life and death and nuance and context are vital.
