The aspects of patriotism that hush dissent, encourage going

The voice of Bernadine Dohrn cries out with a warning to the generations: “The aspects of patriotism that hush dissent, encourage going along, and sanction comfortable distancing and compliance with what is indecent and unacceptable… those aspects are too fundamental to ignore or gloss over.” These words, though sharp, are words of love, for they call us to discern the difference between true devotion and the false mask that nations often wear. She reminds us that when patriotism is twisted into silence, obedience, and blind acceptance, it ceases to be a force of virtue and becomes instead a chain upon the soul.

To understand this teaching, we must know that patriotism is a double-edged blade. In its pure form, it binds the many into one, giving courage, sacrifice, and unity. But in its shadowed form, it becomes an idol that demands silence, even when injustice reigns. It whispers to the citizen, “Do not question. Do not resist. Go along with the crowd, though your heart knows it is wrong.” This is the danger Dohrn reveals: the hushing of dissent, the worship of conformity, and the comfort of cowardice disguised as loyalty.

History itself offers us clear testimony. Recall the years of McCarthyism in America, when to question the government was to risk being branded a traitor. Fear spread like wildfire, and many, though they disagreed inwardly, remained silent outwardly. Careers were destroyed, communities torn apart, not only because of those who accused, but because of the millions who complied in silence. Their compliance with what was indecent allowed injustice to triumph. Here we see Dohrn’s truth: when patriotism demands silence, it ceases to be noble and becomes a cloak for tyranny.

Another story, older still, rises from the annals of empire. In ancient Rome, there were senators who dared to warn against corruption, against the growing power of Caesar, against the betrayal of the Republic. Yet the greater number sat quietly, preferring safety to truth. Their comfortable distancing—their unwillingness to risk their lives or voices—allowed the Republic to crumble into dictatorship. Thus do the words of Dohrn stretch across centuries: the downfall of free peoples is not always the roar of enemies, but the silence of friends.

Her warning also speaks to the present: the aspects of patriotism that pressure citizens to conform are always with us. They rise in chants at rallies, in the command to “support without question,” in the scorn heaped upon those who resist unjust wars, unjust laws, or unjust systems. To speak against them is often to be cast as unpatriotic, yet true patriotism is not submission—it is love fierce enough to demand better. To refuse to gloss over what is indecent and unacceptable is not betrayal, but the deepest form of loyalty.

The lesson is this: silence in the face of wrong is itself wrong. Obedience to injustice, even dressed in the garments of patriotism, is still obedience to evil. The patriot who dares to speak out, though reviled, is the true guardian of the nation’s soul. Each of us must examine our hearts and ask: “Am I loving my country by challenging its faults, or am I betraying it through silence?” For nations are not saved by the applause of the compliant, but by the courage of those who refuse to go along.

In practice, this teaching demands that we act in our daily lives. When we see discrimination, we must not stay silent. When leaders misuse power, we must not simply obey. When the majority moves toward what is harmful, we must dare to stand apart. In our workplaces, in our communities, in our nations, the voice of conscience must outweigh the voice of conformity. Let each person cultivate the habit of questioning, the discipline of courage, and the willingness to endure the loneliness of dissent for the sake of truth.

Therefore, let the wisdom of Dohrn echo in our spirits: beware the patriotism that hushes the voice of justice. Beware the loyalty that demands complicity with the unacceptable. For the fate of peoples and nations lies not in their proud displays of unity, but in their willingness to hear the voices that refuse to be silenced. And let us, in our time, be those voices—fierce in love, unwavering in truth, and unafraid to break the silence that destroys.