It occurred to me last week during the imbroglio over Barack Obama’s missing flag pin that the meaning of “patriotism” was as elastic as a rubber band – that the word means entirely different things to different people depending on your political point of view.

In the comments to this post at Balloon Juice where my integrity was called into question, some ignorant commenter (who didn’t bother to read what I had written about the Obama flap) said that those on the right who consider themselves patriotic are, in fact, nationalists instead.

Indeed, I think the fellow just proved the million monkey theory. Because at bottom, that very well may be the defining difference between left and right when it comes to patriotism.

The lefties hate it when I engage in these little verbal exercises because they believe such archaic concepts as “meaning” and “intent” belong in Derrida’s grave. They wish words to have their meaning obscured by ignoring convention and definition. And intent doesn’t matter half as much as how they reserve the right unto themselves to define what you are saying. Of course, this makes it impossible to communicate with many liberals on a rational or logical level because the sands of dialogue keep shifting underneath your feet. It becomes pretty hard to talk to someone whose definitional constructs regarding words and their usage is based not on an agreed upon framework but rather whatever the hell they wish to pull out of thin air at the moment.

And given the average emotional temperature of your average liberal, chances are you are better off talking to a stone. At least a rock won’t drive you nuts by putting words into your mouth or bringing up subject matter wholly unrelated to the discussion.

This was never more on display than in the brouhaha over the flag pin. It seems that the sticking point in the debate occurred over the use of the term “patriotism” with those on the right believing it means love of country while those on the left believing it means…love of country.

Before you think I’m being disingenuous, allow me to explain. I think it is apparent that some on the right love America in a different way than some on the left. Think of the right’s love of country as that of a young man for a hot young woman. The passion of such love brooks no criticism and in their eyes, the woman can do nothing wrong. They place the woman on a pedestal and fail to see any flaws in her beauty, only perfection.

On the other hand, love of country by many liberals is more intellectualized – perhaps the kind of love we might feel for a wife of many years. The white hot passion may be gone and her flaws might drive you up a wall at times. And it is difficult not to dwell on her imperfections But there is still a deep, abiding affection that allows you to love her despite the many blemishes and defects they see.

It isn’t that most on the left love America any less than those on the right. They simply see a different entity – a tainted but beloved object that has gotten better with age.

Having said this, I should point out that the insufferable way in which the left seeks to claim some kind of moral superiority for their view of patriotism by belittling and demonizing the way the right expresses their love of country is unconscionable. There are those on the right who accuse the left of lacking in patriotism – something I have abhorred in the past and will continue to do so. Many conservatives defend dissent even in time of war as a patriotic exercise especially those who have their own beef with the way the war is being run. But I have yet to see anyone on the left take a fellow liberal to task for questioning the methods by which conservative choose to express their love of country.

Indeed, the very idea of a heartfelt expression or outward manifestation of patriotism smacks of “nationalism” to these liberals. And that perhaps, is the real divide between conservatives and liberals when it comes to a definitional framework regarding the use of the word “patriotism.”

Webster’s definition informs us that nationalism is “a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.” Further, a nationalist is “a member of a political party or group advocating national independence or strong national government.”. While I would hesitate to say that patriotism and nationalism are the same thing, there is clearly a strong correlation where the definition of nationalism augments or supplements the definition of patriotism which is defined as “love for or devotion to one’s country.”

It should go without saying that liberals despise the concept of nationalism. In this, they are not entirely off base. Most of the evils of the 20th century can be traced to nationalistic impulses in Germany, Japan, the old Soviet Union (Despite their “all men are brothers” rhetoric, the Soviets never had any intention of allowing independent communist states. Their expressed desire was that the revolution be controlled by Moscow.), and the early 20th century saw nationalist movements destabilizing the Austria-Hungarian empire as well as super-nationalistic sentiment in Europe leading the continent to war.

But whether deliberately or not, the left confuses that virulent kind of nationalism with the simple expressions of patriotism most Americans see as harmless and uplifting. Yes there are those on the right who have a “my country right or wrong” attitude where a mindless form of nationalism has taken over and a creeping authoritarianism is expressed by a slavish devotion to a man like Bush. There are also aspects of militarism at large in these quarters where the military can do no wrong and any criticism of the armed forces is tantamount to treason.

I am not denying any of this. I am simply saying that this is a small minority of Americans (whose numbers are blown all of out proportion thanks to the internet). For the left to paint all conservatives and all Americans who express their love of country in a more demonstrable fashion than liberals as xenophobes and simple minded, brainwashed automatons is outrageously arrogant. It stinks of class warfare as much as it animates any criticism for the right’s overly nationalistic impulses. According to many on the left, that kind of patriotic display is reserved for the rubes in flyover country and can safely be ridiculed as the mouthings of ignorant, bible reading, goober chewing yahoos who are too stupid to “vote their own interest” we are told after every election won by a conservative.

The idea that nationalism is bad in and of itself and any manifestation of it must be stamped out is ludicrous. But you’d never know it by listening to how the left constantly denigrates people who feel proud to express their love of the United States for all to see. Of course waving the flag or wearing a flag pin doesn’t make one any more or less of a patriot. Except many liberals will remind you that the superior patriot does neither, that such vulgar displays in fact show one to be a mindless stooge or worse, a towering hypocrite.

The idea of American Exceptionalism has taken a beating in recent years because of this overt fear on the part of the left that believing America to be special smacks of the kind of nationalism that had Europe marching off to war in 1914 or Germans goose stepping under the Brandenburg Gate in 1939. Nothing could be further from the truth. You don’t have to read Howard Zinn or Noam Chomsky to rid yourself of the notion “my country right or wrong.” And if that is the only education you allow yourself about America and her past, I pity you. Nor do you need any special knowledge vouchsafed those lucky lefties who are able to see through Bushitler’s lies in order to oppose the President on many issues. Unless you are a blind, mindless partisan, such wisdom comes from picking up the daily newspaper and reading it every once and a while.

In short, the privileged moral position the left seeks to occupy on the question of patriotism is an arrogant lie – a belief that those who are more nationalistic in their expressing love of country are not only wrong but dangerous. I hate to disabuse my lefty friends of this notion that patriotism can only be defined as the last refuge of scoundrels but the kind of nationalism expressed by most on the right is in fact healthy and sincere form of patriotism. There is not a whiff of authoritarianism or militarism except in the fevered minds and paranoid imaginings of those who either don’t understand the right’s patriotism or refuse to recognize it as genuine.

What it comes down to is that I am a patriotic nationalist. Or perhaps a nationalistic patriot. And I believe this view is reflected by many on the right as well as those who through gesture and action, choose to overtly express their pride and love of the United States.

This is not a cause for concern. Nor should it occasion ridicule or condemnation. It is simply the way the majority of us choose to be. And for the left to besmirch those who through word or deed outwardly demonstrate their affection for the nation of their birth is perhaps the most unpatriotic thing they can do.