The Two Faces of Loyalty

Growing up, sheltered by my naiveté of the real world, I thought loyalty was always an esteemed and valuable virtue. In my youth, I lacked the critical thinking skills to dissect and contrast how people in power positions, including employers, parents, religion, and governments use the concept of loyalty to squelch critical thinking and dissent. I failed to realize that the concept of loyalty can be used as great tool to manipulate minds, and promote foolish allegiances to dangerous, corrupt, and harmful causes. Loyalty used in a pure and uncorrupted way is also a positive tool that engenders trust, safety, and community. Today I am going to focus on the dangers of blind unconditional loyalty.
I pondered the following questions relating to loyalty: Should a parent of a serial murderer try to protect his/her child, or should that parent be open and forthright about the barbaric behavior? Should a patriotic American cover up the misdeeds of government leaders for the eyes of the country and world? Should the Catholic Church hide and deny the pedophilia of some of its priests? Must the electorate pledge unbending allegiance to unscrupulous political candidates even though they are of our partisan persuasion. Should an employee of a corporation keep silent about corporate frauds, executive lies, or environmental irresponsibility? Should someone in the military such as WikiLeaker Pfc. Bradley Manning keep silent about military murder and abuses of innocent civilians? These are important questions if we want to build a society based order, civility, justice, and integrity. Do we want to reinforce acts of virtue and integrity for our children and peers, or do we want to be selectively hypocritical due to fear and short term gain?
I am proud to say that I have no blind loyalty to my government, religion, political party, nationality, or any individuals. Some people may have a knee jerk reaction to my not being loyal to my government or a religion, and I say that is exactly the catalyst that should provoke an intelligent rational discussion between us. In my opinion integrity, morality, and civil behavior trump all other priorities. I would turn on a parent, clergy, teacher, military or government leader, or business person whose behavior I deemed to be in violation of my moral priorities. Loyalty must be earned constantly and proven over time, and not taken as a divine right, because of someone’s title or position. Being unconditionally loyal can cost one their life, limb, or reputation.
Militaries are prime examples of organizations that require unconditional loyalty, and as a result are the most dangerous, barbaric, and corrupt. The US Pentagon cannot find $2.3 trillion in expenditures, why should we blindly continue to fund defense, are we that “sheep like” and fearful as a nation? Our country as well as others have had a sordid barbaric history of mass killings, major ethnic displacement, theft of natural resources, and abstract rationalizations for many other immoral activities. Iran Contra, Kennedy’s assassination, East Timor, Chile, El Salvador, Panama, mass slaughter of Native Americans, “9/11”, Vietnam, bombing of 2 million Cambodians, and the illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan are just a few examples of our countries sordid past that have been carried out primarily through our military and CIA. The US has been directly or indirectly responsible for furthering totalitarianism in every nation where our corporations and investment capital might be at risk. It is very difficult for me to be loyal to a barbaric and corrupt government that continues to behave in such an egregiously immoral fashion, while hypocritically criticizing other nations for their unacceptable behavior.
In the 1930’s a majority of the German people, through sophisticated propaganda and economic fear, became unconditionally loyal to the burgeoning Nazi regime. What would have happened if these loyal Germans all became disloyal to their government? Hitler would have not risen to power, the people would be loyal only to peace, and there probably would have not been a major war in European continent.
After “9/11” approximately 80% of our nation felt that it was disloyal to question our governments motives for invading Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result, the unconditional loyalty of a majority of our electorate will ultimately cost millions of lives and over 3 trillion dollars that would have been better spent on education, healthcare, infrastructure, research, and alternative energy.
The wealthy and powerful leaders of our nation profess that we should buy and invest in American companies. In contrast wealthy base their investment and purchasing decisions based upon what countries economics make the most prudent sense. The wealthy try to make the argument that taxation and environmental responsibility will shift jobs elsewhere. I do not believe that their loyalty lies with the plight of the American worker, but their financial pragmatism will cause them to easily set up shop or invest in another country. Loyalty seems to be an abstract emotional concept that is mainly embraced by the masses, but not practiced by the elite.
I believe that those people who are more unconditionally loyal are also more evangelically religious. By the very nature of religion being mythical and un-provable, one would have to possess a greater degree of blind faith in order to be loyal to the religion.
Those who are more religiously loyal also believe in “American Exceptionalism”. The 2010 Post-Election American Values survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in cooperation with the Brookings Institute asked respondents to agree or disagree (completely or mostly) with the statement: “God has granted America a special role in human history”. Overall 58 percent agreed. Tea Party members, Republicans, and White Evangelicals were more likely to agree; liberals and the unaffiliated were more likely to disagree. Still, 25 percent of the unaffiliated mostly agreed with the statement. The survey also found that those who agree with the idea of American Exceptionalism are more likely to justify torture and to believe that military strength rather than diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace.
Being unconditionally loyal to professionals such as teachers, doctors, lawyers can also be a dangerous trap that may lead to disinformation, inadequate treatment, and financial and personal loss. I also believe that there is a major correlation between the ignorance, naiveté’, and indolence of those who easily choose unconditional loyalty.
It has been demonstrated that unconditional loyalty to parents and family can also be a dangerous path to emotional, sexual, and physical abuse. In will never forget the statement that my father arrogantly made when I was a child, “I am your father and you never question anything that I tell you or direct you to do”. My father had many faults and short comings. Why would I blindly accept his judgment to be perfect and God like, without him giving me a rational explanation for his directives? I have always taught my children to respectfully question anything I say in order to develop their critical thinking and survival skills.
If we are to strive to become a more civilized, just, and humane society it is in our best interests as individuals and a nation to value truth, ethics, and fairness above blind loyalty.