The Mommy America syndrome

Dave Neiwert points out a very basic truth about the right-wing obsession with Jeremiah Wright and “God damn America”:

What’s obvious, in fact, is that the longtime right-wing “America, love it or leave it” style of patriotism has become part of the media’s standard narrative in the post-9/11 world. I think Al Franken had it right:

If you listen to a lot of conservatives, they’ll tell you that the difference between them and us is that conservatives love America and liberals hate America…. They don’t get it. We love America just as much as they do. But in a different Way. You see, they love America the way a 4-year-old loves her Mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups.

To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad, and helping your loved one grow. Love takes attention and work and is the best thing in the world.

In the new media universe, Mommy America would never ever hurt those poor black people. And if maybe she did once upon a time, well, she made up for it a long time ago and now things are all better. Bringing up evidence to the contrary just means you hate Mommy.

Which might explain why people like Wright get all contemptuous on their asses.