74. Patriotism and its Discontents

U-S-A! U-S-A! Talking Tachlis wishes a huge mazal tov to the US Women's National Soccer Team! They then dive into this week's topic: patriotism and our military. On July 4th, President Trump gave a much anticipated and controversial address at the Lincoln Memorial that focused on American patriotism and pride, mostly centering around the armed forces and US military victories. And this week, Fivethirtyeight profiled “The Guy Who Wants To Bring Back The Draft.” Chris, a 40 year old white man from Tennessee believes the United States should implement mandatory military service for all young men and women as a way to include all different types of people into the American civic fabric. Uri and Rivky ask, are we, as Americans, missing a sense of civic pride, or connection to our country? Does a draft, or the military, address these issues? How does any of this relate to questions about nationalism, militarism, pride in the American flag, or kneeling for the anthem? Links: Trump's July 4th speech: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-salute-america/ Bringing back the draft: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/political-confessional-the-guy-who-wants-to-bring-back-the-draft/ Colin Kaepernick July 4th Tweet: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cruz-adds-context-after-kaepernick-quotes-from-frederick-douglass-fourth-of-july-speech Context for Douglass' Speech: https://time.com/5614930/frederick-douglass-fourth-of-july/