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The positive impact of patriotism
The positive impact of patriotism
The positive impact of patriotism
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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 nation. These people often believe we should find a new iconography for our country’s ideas of patriotism. As Barbara Kingsolver states in “And Our Flag Was Still There,” “Patriotism seems to be falling to whoever claims it loudest, and we’re left struggling to find a definition in a clamor of reaction” (Pg. 1). Therefore, every American’s duty is to define patriotism amongst the clamor of reaction, recapture the American flag’s representation, and create a new icon for the flag. In times of war, such as these, the importance for everyone to know where they stand on the idea of patriotism so they can voice or enact their opinion to the government and the people around them in a more clear and fair fashion is multiplied. The idea of patriotism can often be an obscure one, and during times of heightened security patriotism is a more spoken upon subject. Discussing the many different views of what patriotism means is a key step in better defining patriotism for all people. Barbara Kingsolver says in her article, “My patriotic duty is to recapture my flag from the men now waving it in the name of jingoism and censorship” (Pg. 2). What she means by this is that the idea of patriotism is being morphed into something it is not. She believes patriotism should encourage free speech and criticism of our leaders in times of difficult decisions. Instead, what is happening is patriotism is suggesting more fascist ideals than democratic ideals. Barbara believes her duty is to recapture the true meaning of patriotism and let everyone know what that meaning is. She wants everyone to feel open towards voicing t... ... middle of paper ... ...ed to the Red Cross, the stars of film, theater and music who are using their influences to raise money for recovery, and the small hands of schoolchildren collecting anything they think might help the kids who’ve lost their moms or dads (Pg. 2). Although some of these suggestions are not tangible items, they definitely give me a sense of patriotism, and make me feel good about what is going on in our country today. These people and objects truly, in my opinion, represent patriotism. If we were somehow able to take these objects and ideas and put them into an icon of patriotism I know I would solute it, but until then, I will keep these peoples actions in my mind as what I believe to be true patriotism. The exploration of what patriotism is and what represents patriotism is an important one more people should embark upon. If Americans are to examine patriotisms true meaning, we will be able to abolish this faux patriotism, which is represented by intimidation, censorship, and majority rules attitudes or actions. This can be replaced by feelings and actions of caring, compassion, acceptance, rationality, and nonviolence, or in other words, patriotism.
In Johnny Cash’s song, The Ragged Old Flag it says, “In her own good land here she’s been abused. She’s been burned, dishonored, denied and refused.” To me this means that people have stopped honoring all that it stands for. The flag stands for all of the battles and sacrifices the United States has had to make to get it to where it is today. People
Every country has icons that specify objects that represent beliefs, values, or tradition that make that country unique. As the United States of America has many such as, Statue of Liberty and the American Flag. Yasmin Sabina Khan shows in her book "Enlightening the World: The Creation of the Statue of Liberty” why the Statue of Liberty was built, how each part of the statue describes everything and how it represents U.S today. In “Capture The Flag: The Stars And Stripes In American History”, Scot M Guenter talks about how the American flag is seen everywhere and how the flag has remained strong throughout many incidents. In the Barbara Kingsolver essay “And Our Flag Was Still There”, she writes about the meaning of the American flag and how it represents our country in different ways. And at last, Dave Barry shows us in his “Red, White and Beer”, the strong effects that patriotism can have on the sales and advertising of products. All of these icons
The Confederate flag was used symbolically during the Civil War. To southerner’s, the flag represented a source of southern pride as well as a way of remembering the fallen Confederates. As the Civil War proceeded, the meaning of the flag began to change. Currently, the flag is being used as a symbol for racism. Due to this change in meaning, controversy over the flag has been exponentially growing. Although many would argue the original meaning behind the flag and that it is a symbol of historical culture that should not be forgotten, the flag should be banned due to its representation of racism and the seceding of the states.
Thinking back over the years, people are able to live a freedom filled life that may not have been if not for the many wars that were fought by our courageous soldiers, young and old. Wars fought to defend our country, guard our lives from terrorists, and to protect the 50 stars on our American Flag which represents our 50 free states. Throughout history, symbols have been a rallying cry for people throughout the world, and these symbols have led to the advancement in social justice and freedom for all. Europeans fought for their Kings and today, soldiers have fought and continue to fig...
Simon Keller argues in his essay "Patriotism as Bad Faith" that patriotism is not a virtue but it is actually a vice. Keller begins by splitting the views on this philosophical debate into three different representations. The first being the "communitarian patriot", where patriotism is not only a valued virtue to someone's self but that it is actually an essential virtue. The second representation is a radical contradiction of the first, known as the "hard universalist. The hard Universalist sees patriotism as a vice instead of being any type of positive virtue. They think that everyone should be valued the same, and that there should be no favoritism. The third representation is the idea of the first two combined, to form what is called the "soft universalist." This view is understood as patriotism is allowed, and is not seen as a vice, but also that one has an obligation to the rest of the world, almost to try and treat them as a loyalty that you would have towards your own country. (p.112).
The dissenting opinion to the previous idea is that the government's legitimate interest in preserving the symbolic value of the flag is, however, essentially the same that may have motivated a particular act of flag burning. The flag uniquely symbolizes the ideas of liberty, equality, and tolerance -- ideas that Americans have passionately defended and debated throughout our history. The flag embodies the spirit of our national commitment to those ideals. To the world, the flag is our promise that we will continue to strive for these ideals. To us, the flag is a reminder both that the struggle for li...
Li, Qiong, and Marilynn B. Brewer. "What Does It Mean To Be An American? Patriotism, Nationalism, And American Identity After 9/11." Political Psychology 25.5 (2004): 727-739. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Nov. 2011.
What is the American flag and what does it represent? For many Americans the flag represents freedom, pride, and justice. Our flag stands for freedom because of the many lives that had to be lost throughout history for us to be the nation we are today. The American flag stands for pride because of the many American soldiers men and women who lost their lives for us. Lastly, our flag stands for justice because in the United States no matter what crime we do we have the right to a fair trial.
In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front and the poem "The Man He Killed," the main two characters have similar thoughts and emotions towards war, they both enroll in war for reasons other than patriotism and they also feel that under different situations, their enemies could have been their friends. If both the characters really felt the reason or need to be in the war, their experiences would have been positively different. Through the characters, it is portrayed that patriotism can be expressed mainly through war, but there are other numerous ways to show your love for the country.
For over 200 years, the American flag has been a symbol of our country’s strength and freedom. It has been the beacon of hope for so many both, citizens and noncitizens. It’s stars, stripes, and colors all have meaning. The stars represent the 50 states, the stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the red symbolizes hardiness and valor, the blue stands for perseverance and justice, and the white represents innocence and purity. This flag has been flown, in its variations, since 1776 and since then has provided the hopeless with hope, the freedom to those who were enslaved, and equality to those who wanted their voices heard.
Patriotism is a complex and complicated concept. Sure we all feel that inexplicable love for our land. The same love motivates us to fight until our last breath to whoever attacks her, but who dictates which is the best way to defend ones country? How should a person show his devotion and unconditional support to his motherland? What would happen if ones way is not the same as that of others? The most important thing for me is being true to ourselves; fighting for whatever it is we believe is correct. No matter how different our opinions can be regarding the defense of our country, no one should have the right to impose their way using violence. As we saw in the documentary “Two Days in October,” police should not have treated students who were passively protesting like criminals.
Everyone sees the U.S. Flag daily and have heard of the stories of its making. Citizens know the flag symbolizes the freedoms Americans have the opportunity to exercise everyday they breathe. Though that flag that flies through the air, isn’t just a flag that kids pledge to in the morning or sing to during the “National Anthem” it’s special in its own sacred way by having every detail mean something important.
Patriotism is defined as “love for or devotion to one's country” (Patriotism). Most would assume having a love for one’s country means preventing unnecessary death or injury of the other residents of said country; however, that is the opposite train of thought that the patriotic citizens have. They believe that war is a means of protection and that the death of others is justified as long as their country is protected. They believe it brings a sense of unity inside their country and this sense of unity binds together the country and bring a feeling of cohesion. It supplies meaning and purpose, exceeds the monotony of everyday life. Warfare also enables the expression of higher human qualities that often lie dormant in ordinary life, such as courage and self-sacrifice. A solution that has been thought of for the problem of war is one that mimics the effects of this feeling of
In unit 1.2 it explains that patriotism is to have love or devotion to one’s country. For instance:“Duty, honor, country(paragraph 15). ” This shows that these three characteristics is what makes an American and how they have respect to their country and government. Being a patriot is all about showing love and devotion
In America, long before we fell in love with a technology that executes wars by remote control, before patriot became synonymous with commerce, careless consumption and indifference, we used to embrace with pride our beloved “Old Glory.” Now, and for a long time, this flag of brilliant colors and stars and stripes we have desecrated with the...