About Czech national pride
The translation of this chapter was kindly edited by my friend Joni. Thank you, Joni!
When I say national pride, I mean both the American and the Czech ones. They are two sides of one coin and I will discuss them in turn.
Even after ten years living in America, I am still surprised by the number of national flags flying around. They are omnipresent; people even flag-decorate their homes and cars. Our neighbors have classic flag poles with cords that display red and white stripes year round. I did not catch him yet, but I suspect that when Dan is raising the flag, he salutes to it with his left hand.
In front of the building where I work is a flagpole almost as big as the one at the Prague Castle. Smaller ones are at the drug stores, schools, police stations… Flying colors are everywhere and not only on national holidays. It is not because Americans like white stars on a blue background, they are proud of their country and the American way of life.
Why does the American flag have thirteen stripes? If you don’t know it symbolizes the number of British colonies that became the Union, you won’t get the US citizenship. Wicked people claim that the flag looks like the sewing machine threw up. However, they are mistaken, as its creator Betsy Ross sewed it by hand. When I was serving in the Czech Communist Army, my friend Díďa drew an American flag on his sneakers and was sent to penal battalion. Here in America people display the national flag wherever possible.
Czech national pride oscillates between two extremes. Self pity: Czech Republic (formerly part of Czechoslovakia) is a miserable small country which is periodically (with no fault of its own, of course) crushed by history, people confuse it with war-torn Yugoslavia, until they realize that it is actually much smaller country, in fact so small that it is hard to make a three-point turn there. And megalomania: we were always the star pupil of the communist bloc, our nation produced politicians like Masaryk, Benes, and Havel, who changed history. Since Yugoslavia fell apart, people at last understand it is a different country, and finally, the Czech Republic is the heart of Europe. In the second case, you can include the smirk we display on our faces when we see American tourists in Prague looking in awe at buildings from the fourteenth century. What a sweet feeling of superiority we experience! In the USA everything built before World War I is a historical monument. I know, there are a few shabby buildings in Boston from the Colonial Era, but they don’t look very exquisite. They don’t compare to the Mother of city, Prague! From a position of superiority, we can easily slide into depression when realizing that the Americans founded their republic some hundred and fifty years before us, and they have been carefully maintaining it since. At the time of the American Revolution, our Austrian Emperor, Josef II was abolishing serfdom (1781), and even when the Czechs founded their independent Czech state in 1918, they took rather poor care of it.
Before the Czech reader slides into depression he should realize that America too was initially a pitiful post-colonial country. To build up self-confidence and survive Americans had to work hard. Paul Revere, spiritual leader of the revolution, made a living as a silversmith, and since he was handy with metals, he diversified his business and went into casting church bells and primitive bombards for the Continental army, and even tried denistry. In 1801, he started one of the first successful foundry and copper mills on the new continent. Until then America was importing sheet metal and other industrial products from Europe (among others from Bohemia). As late as before the Civil War, the United States were arming their coastal defenses with guns purchased from England. Even the Industrial North was not able to manufacture long range guns in local foundries. The backwardness of the USA gradually vanished after Civil War; and America became a continental power. In 1898, (Spanish-American War) and particularly after World War I it finally became an international power impacting world politics. For example, President Woodrow Wilson, taunted by emigrant Masaryk, politically enabled the Declaration of Independence of the Czechoslovak Republic. And, the grateful nation named an ugly railway station in the center of Prague after him.
Our children go to Kennedy Elementary School. Instead of the bust of beardy Masaryk in the entrance hallway they see this painting. They don’t have a problem with national pride, they are Americans. They pledge Allegiance to America every morning before classes with a hand on their hearts, and without hesitation.
After World War II, the USA became an international superpower. I remember in seventh grade, when the comrade teacher unwittingly revealed to her pupils that the USA not the USSR, was the most industrial country in the world. We were greatly disappointed. Today’s American children are at ease knowing that their country is the best in pretty much everything. Their confidence that the United States is the mightiest, most democratic, beautiful and fair world country is not going to be spoiled.
American self-righteousness is not moderated by newspapers or television. When watching the usual hundred and ten channels available on cable TV, one can learn something about sports, cooking, fishing, diamond shopping, enjoy soap operas, sitcoms, reports about high-speed chase on highway, fire in a neighboring town, and scenes from a car accident caused by drunken students from a local high school. Don’t expect any news about elections in Spain, the building of European Union, Japanese stock market problems or uprisings in Gaza. If you are lucky, you can catch somewhere on a public television channel a half an hour of the BBC news, but that’s it. If you live in the USA, it looks like the world outside doesn’t exist.
Most Americans are not eager to widen their international horizons by traveling to Europe or other countries. Actually, most citizens have visited only a few US states, America is an awfully large piece of land. And, if they cross the border to Canada or Mexico, they still pay in dollars, speak English, and eat at McDonalds. It feels like home!
A typical example was when a salesman was trying to sell me a car and when he found out that where we were from, he nodded and volunteered that he had never visited Europe and he does not want to. What is there to see? America is great and it has everything. Tropical climate, snow, deserts, palm trees, coconuts, mountains, lakes, and New York. Even if you try you will not find a more interesting country anywhere else. We did not argue with him, in a sense he was right. But we did not buy a car from him either.
Our administrative assistant, Ginny, is a sweet lady of Italian ancestry. She likes pasta and pizza, but otherwise she is a through and through American (I mean this as a compliment). Once over lunch we talked with my Chinese-born, American colleague about how America has brain-drained China for the last thirty years. Practically all of the Chinese foreign students came to study and stayed in the USA. Today, that it is no longer true as the Chinese government is luring educated people back with grants, good work conditions, and promotions. Native and foreign scientists are drawn to China by world leading labs and scientific prospects. I taunted Ying-Qing and asked if she is getting ready to return. She admitted she has thought about it. Ginny, until now listening quietly, exclaimed: “Why would you go back to China?” Her conviction is that people come to the United States in search of freedom and a better quality of life, which excludes her from accepting other possibilities. Ying-Qing tried to explain that in China, she would get to work on interesting projects, have greater scientific freedom that in a commercial US company. Also, with the offered salary she could live in Shanghai as an upper class resident with a better living standard than in Massachusetts. And finally, she would be returning home! I am afraid that this explanation was not well received. Something like this is hard for some Americans to accept.
When you read tombstones at graveyards you may find that almost every male American is a veteran of some foreign war. Milford, Massachusetts.
I mentioned that American students are at ease, but that is not entirely true. The destruction of the Twin Towers wreaked havoc not only in children’s minds but even many adult Americans, who find it hard to understand why the fair-minded nation in the world is so hated that someone decides to devastate it. This traumatic experience was compounded by the following events, which revealed that the USA is resented not only by hordes of fanatics, but also by great number of humankind, including its traditional European allies. I think that the next generation of the American therapists will have great job security.
One way how Czech students can find out something about American national pride is to invite their American language school teachers to a local pub and booze them up. After the sixth beer they may find out that two of them are war veterans. One served as electrician on the Nimitz aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf during operation Desert Storm. Not that he loved military life, but after serving for four years he also was rewarded with university scholarship money (it could be more than a hundred thousand dollars). The second inconspicuous looking guy served many years in the Special Forces, and despite approaching his fiftieth birthday he just returned from Kuwait, where he served as a support troop for his colleagues fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq. The remaining four in your random party have either somebody in their family who is serving or has served in the military, or at least their fathers landed in Sicily, Normandy, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, or were bombing Belgrade. It is rather difficult to find a conflict in last fifty years without an active American involvement. If there was an uninteresting war, they were invited to participate later. That usually involved sending diplomats, supplies of weapons, military “instructors”, and the Sixth fleet. When you are a superpower it is hard to stand aside.
Regardless of whether you are a hawkish republican or a leftist intellectual who despises Bush, respect for fighting units is mandatory for everyone. The military in America is supported by most if not all citizens, including the cloaked Marxists. The military has a great reputation, police as well. This reputation is surprisingly enthusiastically nurtured by Hollywood. Most of the American war movies could have been aired alongside the Soviet propaganda movies of Breznev era, and one would hardly spot a difference. OK, maybe the special effects are now better than fifty years ago. (For the American readers: there was month dedicated to the Czech-Soviet friendship during the old communist times. It was November, and TV aired mostly Russian historic movies with a lot of explosions and the burning Panzer tanks. Ethically uncomplicated film Behind Enemy lines would fit right in).
During the first few weeks in America, I was shocked by the respect people paid to those in uniform. Cops directing traffic look like superheroes in bullet proof vests, guns at their waist, wearing sunglasses and a smile-like a toothpaste commercial. One gesture, traffic stops, slight wave, cars go. It does not look like people fear them. Cops sometimes high-five kids and help cats stranded on the high branch of a tree. Uniformed units are apparently all peaceful guys like the Dalai Lama and Jimmy Carter. When they get sometimes carried away and in the heat of duty they kick the brains out of some black citizens, but the public often soon forgives them. Good guys are good guys.
In the Czech Republic policemen or military personnel are butts of countless jokes. How about this one: On a lake the boat tipped over with six cops. Do you know how many of them drowned? Twelve. The remaining six during a re-enactment. This disrespect is in America unthinkable. Jokes about dummies often use Poles and Irish, who historically belonged to large groups of poorly educated immigrants.
National pride and faith that seem to be the American way of life must be protected and permeates the entire society. As I said, almost every family has its soldier in the field. They are proud of them and they fear for their safety. In every town there is a central park and a memorial with list of fallen soldiers, which is continually updated. America is a war-like nation, certainly compared to the Czech Republic.
Until recently I was allergic to the phrase “American way of life”. Do they want to suggest that it is better way of life than others? Why are they constantly bringing this up in political speeches? When I scratch my head enough it seems to me that it is not just propaganda aimed at home, but a deserved pride. An American way of life has a lot of positives. To fully understand it you must live here for a few years. It is our fault that we don’t retaliate. Our politicians should boast about the Czech way of life at every possible opportunity. Aren’t we proud of it?
After Bush’s excesses in recent years, an American friend confided to me that he is ashamed of his country. He wanted to burn his passport. Former hippies and current leftist intellectuals have sometimes these shame-induced mental trips. Most of them successfully overcome them to be re-absorbed into the major population, which is strongly convinced about the fairness of America, the best country of the World.
The first years in Massachusetts I was subconsciously wrestling with a problem of my national pride. I was wearing T-shirts with the Czech lion, I was bringing up Lendl, Navratilova, Jagr, and bragged about Prague. I boycotted Budweiser and requested Czech beer (you can buy a variety of Czech beers in the USA, not only Pilsner Urquell). I was wondering how I deserved an American work visa, a kind reception and fair salary. Why do they welcome me with open arms? I thought that it has to do something with the quality of Czech science or maybe professor Heyrovsky put a good word in for me, but it did not help (Heyrovsky is the only Czech scientist who received the Nobel prize). I still felt like a guy from Eastern Europe (we often claim it is central Europe, because we feel ashamed by the historical allegiance with the former Soviet bloc) and wanted to prove myself and my nation.
It is not just my desire, a number of books dealing with Czech character, or national spirit have been published in the Czech Republic suggesting that national self-confidence is in question. Or we have at least a tendency to self-flagellation. Maybe it is common feature of small nations, hard to say. The Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia) is little shrimp, often abused by its neighbors. Just look at the history of Bohemian Duke Wenceslas, his brother Boleslav, and a hundred twenty pairs of bulls sent to Germany as annual tribute (ransom). First (self-confident?) Czechoslovak Republic lasted only twenty years and folded under the pressure of sizable German minority within our border and mighty Hitler’s Germany asking for land secession. When I translate the timelines of the First Republic to modern history, the what-if scenario may look like this: 2004 – our neighbors elect a villain, who demands land. 2008 – our allies agree with the villain, the Czech Republic loses great portion of its area. 2009 - the Czech Republic is swallowed by Thousand year Reich, declared to be its Protectorate.
True, Reich (European Union) will ultimately swallow us anyway, but this time we will go voluntarily, and with other states will be grunting in European parliament. If we don’t like it, we can vote to change it. That’s quite a difference.
With my friends Bing and Alexei (originally from China and Russia) we discussed our national characters over a glass of beer. They grew up in Eastern empires of great (gross) nations and their thinking is in some way similar to Americans. National modesty is not thought of or encouraged. Superpowers simply have different options, historical roles and greater self-confidence than the Czech Republic. Which inevitably permeates school curriculums and children’s minds.
My sister, who I jokingly call “national revivalist”, cannot get over the fact that I play for a foreign team. Since I was born and educated in the Czech Republic, I should elevate the Czech science, not the American one! In an ideal case, I should hand down the knowledge to students at my home alma mater. It sounds great and I would certainly enjoy it, but the closer I look at the situation at my university, the less tempted I am to return.
Living across the ocean for a few years has given me new perspectives. We really don’t have to whip our national pride all the time. The Czech Republic and Czechs are everywhere. When you stop by in New York on Ellis Island (landing place of many USA immigrants in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries) you find a great number of Czech names in the documents. The same is true when you visit Pearl Harbor in Honolulu and read the list of perished sailors at the memorial erected over the shipwrecked Battleship Arizona. On American TV you can see Prague all the time (if you have a good eye...). Just turn on MTV and you can catch a video clip of REM, filmed at the main railway station in Prague. I even spotted some familiar homeless faces.
Recently I saw a TV commercial, it was taking place in medieval times. A group of peasants on a medieval stone bride watches a guy with some kind of hand glider made of wicker and sheets. The man jumps of the bridge and despite the general expectation he beautifully glides over the water. The crowd bursts into jubilation saturated with American positivism. Only one man walking by says in Czech (on US TV!): “So what? He does not know how to swim anyway!“ At that very moment the guy with hand glider hits the water. I don’t know who came up with the idea, but he perfectly captured the contrast of the Czech and the American national characters.
I find plenty of signs of Czech presence in America. The Boston College hockey team has a bunch of Czech players. They play for the college and after a few years they get a university diploma. Half of the Hollywood movies are made in Barrandov (Czech movie studio). Every world movie has in its final credits Czech names. This movie credit test finally convinced me. Why deny it? Czechs conquered the world.
My uneasiness about America’s open arms vanished. I know many people of my age who arrived here with one suitcase and they are as successful as Americans (or more). Why wouldn’t America take us? We work hard, pay taxes, and bring up our kids as exemplary Americans. The American way of life is mostly pleasant and when not, I try it the Czech way. Our neighbor observes with interest how we grill in our back yard hot dogs on a stick over the open fire. She says that we are a peculiar type of people who like to burn things (we use as wood the dead trees from our forest). Because Americans make hot dogs mainly on a gas grill, our way looks exotic.
My work office is covered with maps of the Czech Republic and old Czechoslovakia. If my colleagues don’t ask, I don’t open up the topic of the Munich Dictate (for those who are not familiar with history it is a pact of Hitler’s Germany, England, France and Italy allowing Germany to annex part of the Czechoslovakia in 1938, effectively destroying the independent Czech state). I don’t dwell on thoughts whether to return home and make my “national revivalist” sister happy, or to continue to work abroad. I think I have solved my national pride dilemma.
