Independence Day

July 4th was Independence Day in the US - it's hard to imagine that the world's only superpower was not so long ago (relatively speaking) fighting for its own independence. I was actually intending for this blog to be about our road trip up the coast to San Francisco but we somehow found ourselves at an Independence Day parade in Monterey and we were reflecting that we never attend these parades in Malaysia (at least, not since we were forced to in school). It was an enjoyable small town parade complete with dancing Aztec warriors (see pic), girl guides and the bookmobile (mobile library), and after the parade many headed out to Fisherman's Wharf for some clam chowder or ice cream.

Anyway, watching the parade got me thinking about the nation state, independence and patriotism and why people should have allegiance to the place they happen to have been born in. Surely in terms of natural beauty, climate, culture etc. every place has its attractions. After all, California and Saudi Arabia probably look quite similar at first glance, especially when the sheikhs are out shopping on Rodeo Drive. What sets them apart is the political and economic system. Maybe that is why Americans tend to be more patriotic - many of them deliberately chose to emigrate to the US, whether it was their ancestors a hundred years ago or themselves more recently - they didn't come because the weather was better, or the culture more interesting, they came because the system allowed them to come and seek a better life.

I can therefore appreciate why people in the US think that they have the best system and yet why the US is viewed with such ambivalence by those from abroad. People in other countries admire the US for what it has achieved, but at the same time they are envious and perceive a certain arrogance in the way the US conducts its affairs, especially in dictating that democracy is the only acceptable form of government for all nations (this is itself a contradiction!). However, viewed from the perspective of those who live here and have fought to preserve The American Way of Life, and those who struggle everyday to come and live The American Dream, it seems self-evident that any system that does not allow the people to determine their own ruler by choosing their government and replacing it if necessary cannot be superior to one which does.

However, a lot has changed in the meantime. The US no longer welcomes the tired, the poor, the huddled masses with open arms. So the poor no longer benefit from being able to emigrate to a nation where they can gain upward mobility (ironically it is those who successfully transformed themselves from being the tired, the poor, etc. who most vehemently oppose letting more aspirants in). The rich, on the other hand, need have no allegiance - they can pick and choose where they live, make money and spend it (making sure they get the maximum of services for the minimum or no tax). Perhaps, therefore, instead of trying to impose democracy on other countries, the US should open its doors once again to all comers – after all, isn’t this what made the US great in the first place? If the US is indeed intent on spreading democracy, perhap the best way to do so would be by letting all people, not just the well-to-do, vote with their feet!

I guess that’s just my crazy idea of the day, after reading about how much the war in Iraq or the war on terror are costing it seems it may be cheaper and more effective to support a few million extra people who actually want to live the American Way of Life rather than trying to impose it where it is not wanted.

Otherwise we can just wait one or a few hundred years until the concept of the nation state fades away on its own (after all, many of the countries we know today did not have their present boundaries and were not known by their present names just a century ago). Perhaps then there will be less wars and the flags of each country will seem as quaint as medieval royal emblems today seem to us.