Ценности американской молодежи

Criticism of our government is not dislike of country. These preachy demands get wrongfully equated with patriotism. All of the above brings about reminders of extreme examples like Nazi Germany. Furthermore in the name of patriotic reunification Germany, aggressively expanding its borders by invading nations abroad causing the deaths of 20 million people in the Soviet Union alone. The few internal critics were too afraid to speak up and patriotism was perverted for the goals of both political control and foreign conquest. Blind obedience to a government can never be patriotic.

Furthermore, а patriot would never simply worship a symbol of a country such as our flag as if it were some religious icon. Our pledge of allegiance is strange to foreigners because we seem at times consumed by the actual flag itself and not the society that it represents. We say this pledge almost daily at every school or public function to a colorful piece of cloth. As well, we traditionally play our patriotic song, the national Anthem, "Our Star Spangled Banner" at every major sporting event. These may be good reminders and symbols of our country but such gestures and rituals do not constitute our country itself. The people, the public make a nation, not a collection of flags, songs and sayings. Therefore, indulgence in our symbols are not pure acts of patriotism.

Patriotism, to get to the point is both love and service to country. Love of country manifests itself in many ways. Service to your country is wide-ranging. For example a real, patriot doesn't grumble about lack of patriotism. He quietly gives himself to his community. He helps others who are in need. He is charitable. He volunteers these services without pay or recognition because it is the moral and proper thing to do. He pays his taxes. He supports his family. He protects his environment. He votes for public figures at election time. He backs his government at all levels from local to national and this can and should include criticism of how his government operates. His purpose here is always to improve his government in it's service to the public. It is not to gain more power or make more money. The criticizing aspect of patriotism must be tempered with positive and helpful acts. That is one reason why a patriot has a singular duty to stay educated and informed about current events and what is going on in his community or his society both national and abroad, so he can contribute to his state and nation.

An extreme example of sacrifice to ones country is to be killed or disabled in defending or fighting a war for ones country. Unfortunately, because patriotism is often associated with conflicts with other nations or governments or even just providing security to our borders, the definition gets skewed. We get caught up in the image of patriot as "freedom fighter." Is a teacher, a nurse, a social worker, one who contributes to a charitable cause or a volunteer for the poor or downtrodden any less a patriot? The majority of acts of patriotism take place during times of peace in peaceful places. And it takes place in multiple unknown ways. While there are many formats to what can be a patriotic act, it is clear that a person who gives a fair part of his personal life to serving his government, or any non-profit public organization that exists for the greater good of all, in some capacity and without monetary compensation to himself is, by almost all definitions, a true patriot.

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Cody Jackson

Student at Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY, United States

1. What does Patriotism mean to you?

This is a strange question for me. By definition, patriotism is essentially the love a person feels for his or her country. Typically speaking, a patriot's love is not all that different from the love you feel for your family. Your blood. As a child, I could relate to this feeling; however, with age, not as much. I love the planet as a whole, so by extension, of course I love my land. That said, I wouldn't call myself a patriot. I am proud of much of my country's history, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't become somewhat jaded over the years.

2. What does American Patriotism mean to you?

No different than patriotism anywhere else in the world. There are some patriots I respect in America, and there are others who seem more ignorant than anything. It really comes down to the individual. I wouldn't argue "American Patriotism" as different than any other form.

3. What place in the system of modern American values does the patriotism take?

It depends. It is certainly different depending on where you are in the United States. There are extremists in both directions, as well as plenty of people (like myself) who reside somewhere in the middle. For me, patriotism doesn't affect my own personal values. At the very least, I don't let any patriotism (or lack there of) I am feeling affect my decisions. Same goes for my religious beliefs, sexual preferences, etc. For other people, perhaps of a more conservative mind, patriotism certainly will play a greater role. In many instances, I'd say too much of a role.

Patriotism is often used as a weapon, an excuse, a tool for the government to justify their actions, good or bad. Love your country regardless. I'd involve patriotism less in the political landscape if I had any say. How can you categorize American youngsters according their age, social status, attitude to life, etc - I can only speak for my fellow New Yorkers, but my generation is smart, talented and passionate. Despite this, many of us, myself included, are the lower class of the country. A youth movement is a necessary step for our government. We are capable, but seemingly disinterested.

4. How can you describe modern situation with patriotism in American society?

The 9/11 tragedy is the most obvious example. Those horrible events had our country united under the flag more so than it has been for a very long time. As a child, this was beautiful to me. I could empathize for the victims and their families, however as I aged and learned more, I didn't agree with the hate some people felt. That's the problem. With our country agreeing on something for once, Bush and company made many decisions using patriotism as a tool to do things that were less than decent in their own right. It is a big two sided coin.

5. Are you patriotic enough to go to the war to fight for democracy and other nation freedom?

I would go to war if it was to fight in a war that I believed it. World War II was necessary. The war in Iraq? With that conflict, I would not. It depends. I would not do it purely out of patriotism.

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