Samuel Johnson would have us believe that “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”, and whilst it was likely that ‘Mr Dictionary’ was referring to false patriotism, there is something in his remark that still holds true today. As the World Cup looms, patriotism in England seems like a carefully executed, yet artificial, plan made by marketing and advertising executives, with everybody on the television screen out waving their flags and crossing their fingers for our dear country, whilst everyone in reality is enjoying a game of football, not a piece of jingoistic nonsense.
World Cup fever has induced some people to hang flags on their cars and outside of their houses, but when it’s all over it’s unlikely that they’ll be staying up. Some would argue that events such as the World Cup are what patriotism means for England, but I do wonder why it has to be so temporary, as if hanging a flag for any longer than our ‘allotted time’ would seem too smug or sure of ourselves. Sadly there does seem to be a shame factor when it comes to that big ol’ flag of ours, and there’s no doubt that groups such as the BNP have confused the line between patriotism and negative nationalism. However, even before the BNP existed, England was one of the few countries where its national holiday was barely celebrated, if even remembered at all.
This apathy still remains, with a recent survey from The Telegraph finding England to be the least patriotic country in Europe, with just one in three British people aware of what date St George’s Day is (it’s 23rd April, in case you were unsure!) What seems even worse is that one reason given in the survey for the lack of patriotism is the fear of appearing racist. The fact that flying a simple symbol of our country could have connotations of racism indicates how confused the idea of patriotism has become; perhaps events such as the World Cup are the only times when people feel ‘safe’ to outwardly celebrate their Englishness.
Whilst it’s obvious that education holds the key to helping people understand we can be proud of our country without having to be worried of racism, I’m not suggesting that patriotism should be forced upon people. The idea of having our school children pledge allegiance to the flag, as in America, just wouldn’t work, as it would take patriotism once again to an uncomfortable extreme.
It may even be arguable that England has outgrown patriotism compared to its American cousins, and certainly some could see this as a positive – that we are able to see past the apparent naïvety of those who are loyal to their country no matter what. Indeed, whilst speaking in perhaps rather general terms, England has always had a sense of detachedness and cynicism – it’s something that is woven in the rich tapestry of our culture, so being proud of it unfortunately creates an awkward oxymoron. Nevertheless, just as there are some people who appear to confuse patriotism with racism, there should be no need to confuse patriotism as a duty as is often the case in the USA – it just doesn’t have to be that way.
It seems unlikely that people here will ever take to hanging flags outside of their houses all year round, but if they could find it possible to look past the rose-tinted glasses of the advertising world, and still see something to outwardly celebrate rather than hesitate over when the World Cup is done and dusted, then perhaps the need for a special day is an old-fashioned one – St George probably would have been rubbish at football anyway.