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What gets me are these young kids running around saying, "America was never great." The wait for them to grow up and take personal responsibility for their naiveté is going to be a long one. We were all young idealists once, sure, but having been born in the 70's I guess I was sandwiched historically between the Vietnam war protests and now this new breed of anti-Americanism.
They should think for a minute about other 17 year old kids who volunteered out of high school and were fighting and dying in combat by 18. I served with a guy who was the youngest paratrooper to participate in a combat jump since World War II in Panama. That other kids their own age would risk and sacrifice all for their right to say such garbage illustrates just how great America is and was.
The narrative is more important than reality. Lots of people create their own world, it's easier to get through that face reality.
Many people who risked their lives didn't do it for patriotism either. Some were forced, others went because they wanted to fight, others went because they had nothing else.
I agree with you, Frigid.
Myself, I joined the Army to take advantage of the army college fund and G.I. Bill for use toward a civil engineering degree I likely couldn't have paid for otherwise. Just so happened I stayed in and became a lifer. Nevertheless, pride in country is also fundamental to finding a place for oneself in the national scheme of things and some peace of mind with the way things are in America at any given time. Patriotism speaking to love of nation rather than political ideologies or specific politicians is also a great and important way to honor the fallen.
Yes, patriotism has its place.
One of the reasons for patriotism is to stop internal strife.
However in the US internal strife is as bad as it's ever been. The patriotism is there. But because other things are stronger, it's not doing what it should.
Basically patriotism isn't used to keep people together. It's used to get what the rich want. To keep the people down. Yes, some are happy, but they're happy with substandard government.
Calling out "deep state" "fake news" and a quarter of the country is lapping it up. That's not patriotism.
There's a place in northern Baltimore county, Maryland, what used to be a heavily forested series of interconnecting valleys, its zip code now combined with that of a bordering community which grew faster in population. While the place retains its 18th century name, the people and its history have largely been absorbed into a boom of new deforesting housing developments from the mid-90's to now.
On the eastern slope of the east-west valley lies a one room stone church built from blue mountain shale, rose quartz and a combination of other flat river stone. An uncle of mine repointed the outside courses a couple of decades back. The church has always been the social center of the valley community. Hanging on a wall inside the two story Sunday school building just above the church is a piece of yellowed parchment covered in lists of names.
Each name, carefully written with whatever writing instrument was available at the time, also has gold or silver star beside it--the old adhesive kind teachers stuck to homework or quizzes. They're the names of everyone from the community who served during wartime going all the way back to the Civil War. Gold star stickers came home, silver ones did too, but that's the last thing they ever did.
Point of all this, is that for the aforementioned community, service to country and patriotism was and remains about defense of family, land, nation and flag. Nothing else. Hard times have come and gone. During the Depression for instance everyone pulled together and pulled everyone else through by directly trading goods and services and labor.
During the Civil war armies from north and south sacked the valleys along the railroad and burned flour mills operated off currents of the nearby creeks. They pulled through and rebuilt. A great aunt of mine who was the postmistress many decades ago ran a general store inside post office which was also her home on the first floor and her husband's auto repair business on the bottom. After her death trains full of passengers no longer shopped there. Local economy suffered. Community survived. Remained patriotic.
Patriotism, even on the generational level of what some might call a backward middle of nowhere rural area, can be binding, uniting and cultural for reasons independent of politics or propaganda or service of ideological agenda. For some Americans it is the foundation of being American.
And what is American Patriotism?
Going off to Iraq to die so some rich people can be richer?
whereas, Republicans are generally very proud of country regardless of who is president
very telling
The narrative is more important than reality. Lots of people create their own world, it's easier to get through that face reality.
Many people who risked their lives didn't do it for patriotism either. Some were forced, others went because they wanted to fight, others went because they had nothing else.
I agree with you, Frigid.
Myself, I joined the Army to take advantage of the army college fund and G.I. Bill for use toward a civil engineering degree I likely couldn't have paid for otherwise. Just so happened I stayed in and became a lifer. Nevertheless, pride in country is also fundamental to finding a place for oneself in the national scheme of things and some peace of mind with the way things are in America at any given time. Patriotism speaking to love of nation rather than political ideologies or specific politicians is also a great and important way to honor the fallen.
Yes, patriotism has its place.
One of the reasons for patriotism is to stop internal strife.
However in the US internal strife is as bad as it's ever been. The patriotism is there. But because other things are stronger, it's not doing what it should.
Basically patriotism isn't used to keep people together. It's used to get what the rich want. To keep the people down. Yes, some are happy, but they're happy with substandard government.
Calling out "deep state" "fake news" and a quarter of the country is lapping it up. That's not patriotism.
There's a place in northern Baltimore county, Maryland, what used to be a heavily forested series of interconnecting valleys, its zip code now combined with that of a bordering community which grew faster in population. While the place retains its 18th century name, the people and its history have largely been absorbed into a boom of new deforesting housing developments from the mid-90's to now.
On the eastern slope of the east-west valley lies a one room stone church built from blue mountain shale, rose quartz and a combination of other flat river stone. An uncle of mine repointed the outside courses a couple of decades back. The church has always been the social center of the valley community. Hanging on a wall inside the two story Sunday school building just above the church is a piece of yellowed parchment covered in lists of names.
Each name, carefully written with whatever writing instrument was available at the time, also has gold or silver star beside it--the old adhesive kind teachers stuck to homework or quizzes. They're the names of everyone from the community who served during wartime going all the way back to the Civil War. Gold star stickers came home, silver ones did too, but that's the last thing they ever did.
Point of all this, is that for the aforementioned community, service to country and patriotism was and remains about defense of family, land, nation and flag. Nothing else. Hard times have come and gone. During the Depression for instance everyone pulled together and pulled everyone else through by directly trading goods and services and labor.
During the Civil war armies from north and south sacked the valleys along the railroad and burned flour mills operated off currents of the nearby creeks. They pulled through and rebuilt. A great aunt of mine who was the postmistress many decades ago ran a general store inside post office which was also her home on the first floor and her husband's auto repair business on the bottom. After her death trains full of passengers no longer shopped there. Local economy suffered. Community survived. Remained patriotic.
Patriotism, even on the generational level of what some might call a backward middle of nowhere rural area, can be binding, uniting and cultural for reasons independent of politics or propaganda or service of ideological agenda. For some Americans it is the foundation of being American.
And what is American Patriotism?
Going off to Iraq to die so some rich people can be richer?
We could argue morality and just versus unjust wars all night. It's about willingness to do so in my opinion. About your neighbor or cousin or friend's father going off to fight and that desire to serve or fight with them. That's not being a brainwashed robot, no, that's caring about community, family, friendship and sacrifice for those you know and those who don't. About willingness to die so others who volunteered won't have to.
