Philosophy Professor Rails Against ‘Patriotism’ And ‘Flag Waving’
Reverence for the American flag was the subject of recent reports after an LGBT “pride” flag was given a position of prominence over the stars and stripes during an event at the White House last week.
The display was roundly criticized by many patriotic Americans from across the ideological spectrum, but there are some far-left activists who apparently wish for a society in which the flag is never flown at all.
Marquette University philosophy professor Grant Silva, for example, recently sat down for a podcast interview with local NPR host Teran Powell to express his utter disdain for the American flag.
The Flag Day interview quickly devolved into a rant against so-called “nationalism.” Instead of challenging any of the allegations his guest made, Powell was eager to defend and echo the complaints Silva spouted.
“I remember seeing stickers that said something similar to like ‘immigrant hunting license’ and it had like a target and the image of people crossing,” the professor said of a gas station he allegedly passed during a trip to a relative’s house.
He added that the sticker’s imagery made him think “as a Mexican American, how safe am I in this particular gas station when this signage like this — these are stickers being sold, right?”
Patriotism, in Silva’s opinion, is a close relative to this type of bigotry.
“Especially the simplistic version of patriotism, the flag waving, my country love it or leave it kind of attitude,” he said. “This is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from becoming nationalism.”
As a result, Silva claimed that he feels “a little bit anxious around the excessive imagery of the flag,” reiterating his belief that “patriotism quickly slips into nationalism.”
Far-left voices like his are hardly an anomaly within institutions of higher education. As the Carnegie Foundation determined more than two decades ago, conservative professors on college campuses became an increasingly rare breed during the latter half of the 20th century.
According to National Affairs: “When the Carnegie Foundation conducted its faculty survey in 1999, it found that a mere 12% of professors were conservatives, down from 27% in 1969.”
