Patriotism. More than any other idea, patriotism is a concept that defines the American cultural psychology. Yet for something so ingrained into our psyche I have found the greater whole of those around me can offer little more than the most basic definition. So, let us look at what this nebulous concept really is to us.
From the beginning, American separatists were labeled patriots by their comrades and history. We have defined generations by their service to this country and measured the worth of our culture by the sacrifices we make, and even by the goods be buy and hats we wear. Ask not, we say, what your country can do for you but what you can do your country. Yet I ask, is this all there is? Is patriotism in our country so black and white, that it's nothing more than an unflinching belief in the correctness of our path? For me, amidst this rise of nationalistic fervor the United States is currently weathering, patriotism is the exact opposite of what many of us have been taught. Patriotism is, in my eyes, the willingness to take fault with one's country and love it anyway. It is the ability to question the course our leaders chart for us and work for a better change. This is a form of patriotism seldom celebrated and often ridiculed in the culture at large, especially in the wake of national tragedies or in the course of war. We can see this backlash in the vitriolic response the media has towards protests and protesters, then mockers of people like Colin Kaepernick, and the harsh treatment of protesters at political rallies. Many would argue that it is because protesting against the system inherently means you despise the system. It can be summed up in the common belief that people who express their dissatisfaction with the laws are only making up a problem or creating an issue in the first place.
But when we look deeper into this belief, we can find it has more origins in our history than many give it credit for. Our country is a nation that prides itself on its founding; a founding rooted in citizens questioning the unjust actions of their government. For them, it was more than a matter of economy or pride but an issue of justice that drove their dissent from the British Empire. Moving forward, it was abolitionists who questioned the morality of slavery that sparked the long and bloody path toward correcting one of this nation's greatest failings. Women's Suffragists brought the vote to both genders and then men like Martin Luther King Jr. led the fight against an unjust system of segregation that was defended vigorously by those in power. We are a nation of protesters, a country of dissidents, and a culture of questioners. And while we may not agree with the message of people protesting, we must recognize that to protest is an arguable birth right of every citizen. Without the ability to protest, democracy loses its internal watchdogs and can slide dangerously down the path of authoritarianism. Liberty dies when voices, no matter how disagreeable, are silenced on either side of a debate. Patriotism needs people to question those in charge and go constantly ask why, because without it, freedom is no longer free.
