Superpatriotism
Samuel Johnson in the 18th century said, “Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.” Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But for certain today, patriotism is a battleground. Being labeled unpatriotic or anti-American has become routine terms of abuse. Somehow the state has been invested with some extraordinary power and people are to be silent and obey in respectful awe. As Martin Luther King, Jr said in his great Riverside Church speech in 1967, “Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, citizens do not easily assume the task of opposing their government’s policy, especially in a time of war.” Perhaps true patriotism would be to raise uncomfortable questions that challenge the official story. Principled dissent has historically been a hallmark of a vibrant democracy .
Recorded at the University of Colorado.
Speaker
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti was a leading independent political analyst, scholar, and author. Cornel West called him “a towering prophetic voice.” He taught at major colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books, including Democracy for the Few, Power and the Powerless, and Against Empire. He passed away on January 24, 2026, at the age of 92.
Questioning the Unquestionable
“It is not demanded of readers that they embrace my views, but that they reflect upon their own. How seldom we bother to explore in some critical fashion the fundamental preconceptions that shape our understanding of social and political life. How frequently, as if by reflex rather than reflection, we respond to certain cues and incantations, resisting any incongruous notion. Our opinions shelter and support us; it is an excruciating effort to submit them to reappraisal. Yet if we are to maintain some pretense at being rational creatures, we must risk the discomfiture that comes with questioning the unquestionable, and try to transcend our tendencies toward mental confinement.” – Michael Parenti
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