Sadness is more or less like a head cold - with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.
Barbara KingsolverRead
Patriotism threatens free speech with death. It is infuriated by thoughtful hesitation, constructive criticism of our leaders and pleas for peace. It despises people of foreign birth. It has specifically blamed homosexuals, feminists and the American Civil Liberties Union. In other words, the American flag stands for intimidation, censorship, violence, bigotry, sexism, homophobia and shoving the Constitution through a paper shredder. Whom are we calling terrorists here?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the paradox of patriotism that promotes censorship and violence against dissenting voices.
Barbara Kingsolver's quote challenges the prevalent notion of patriotism, highlighting how it often suppresses free speech and punishes those who voice criticism or dissent. By linking various forms of bigotry and hostility to the symbolism of the American flag, she questions the definition of patriotism and its implications on society, suggesting that true patriotism is often at odds with the values of liberty and justice for all.
Themes
PatriotismFree SpeechCriticismViolenceCensorshipBigotry
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on civil rights, one might reference this quote to illustrate the dangers of blind nationalism.
More from Barbara Kingsolver
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I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved.
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I did it to win love, and to prove myself capable. Not to move mountains. In my opinions, mountains don't move. They only look changed when you look down on them from great height.
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Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin.
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Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It's the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else's pain is as meaningful as your own.
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