ABSTRACT
The careful manipulation of patriotic and military symbols, such as "God Bless America", in support of consumer culture and advertising dollars obscures a political agenda in favor of capitalism, militarism, and empire at the expense of more humanitarian values. Sheryl Kaskowitz argues that Irving Berlin initially perceived "God Bless America" as an homage to peace, but increasingly the song became an anthem for military intervention in World War II—an association with militarism that was carried into the Cold War with an emphasis upon civic conformity against the threat of international communism. The mindless, coercive, American-exceptionalism patriotism of "God Bless America" is what led Woody Guthrie to challenge Berlin's tune with the more inclusive "This Land Is Your Land". As American militarism and expansion provoke even more blowback, the dangers of the associations of American exceptionalism, sport, and militarism through a song such as "God Bless America" become even more apparent.
