I Am Not A Patriot Analysis

One of the things the United States is known for best is its rampant patriotism. Whether its 1930 or the present day, one thing remains the same Americans love their country. During special periods of time however, events happen that make Americas already fiery patriotism burn brighter. Many years ago during the period of time known as the “Red Scare” the United States mistrust of all things communist and anarchist led to very nationalistic feelings among the populace. After the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks the country the country was left shaken. The fear of terrorist made the American rally behind their military and country even more than before.

Patriotism is not blindly following ones country as some think. Patriotism is working to ensure you’re your country lives up to your moral and ethical values both at home and abroad. As well as being critical of your country when it does not live up to those standards. Patriotism as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary is “The quality of being patriotic; love of or devotion to one's country” (Oxford 2014). That’s it. It doesn’t say you have to take any specific action like flying the flag, serve in any function such as the armed forces or support any particular party for election. However; devotion is usually manifested in some type of behavior. In fact the definition is open to interpretation and subjective at best. True American

In the essay, “A Cause Greater Than Self”, John McCain expresses his strong views on the definition of patriotism. He states “Patriotism is a love and a duty, a love of country expresses in good citizenship.” In order to show love for their country one must participate actively in communities and the government as good citizens. Idle hands and feckless verbiage only stunt our growth as a Nation, and allow its standards to fail in misled and unchecked government policies. Small everyday community actions made by all

Many people believe that they are patriotic people. But, what truly makes one patriotic? In “Saying Goodbye to Patriotism” Robert Jensen critiques the effects of patriotism on today’s modern society, the United States, and globalization after the attacks on 9/11. Jensen defines patriotism in his talk delivered to the Peace Action National Congress as “love and loyal or zealous support of one’s own country.” (Jensen 741) But, that is not the only definition of patriotism. One may love living in the United States so does that make them patriotic? Patriotism is probably one of the hardest words to define in today’s society.

All Americans should find their opinion on patriotism and voice that opinion. There are many different views of patriotism and many will clash, but if we continue to talk and use our minds instead of our fists or guns, we can eventually come to a compromise of both ideas, which will best represent everyone’s opinions on patriotism. Through more clearly and fairly defined ideas of patriotism we can better understand the actions of our fellow Americans and avoid more unnecessary conflicts caused by extremist ideas being the only ideas heard.

To be patriotic means to be loyal to your country. When we say The Pledge Of Allegiance in the morning it’s a symbol of loyalty to our country. This applies to everybody that loves their country. Giving up and giving in to your fears isn’t patriotic. In john McCain's paper he talks about a soldier named Mike Christian that pledged his allegiance even

When I was younger I felt like I knew what it meant to be patriotic in America, but as times change I feel like I have no clue what it means to be patriotic in America today. I believe I had a grasp on what it means to be patriotic because, I had grown up in Gallup New Mexico-known to be the most patriotic town in The United States of America. Then Earlier in my life I also had to deal with my brother, who went into a recruiter's office and signed up to be shipped off to Afghanistan the very next day. When he would visit he would have these lectures on how we should show our patriotism. He would eventually force my mother to put up the American flag in the front porch to show respect for the country and those who served it. As I got older

What is the definition of patriotism for America? This question can be answered in various ways, but is not always focused upon in daily life. Spanning from Colonial America up until today, this answer has fluctuated due to the happenings within the country. Although separated by time, many previous beliefs reflect similarly upon more modern occasions. Patrick Henry’s Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death speech provides ideas that can easily transpose to current events in present day America. In his speech, there is the one overruling idea, that of patriotism, and a few supporting points, such as individual liberty and interpretation of freedom.

When America joined WWI, American patriotism became an essential aspect of society because those who were not proud of their country were not true patriots. Because of this, immigrants were widely questioned about their devotion to the nation and had to assimilate themselves into “American culture”. However, the nation was known as a melting pot, so it was argued

Specifically within the United States the founding father’s precedent of nationalism established a foundation to allow for the principles buzzwords of America to be reused in cases of need even outside of their original context. The emergence of American nationalism’s first major globalized example can be found following the Pearl Harbor attacks during World War II which later led to America reaching superpower status. Ironically the most popular example of nationalism gone awry can be found within this war as well, located in Hitler’s Nazi Germany. A nation which demonstrated how extremely negative and devastating nationalism can function as a veil of government propaganda to call for extreme loyalty to Hitler’s cause while also spewing violence and genocide through the attack of European Jewish peoples and other minorities not fitting within Nazi nationalism (Mod. 3 Lecture). These highly emotional and embedded feelings during times of war or crisis also functions to dismisses critique by labeling those who question the government or military’s actions as unpatriotic and even traitors, thus encouraging a silent agreement amongst it’s imagined nation’s members. Nationalism alongside military action is something that has been present in any American war conflict. Within FDR’s speech made following Pearl Harbor he calls back on these principles of

Mark Twain once commentend that a patriot was, “the person who can holler the loudest without knowing what he is hollering about.”, implying that the majority of patriots do not know why they are patriotic. Americans are taught from birth to love the United States of America; if an American does not absolutely love America, then they must despise it, an act certainly shameful. Most Americans find themselves devoted before ever asking if the U.S. deserves devotion. Philosopher Carol Nicholson writes in her article, .Why I Am Not A Patriot, “Fixing love on an abstraction such as ‘country’ leads to...a recipe for intolerance, hate, and war.”. Devotion to a country is not wrong-a country could not grow unless its citizens had a degree of pride for it-the danger comes when people stop asking why, and not only stop questioning, but also believe their country is

In America today patriotism is very significant because unlike some countries America has a great deal of freedom. From freedom of choice, speech amongst other thing that would make someone want to be loyal and show pride in their country . Several people show their national pride in different way one of the most symbolic and respected being military service. This concept of showing national pride by serving in the military dates back to the American Revolution. The very beginning of the creation of what is now an independent and strong Nation. During the American Revolution, it is widely believed that American Soldiers willing and proudly fought to gain independence from great britain.However some historians say that this story is just a myth meaning that it was exaggerated or it just never happened . By researching and looking into the different stages of the american revolution and into the journals kept by soldiers during this period, I can be able to come to conclusion as to what I actually think about soldiers During this time period. I can be able to conclude whether or not American soldiers did really fight for patriotic reasons, if the concept of Patriotism gradually disappeared during the period of the war or if it just never existed in the first place.

As each small town holds its send-off rallies in the local high school gym or forms a welcome parade at the airport to celebrate their returning heroes, these American patriots are inspiring our nation again. They’re reminding us of simple truths unchanged by time: patriotism, faithfulness, loyalty, duty, honor, respect and commitment. They remind us of an even greater truth: America has been the great light of the world because of the goodness of our people. Alexis de Tocqueville summed it up well when he wrote, “America is great because she is good; and when America ceases to be good, she will cease to be

The United States is presently at war in Iraq and Afghanistan where American troops are fighting and dying. At home, cars and homes display solid yellow or red, white, and blue ribbons that call for Americans to “Support Our Troops.” It is patriotic for Americans to support their daughters and sons fighting in a war, but this patriotism does not mean that Americans must blindly support the decision to go to war. Being patriotic means that Americans must do the opposite: they must question their government. Questioning the government, voting, and respecting the rights of others are what makes true patriots in a democratic society; blind following of one’s government creates dictatorships.

In As Regards Patriotism, Twain talks about how training creates belief, and one belief can be patriotism, “A man can seldom—very, very seldom—fight a winning fight against his training; the odds are too heavy.” Americans have been trained to believe that the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are the epitome of the American ideal. The Declaration of Independence tells us, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” the U.S. Constitution on the other hand