The term Patriotism is defined as “devoted love, support, and defense of one’s country; national loyalty” (dictionary.com).  In other words, caring enough about one’s country to take action in times of need.  Each of us has a responsibility to our country, a “contract” we enter into when we decide that we want to live here.  This responsibility is based on one concept: community.  We have a duty to act in a manner that does the greatest good for those within our national community.  The key aspect to remember when looking at patriotism is that a patriot is not loyal to his country.  A country is comprised entirely of people, all of whom collectively represent this nation.  Patriotism is loyalty to the people of this country, not the country itself.  The flag is not our country, the constitution is not our country, the court system is not our country, congress is not our country, the president is not our country, and the so-called “American Ideals” are not our country.  The only thing that our country represents is the collective will, opinion, and welfare of the American people.  Our country could exist without all of the above stated items, however no country could ever exist without the people. 

I have been called unpatriotic in the past.  I will be the first to admit that I rarely see eye to eye with any of the politicians that run this country.  The reason I feel that their ideals are so misguided is because they represent themselves, and not the people they were elected to speak for.  I speak up when I feel something is wrong.  I always have.  My common sense tells me that if people are not alerted to a problem, nothing will be done to fix it.   When it comes to our nation, I am outspoken about the war in Iraq, the constant presidential scandals, the ridiculousness of certain bills going through congress, the lack of improvement on aspects of society that desperately need it, and the ever growing deficit that our country is accruing.  All in all, I just want change, though I am so cynical that I have no faith in that wish ever coming true. 

So back to patriotism.  I look on TV and I see people supporting the troops and telling others that even if this war was not warranted, we should continue to rally behind it because it is our country fighting.  I hear people saying that our president is the one we consciously elected, and therefore we should support him unwaveringly.  Anything less is just plain unpatriotic to many Americans today.  So here is where I take a stand.  TRUE patriotism is exactly as the definition above states; “devoted love, support, and defense of one’s country; national loyalty”.  Love for ones country is taking an interest in what is being done on every level of our society, including the executive level.  Support of our country is standing up for our fellow countrymen who somehow are not being heard.  When you see someone’s rights being trampled all over and you stand up for that person, and support that person in his or her time of need, you are being a patriot.  Defense of our country, excluding armed combat, is the act of speaking out for what you believe is best for this country.  That is, speaking out for what you think is best for the people that ARE this nation.  When you follow your government without questioning its actions, you are being disloyal to your country.  You are abandoning your own sense of what is right for this country and surrendering it to a select few individuals.  You are not fulfilling your obligation to the people of this nation.  History is full of nations who followed their leaders blindly, the worst of which was Nazi Germany.  You see, patriotism is more complex than waving a flag.  It involves more thought and analysis than most people in this nation are willing to give.  It requires that you be a vigilant watchdog against actions that could hurt the people of our country, and sadly most of these actions come from the top rung of our government.  Supporting our troops in Iraq is important, but putting a flag outside your front porch, or slapping a bumper sticker on the back of your SUV is not supporting the troops.  If you want to support your troops, BRING THEM HOME.  Don’t just sit here and agree with your president on the basis of election in an effort to support the troops, when all the while the president is the one keeping them in a combat zone.  These men and women are being shot at, bombed, mortared, and kidnapped every single day, but our “patriots” are the ones allowing more money to pass through to fund another year of war.  Our “patriots” are driving around with bumper stickers and holding up banners.  Who are the fundamental patriots of this nation?  The first names that would come to anyone’s mind would be George Washington and the rest of the founding fathers.  However, these patriots rebelled against England, their government at the time, which according to “patriots” today would be pretty unpatriotic.  These men are held in esteem today because they fought for what they believed was the greatest good for the men and women of the American colonies. 

There is a time and a place for patriotism.  It is unpatriotic to hold ideals or take actions that could injure hinder our government, and as much as we can criticize the government, it brings a great deal of good to our lives.  It organizes the school systems, it maintains our roads, it provides us with safety and healthcare.  Despite all of this, you cannot stop speaking out against what you believe to be wrong.  Our government was designed to be run by the people.  The politicians are elected to represent us in making decisions that are in our best interest.  If we don’t speak up today, the changes that we desire will never come to be.  Perhaps we can sit back and cynically watch as government tries to correct its own mistakes.  That just isn’t for me. 

Popularity: 15% [?]

Share this with the world:

If you enjoyed this article, you can subsribe to the College Critic Feed by clicking here! Also, please leave a comment if you enjoyed the article, agree with it, disagree with it, or even flat out hate it!

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...