In a politically polarized country, where moderate feels unheard of and extreme is practically normal, feeling a sense of pride for the United States is not the same as it once was. After all, how can we come together and celebrate a nation so ideologically divided? We still deck ourselves out in red, white and blue for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day. Yet, everyday media outlets conjure up their next piece, pushing narratives that pop up on our phones and make us question the stability of our country. Their news coverage feels like a warning that the entire House of Cards will fall.
At the end of the day, this is our country or perhaps our home away from home. Amidst the chaos, let this article remind us that we can always find a way to keep the “sweet” in “home sweet home.”
Pride & Prejudice
13 stripes. 50 stars. Red, white and blue. The flag we raise for the good times and lower for the bad. The flag whose colors we wear for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The flag we gaze at singing “God Bless America” and “The Star Spangled Banner,” no matter how pitchy we sound.
But that’s not all that America is about anymore. The turmoil our country has faced in the past five, 10 or even 20 years, makes it more difficult to appreciate what we have as Americans because, as humans, we tend to focus on what we don’t have.
Take 2020 alone; after months cooped up in our homes due to the global pandemic, autumn rolled around, and we found a glimmer of American hope: football season. Instead of feeling the joy from seeing our favorite team back out on the field, we saw the “Take a Knee” movement, with dozens of players across the NFL kneeling instead of standing for our national anthem in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, to raise awareness of police brutality and racial discrimination.
Soon, the movement reached the NBA and soccer leagues. The excitement of professional sports games, which are supposed to bring friends and families together, began to tear them apart, as if politics and social injustices hadn’t already hopped on that train.
Four years later, the turbulence stays rocky. Here we are, about to approach what will likely go down as one of, if not the most, historic presidential elections. Everyone over the age of 18 has the right to cast their vote, yet, we do not carry the spark of gratefulness and pride that comes with having this freedom.
The match of American pride is burnt out. How can we relight it when we need it most?
A Not-So-Fine Line
To regain appreciation for what we have, we must disassociate any negative feelings or find a way to make the pros outweigh the cons. For many, it’s relieving their guilt for feeling pride in the U.S. or patriotism. But is there a difference between the two? Is one worse than the other?
A key difference may be the level of extremism associated with one versus another. Casey Klofstad, University of Miami political science professor and department chair, who specializes in American politics, political behavior and public opinion, said he believes we started to see the line grow further between pride and patriotism due to an uprising of what’s called “issue ownership” in politics.
In the U.S., issue ownership is when the Democratic and Republican parties attempt to take over specific policies. As a result, the public believes one party is better at handling a policy than the other. Klofstad believes the parties’ push for change is in their ideology.
“Republicans tend to be ideological conservatives, and ideological conservatism seeks to keep things as they are or take things back to the way they once were. By contrast, Democrats tend to be ideological liberals and ideological liberalism is associated with openness to change to the status quo,” said Klofstad. “Add MAGA’s takeover of the GOP to this mix, and their use of traditional notions of patriotism as political cudgels … use of the word ‘patriot’ as a way to distinguish themselves from their opponents, questioning the citizenship of political rivals, and the like, it radicalizes patriotism.”
Students like Kellen Rooney, a junior majoring in real estate and finance, think back to high school U.S. history class, learning about all that went into getting our country where it is today, and use that as a baseline to find the line between pride and patriotism.
“When I think about pride for our country, it’s primarily rooted in emotions based on accomplishments and breakthroughs the U.S. has made,” said Rooney. “In terms of patriotism, I believe that’s more the sense of loyalty to the U.S. and the active belief that we are able to give those that come to our country a better opportunity in life.”
For others, pushing the guilt away lies in remembering who you represent. For Jordan Tisdale, a junior majoring in musical theater, her pride in the U.S. is representative of her pride in being a part of Gen Z.
“I am incredibly proud of the efforts my generation has gone to in order to create a safer, inclusive country. Gen Z, as a whole, sees where the U.S. falls short and puts the steps in place for rehabilitation. Instead of ignoring the problems or flaws of this country, I feel that my generation faces them head-on with practical solutions,” said Tisdale.
But Tisdale said she doesn’t feel a term like patriotism aligns with her proudness to be American.
“When I think about patriotism, I honestly feel very overwhelmed. I think that over the past few years, a dangerous and ignorant sense of pride has infected the United States. Are there things that this country has succeeded in? Absolutely. But the U.S. is not perfect, and it is not safe for all those who live here,” said Tisdale. “People can manipulate the purpose of patriotism to feed their own flawed wants for what they think this country should be.”
If there’s one thing students like Rooney and Tisdale show us, it’s that pride has levels to it, and it’s up to the individual to find what level works for them.
Here’s to the Good Times
Earlier, this article mentioned the gratification of rooting for your favorite American sports team. Over the Summer, the U.S. competed in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, winning 40 gold medals, 44 silver medals and 42 bronze medals for a total of 126 medals — the most of any country in the games. With numbers like that and moments like gymnast Simone Biles stepping onto the Olympic mat after dropping out of the competition in 2021, how can you not chant “U-S-A” and sport your red, white and blue?
Celebration also lies in holidays like the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Chris Perez, a junior majoring in electronic media, says he continues to participate in these holidays despite the negative events going on in the country.
“Many people gave up their entire lives for me to be here, so it’s not just a celebration of the people in the country but the journeys they took to get here,” said Perez.s.
While Perez said he keeps his family roots close on these holidays, sophomore advertising management and studio art major, Annie Weiss, said she likes to bring her friends into the mix.
“[These holidays] bring me a sense of community and are a great way for me and my friends to have fun and express gratitude for our lives and culture,” said Weiss. “I am always proud to be American. I feel like the events or issues within the U.S. cannot undermine our strong, diverse culture, technological advances and opportunities we have.”
To fully appreciate this country, we must appreciate it every day, not just on holidays.
To do so, Klofstad says we need to do three things. “Appreciate the freedom and prosperity that the American system provides, be knowledgeable and critical of where that system falls short, take action — within the bounds of the law — to address number two.”
In our personal lives, we have days that ebb and flow, days full of roses and thorns, days with mountains and valleys — whatever analogy you want to use — and our country does the same. But even on bad days, we still have people around us who appreciate us and lift us up. It’s time we find a way to do the same for this country we call home, to take care of our country when it needs us most, as we do for our friends and family. And to do so, we must be proud to call this country home. We must be proud to be American.
words_amanda mohamad. illustration_andres alessandro. design_charlotte deangelis.
This article was published in Distraction’s Fall 2024 print issue.
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