Is American Patriotism Also Blind Patriotism? Essay

Wars are often glorified in tone to give praise and respect for those on the battlefields. There is an overall understanding that there are sacrifices needed in order to accomplish a larger goal. Excluded from this understanding is the realization that the effects of war

There is much controversy surrounding the idea of patriotism and the iconography of the American flag in today’s society. Some believe patriotism is simply the act of supporting the decisions of the leaders of the country. Others say, to be patriotic, people should be outspoken and voice their oppositions to what is going on in the government. Opinions also differ on the idea of what the American flag represents. One opinion of the flags representation is that the flag represents our history, and the formerly mentioned idea of patriotism. Others believe the flag also represents our history as a nation, but these beliefs focus much more heavily on the negative aspects of our history; such as slavery and other injustices carried out by our

During, World War 1 most soldiers were voluntold to join, but, no matter the surrounding circumstances still there lied this sense of pride infused with fear in completely committing to the life of a soldier. Yet, through that pride and fear is the true essence of what a soldier is, a hero or brave person ready to sacrifice themselves to purely exist as something beyond themselves. So, that we may in some way relieve the world of some of our collective pain and struggle.Society at that time in response seems to, in part,

Americans every year celebrate holidays, such as the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Memorial Day, dedicated to America and every day raise the country’s flag outside. Although patriotism can be very simple, there are many deeper and life sacrificing ways Americans show their love. According to “American War Deaths Through History”, there has been around 650,000 people in American history who have died in battle and about 1.2 million people have died during service in war time- which includes medics, civilians, and workers contributing to the war efforts. All of these people have completely different backgrounds, but they all share one thing in common: their love for their country and what they would do to better it in any way. A prime example of how strong patriotism can be is from The Speech to the Virginia Convention.

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 he maneuvers through he thinks not only of his fate, but also of how, “it should protect me, and especially as Death himself lies in it too7.” The brave soldier realized death could come at any moment, and it is practically lying right next to him. The young troop has become aware and vulnerable to death, just like the soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iran. Because soldiers witness the physical traumas of other man or themselves their lives are never the same at home. The mentally struggling soldiers often rub off on their family, affecting them as a whole.

Is one entitled to risk their life for their country? Is war full of glory and romantic? Throughout the past centuries, the perspective on war has changed through a new understanding of reality. Writers such as Ambrose Bierce and Tim O’Brien provide a realistic presentation of war through their respective narratives, “What I Saw at Shiloh” and “The Things They Carried.” Both authors effectively evoke a sense of sympathy through their tone and diction.

Nationalism has played a crucial role in world history over the past centuries. It continues to do so today. For many, nationalism is indelibly associated with some of the worst aspects of modern history, such as the destructive confidence of the Napoleon’s army and the murderous pride of Nazi Germany. Large numbers of people, descent in their hearts, have carried out unbelievable atrocities for no better reason than their nation required them to. Authoritarian and totalitarian regime have crushed dissent, eliminated opposition, and trampled on civil liberties in the name of the nation.

Not many people in society can empathize with those who have been in a war and have experienced war firsthand. Society is unaware that many individuals are taken away from their families to risk their lives serving in the war. Because of this, families are left to wonder if they will ever get to see their sons and daughters again. In a war, young men are taken away from their loved ones without a promise that they will get to see them again. The survivors come back with frightening memories of their traumatic experiences. Although some would argue that war affects families the most, authors, Tim O’Brien and Kenneth W. Bagby are able to convey the idea that war can negatively impact one’s self by causing this person long lasting emotional

The second chapter of the book, "The Plague of Nationalism," fits into the myth of war by telling the people of any country that it is o.k. to hate and it is o.k. to kill even though the cause might not be just. He states that: "Lurking beneath the surface of every society, including ours, is the passionate yearning for a nationalist cause that exalts us, the kind that war alone is able to deliver. We abandon individual responsibility for a shared, unquestioned communal enterprise, however morally dubious" (45). There is a myth within nationalism that it is right. However morally wrong the reasons of war are, the myth of nationalism brain washes us into thinking that we are right. We are doing this for the right reasons and therefore to support our military however morally dubious the cause is. Chris Hedges writes about a general who, "during a dispute with Chile, flew his helicopter over the Chilean border in order to piss on Chilean Soil" (42). Coming from the view of a person who wasn't involved on either aspect of the war, this sounds a bit over the edge. Chris Hedges talks about how nationalism and racism are almost directly related in war time. People do things they wouldn't normally do under the circumstances. War drives us to do things we wouldn't normally do, thus dominating a

A person has absolutely no choice in what country he or she is born in, yet it is commonly assumed for one to be proud of that meaningless country, then openly criticized when the expectation is not met. This sense of superiority over other countries, full of human beings with feelings and desires who are no different than another’s, is nothing more than a division of geographical birth places. Ultimately, patriotism causes arbitrary detachments between human beings for illogical reasons. It is fueled by reactionary emotions rather than reason, and although it begins with good intentions, it can also escalate to catastrophic levels.

Before a discourse of the specified topic can be laid out, definitions of a few terms must be distinguished. Firstly, nationalism and patriotism are two distinctly different concepts that are often used interchangeably to represent a similar school of thought. By no means, are they mutually exclusive or unrelated ideologies, but nationalism and patriotism differ in their approaches to expressing love for one’s country, respectively. These definitions can be best understood on the shoulders of essayist and drama critic, Sydney J. Harris, “The Difference Between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility while the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to a war (Harris, 1953).” While the latter definition may be a bit extreme, the general impression is still applicable. An understanding of the dichotomy between nationalism and patriotism, and how

Both approaches to patriotizing history are not appropriate for history curriculums, and contradict the historiographic methods used to examine history. Traditional patriotism in the history curriculum is not nearly as prevalent as it used to be in the past, but has made a recent comeback in our society. This form of patriotism blatantly suppresses questioning, which stamps out any form of critical thinking that a student would normally use to analyze historical events. Questioning the past is an essential part of historical analysis, and without it a history class turns into a nationalistic brain washing session. Kissling, when studying Rugg and Krueger’s elementary school textbooks notes that even while they had patriotic overtones the textbooks were still criticized by some at the time for not being patriotic enough, showing how forced patriotism was back in the 1930’s. (2015, p.271) This is the kind patriotism today is taught in places like North Korea.

The book “The Sociology of War and Violence”, gives an insight of how war can be understood from different perspectives. While war is believed by some that people come together in solidarity, the chapters on nationalism and war as well as propaganda and war, analyzed important factors such as the understanding of war and its impact on societies culture at a macro level. It is easy to argue that we can easily assume war brings the best in individuals when society is facing mutual concerns and worries. When society comes together as one it brings a sense of solidarity and strength giving us a sense of power. This is a common feeling, for instance, lets consider us when it comes down to support our military; above all things, despite our differences in religion, socio-economic status, ages, gender, etc.… majority support their actions because they make sense and they are in the

Audi (2009) encapsulates extreme nationalists as those would say “my country right or wrong” (p. 367). This level of nationalism believes patriotism is a virtue and that when an action is required in the national interest citizens have “an overriding obligation to act accordingly” (Audi, 2009, p. 367). When a policy decision might only advance the extreme nationalist’s nation only slightly, even though it may cause extreme suffering in another part