What Does It Mean to Be Patriotic?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
According to Gallup (Center bias), 65% of U.S. adults were "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American in 2022, down from 85% in 2013. This Fourth of July, writers across the spectrum reflected on what patriotism means in America, and what we can learn about it from other nations.
From The Center: One Deseret News (Center) writer said "patriotism offers a way for Americans to come together and reach for a better future," suggesting it drives people "to set aside their political differences and solve problems" and "step up to defend their nations," citing Ukrainian patriotism "staving off annihilation" by Russia as an example.
From the Right: A Washington Examiner (Lean Right) writer pointed to South Korea as a model of patriotism, saying it "does not teach its history from a place of victimhood as the critical race theory viewpoint of American history suggests, but it focuses on balance as it provides perspectives of the good and bad, demonstrating the power and benefits of progress."
From the Left: One Politico (Lean Left) writer said "if conservatives are uncomfortable confronting our violent and complicated past, we progressives struggle with how to celebrate this place we also love," and advised pursuing "a way out of aggressive patriotism and into a better, more just and beautiful vision of civic life and belonging open to all of us" by focusing on America's "underutilized civic legacy."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
How Progressives Can Learn to Celebrate the Fourth of July
The Fourth of July is, nearly universally, a day of relaxed celebration and ritual, from enjoying grilled hot dogs, potato chips and ice cream — hey, it’s a special occasion! — to gathering with neighbors to watch fireworks. But for progressives like myself, the holiday’s star-spangled flag-waving and patriotic songs and speeches extolling America’s greatness can feel hokey or even hostile. In an increasingly polarized nation, overt declarations of national pride often morph into displays of aggressive nationalism tinged with xenophobia and jingoism. In today’s political climate, a crowd of...
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The case for patriotism
I’m not sure when my sense of patriotism began slipping away. Maybe it was in college, when I was exposed to a more complicated version of American history than I had previously known. Or maybe it was later, as a journalist covering the protests of people who felt — legitimately, it often seemed to me — as though they had been shortchanged out of the American dream. Or maybe it was when I had the opportunity to travel to other parts of the world, where I met people who had...
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What South Korea can teach us about the importance of patriotism
Younger generations are not as patriotic as our parents and grandparents. Recent polls reveal that the percentage of Americans who are proud of their country has declined over the last several decades. Sadly, the fault does not lie with our children, but rather with their education.
The gradual adoption of critical race theory in our public schools and universities is one of the main drivers of that decline. The growing support of it over the years has led to a one-sided education that has taught our children many of our nation’s sins, but very...
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