God Bless the USA

by Daniel Gardner, Special to the Gazette

Every semester I lead my students in a discussion about ethnocentrism. The American Heritage Dictionary defines ethnocentrism as, “A tendency to evaluate other people, activities, cultures, etc. primarily from the perspective of one’s own as being superior.”

In November 2000 I traveled to Ivanovo Russia to visit friends. They asked me to speak to an English language class at Ivanovo State University.

The students wanted to know what America was really like, asking specifically whether everyone had guns, fast cars, drank a lot, and had a lot of sex. That led to some interesting conversations and comparisons with Russia.

The students were not shy about asking anything that came to mind. One student asked me whether I thought America was the greatest nation on earth. And, that’s how I generally began my discussion about ethnocentrism here at MSU.

I would tell my students I wanted to be careful how I answered the Russian students’ questions. So, I answered that as an American I believed America was the greatest nation on earth, and that I fully expected my Russian friends to believe that Russia was the greatest nation on earth.

About 15 years ago I noticed several of my students shaking their heads “NO” when I said I believed America was the greatest nation on earth. I asked whether my students believed America was great. Many said “No” and were quite sincere. Out of curiosity, I asked them what nation was the greatest on earth. No one dared to answer that question. They just agreed America was not the greatest. So much for explaining ethnocentrism.

Needless to say, I stopped using nations as examples and began using different cultures to explain ethnocentrism.

Everybody knows Donald J. Trump adopted Lee Greenwood’s song, “God Bless the USA” as his political theme song. Some of us remember that song from a film featuring Ronald Reagan at the 1984 Republican convention. George H. W. Bush used the same song in 1988. In fact the popularity of the song has surged many times since: during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991, after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

I feel patriotic when I hear, “And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me. And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today, ‘cause there ain’t do doubt I love this land. God bless the USA.”

Millions of Americans continue to sing along with millions more Americans, “‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land. God bless the USA.”

Without a single partisan note we sing, “From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee, across the plains of Texas from sea to shining sea. From Detroit down to Houston, and New York to L.A., Well there’s pride in every American heart, and it’s time we stand and say, that I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me. And, I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land. God bless the USA!”