this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2024
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It has actually been described as such. (It's called Civic Religion) Many countries have elements of this, like France or the Soviet Union.
Only a couple countries on Earth where every member of Congress has¹ to wear a pin: the US and North Korea.
Yes I know nearly every country has elements like this. But in the US it's a bit more than just some elements.
I can see it in American advertisements, TV series, movies, political speeches, and a lot of rather loud opinions.
Patriotism is ingrained from birth like religion — They're forced to pledge allegiance to the flag through schooling, taught little about the world outside the US, and constantly propagandised by politics, hollywood, and capitalism from all angles; non-stop affirmation that the USA is the greatest Democracy™️ in the world, and their Freedoms™️ are the free-est free that ever freedomed.
And an irrational hate for "dirty commies", gays and jews for some reason. Maybe it was just the Midwest in the early 00s, but that was my experience throughout high school.
(I know, I know, McCarthyism and the Cold War all shaped public perception, but all the kids were screaming it to each other and I didn't understand why back then.)