College Kids and Patriotism
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a committed punk. I used to have very long hair. I love metal music. And I’ll often forgo the double-Windsor for the much lazier Four-in-hand method when I’m tying my tie for church. I just can’t be tamed. I think everyone my age has a little bit of this same rebellious streak, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Let’s face it: there are aspects of authority and of “the institution” that are unjust and need to be fought against. I’m awfully grateful, for instance, that the Founding Fathers of my country decided to be “punks” and fight against a tyrannical government. I’m glad that even before that there were Puritan “punks” who weren’t satisfied with the reforms of the Anglican Church and came to America to practice their faith freely. Sometimes there are good reasons to question the system. But there is one attitude that irks me even despite my hardcore counterculture roots, and it is an attitude that I think is both very prevalent among college students and very unfortunate. It is the idea that it has somehow become “cool” for college students to hate America.
I suppose this trend began sometime in the 1960s when students were protesting Vietnam and exploring eastern philosophy while high (I was not alive in the 60s, so I am admittedly drawing from stereotypes). Against the backdrop of all the monumental changes and problems of the twentieth century, the notion developed that there is a “man” working against the common welfare of the people and that we have the right to “stick it” to him. I can certainly respect this philosophy, and I’m not trying to say that hippies are evil. I like the Beatles, and Scooby-Doo, and all that other groovy stuff as much as the next guy. I think that this same idea of going against “the man” led us to be wary of big government and to start the fight for civil rights. But I think it’s important that we think critically about just who “the man” is, because I do not think that it’s fair to blame America for the social problems we learn about in school.
My high school environment, while a wonderful experience, was decidedly liberal. My studies would often focus on the shortcomings of capitalism and rarely on its merits. We would often touch briefly on America’s commitments to liberty and justice and focus more intently on our historical mistakes. There are consequences to this learning environment: I think our liberal academic atmosphere has conditioned students to focus disproportionately on America’s problems and not enough on her merits. The good student will see the stereotypical Americans as an obese, gun-toting cowboy who can’t name the three branches of his government because he’s too busy running over endangered species with his monster truck. Maybe I’m an exception, but most of the Americans I know do, in fact, hold themselves to a higher standard than this lovely image. I think America becomes an easy target for students’ discontent simply because we are the largest, wealthiest nation on earth and because there aren’t any alternatives that are as easy to blame. This notion is unfortunately reinforced by teachers and other students.
Many college students support European politics and culture without, in my opinion, really understanding why. I was certainly guilty of this attitude when I was younger. These alternatives seemed attractive to me simply because they went contrary to the western system that I had come to believe was anti-progressive. Many people my age act as if patriotism is an antiquated, western concept that is counter-productive to modern society. It is assumed that if I love America then I must have some irrational fear of the rest of the world, and of human progress, and health food. I am here to say that I want to work towards solving the world’s problems as much as the next guy, but that I also take pride in my country for its rich traditions and its commitment to personal liberties. My country’s history is not perfect, but I also believe that America is not the source of all the world’s inequalities and violence—neither is capitalism. To borrow from my good friend, Billy Joel, “We didn’t start the fire. It was always burning since the world’s been turning.”
I’d like to conclude by complementing Wabash for not practicing the anti-patriotism that is expected by today’s college. I think that our inclinations towards tradition and critical thinking empower the Wabash man to separate his analysis of politics and history from his respect for our great nation. This is basically what I’m arguing for: we can be skeptical, critical thinkers and still be patriots.
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