A major component of the war on terror has been the unrelenting push for patriotism -- support our country by not questioning anything it does, and more importantly, by participating in the capitalist system that is such an important aspect of our existence -- or so the politicians say. A new study, Wrapping Ourselves in the Flag: Shopping for Freedom, has compiled photographs of the way patriotism has been used to increase consumption -- illustrating how people are profiting off of what was a tragedy on September 11, which has now become little more than a marketing campaign. Similarly, George W. Bush has used that event to push for new powers and wars -- using questionable intelligence under the idea that you can not question it and still be patriotic. We must remember, patriotism and nationalism are always tools of the capitalist state, they never truly belong to the people.

Wrapping Ourselves in the Flag: Shopping for Freedom

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