America is a nation that champions the individual, the self, and the soul. Many of our founding documents bore phrases that evoked our ability and our commitment to govern ourselves, to right what we see are wrongs, and to take care of our own: "We the people [...] in order to form a more perfect Union" (Constitution), "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal", and that we are "endowed [...] with certain unalienable Rights [to] Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Declaration of Independence). The idea of the American dream inspired our collective character and drew millions of immigrants from Europe to add to our melting pot of a country where hard work and self-determination are heralded as our most defining traits, and that anybody can achieve success if they're willing to roll up their sleeves, pick themselves up by their bootstraps and go to work.

This pioneer spirit progressed the world forward, further than any other civilizations had before or since. We were the world's first democracy, giving a voice, and power, to the people. We made incredible technological advances--we put a man on the moon. We cured diseases, we sacrificed, and we looked out for our neighbors. We extolled the world's greatest writers, scientists, politicians and built the world's greatest economy. Our legislators passed laws for moral reasons, to take care of the most vulnerable among us. We espoused intelligence; we didn't undermine it. We became the strongest nation on Earth politically, economically, socially, and militarily. We were decisive in winning two World Wars. We acted like men, reasonable men, and we never beat our chest. We were respected. We were the greatest country in the world. Yes, I said it, we were the greatest country in the world, as in, we no longer are the greatest country in the world. If you took a look around today, however, you wouldn't know, based on the extent to which most young people blindly celebrate this nation at a time when it is so grossly unwarranted.

Today patriotism seems to be at an all-time high in this country. As a male college student living in a college town, I hear and see my peers celebrating their passion for their country in various ways. From fraternity members on spring break posing for a picture drinking a beer and holding an American flag, to shouts of ‘MERICA (not America) at bars and chants of “USA! USA!” at major sporting events, it seems as if we bleed the colors red, white and blue. Many times acquaintances and friends have told me that they are “patriots” and that their devotion to this nation and its ideals are unparalleled, that they love their country more than life itself and would do whatever necessary to defend it.

This paradox of patriotism is what I've began to call the " 'MERICA Mentality." It is a warped mindset characterized by unwavering patriotism and a false sense of entitlement that is attributed to the past accomplishments and successes of our forefathers that exalted this country in the eyes of the world and in the eyes of its own citizens. Unfortunately, the rocket's red glare is blinding us from seeing the true issues currently plaguing this nation, which I will soon discuss. First, I would like to take a minute to point out the culprit of this national problem, those guilty for tainting our reputation and for possibly destroying our national identity. It lies in none other than the youth of America: ours, and the world's, future.

However, when I think of a patriot, the last image I picture is a dad-bod proud frat star wearing American flag Chubbies shotgunning a beer. Instead I think of the original American patriots, our founding fathers, the writers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the generals and soldiers who fought the Revolutionary War and the statesmen who crafted the structure and function of our government so that it may be fair and just and representative of the people. I believe this is the standard to which the term "patriot" should be held. Why then, do so many self-proclaimed patriots who have never once made strides toward conserving the spirit of liberty and justice and the cornerstones that represent our democracy believe themselves to be defenders of this republic?

Now I know what you’re thinking, how could college-aged kids who claim to be patriots do anything even close to what George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin did: unite feuding sovereign states (the colonies) to defy the most powerful man on Earth (King George III) and construct this noble democracy? At the present moment there is no need to launch revolution of this sort, to rewrite the Constitution or to overthrow the government, because there are no pertinent issues that would warrant a complete upheaval of government.

Granted, there are still problems plaguing what many Americans contest is “the greatest country in the world,” and that, I believe, is why we Americans have no agency in claiming that we are still the best. We haven’t shown signs of progress in decades. Since the 1970s we have been surpassed in important areas by other countries whilst continuing to hold a firm grip on the rest of the world, acting as its leading superpower and enforcer. In other words, we've lost our spirit and, unfortunately, ourselves.

An old maxim states, “If you don’t learn from your mistakes, you’re doomed to repeat them.” Today’s marriage equality and race issues are the civil rights issues of the '60s. Today’s conflicts in the Middle East are the baby boomers’ Vietnam. Today’s Molly is LSD and EDM is rock 'n roll. History is cyclical and bound to repeat itself. Reagan’s trickle-down economic policy from the 1980s has yet to reach the majority of the middle class, let alone those at the bottom. In fact, the middle class has grown smaller as one-tenth of the top 1% now has just as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. Inequality is worse than it has ever been. Drugs won the war on drugs. Poverty won the war on poverty. Racism is running rampant in a country that is 150 years removed from slavery and over half a century removed from segregation and civil rights reform. People don't support the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare) even though more Americans are protected and insured today than they have ever been. Students are in debt over their heads and the job market is swamped.

Hardcore conservatives are up in arms over their "right to bare arms" (albeit for an organized militia, and in an era when firearms were muskets that took 15 minutes to shoot and not fully-automatic weapons "to protect the home"), and staunchly disagree with climate change (global warming) because environmental conservation is bad for business and the rewards of the investments made today won't be seen by those who implement them, even though it may save the lives of their children and grandchildren. What good is a legacy if nobody is around to remember what has been accomplished by humanity? Also, we had another goddamned mass shooting, no, an act of terror in this country just recently! It is becoming more and more frequent, upsetting, depressing, and tragic. How many Americans will be killed on our own soil before we realize there is a gun problem in this country? The absence of our collective consciousness and convictions is sickening to me, and the only thing I can do about it is talk with my friends and write articles like this, hoping to convince people to look at things differently, to change their ways--the impossible.

Independent senator from Vermont and current Democratic Presidential hopeful for the 2016 election, Bernie Sanders, captures this problematic image of America best when he said, “We have a corporate establishment whose greed is destroying our economy, a political establishment which is beholden to billionaires and a media establishment which largely ignores the major issues facing working families. We need a political revolution.”

A political revolution is precisely what our Founding Fathers accomplished and it's exactly this country needs again at this point in time. Thomas Jefferson once said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." This blood does not necessarily need to be physical blood, but metaphorical blood, the blood of our nation, the fuel that feeds our most significant and most cherished principles and ideals, that which helped us "establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" (Constitution).

The definition of patriotism is as follows: 1) Love of country, 2) devotion to the welfare of one's compatriots. The self-proclaimed patriots sure do love their country, but I’m not sure if we collectively have a devotion to the welfare of our compatriots. I actively see wrongs and injustices in today’s world and want so strongly to change them and make them better, but it is difficult for one man to inspire so much change in so many people and to think and act in the best way to create a system that most accurately represents the view of the majority of citizens: the most good for the most amount of people. The definition of patriot is as follows: A person who loves and zealously supports and defends their country. By writing this article, I am trying to support and defend my country from those who, I am afraid, don’t have our best interests in mind.

One notable point that supports my belief that youth don’t care to work at advancing this nation anymore is the simple fact that young people don’t vote. We are the most uninformed and most ignorant of the voting-age population. The most important civic duty a citizen can participate in is voting. It is essentially the only voice we as individuals have in influencing the programs, issues, and policies that our elected officials will deliberate over. If we can’t even find an hour on a Tuesday every two years to walk down the street to press a few buttons how are we expected to revolutionize our government, our nation and our world?

We need to develop an informed electorate among the youth of America. We must learn to buy into the original political processes of this once great nation. George Washington urged against getting involved in foreign affairs and espousing oneself to a political party, let alone utilize them in the election process. Don't vote an ideology. Don't be a liberal or a conservative. Don't vote a party. Don't be a democrat, don't be a republican. Form your own ideology and do your research. Look into the issues and the candidates, and vote for the candidate who you feel can best carry out policy matters that accurately reflect your own interests and the interests of this nation.

Much of the problem with America today is the young people, and I hope in writing this and in my theoretical future political career I can attempt to change things on a larger scale. Change, though, does not happen all at once and with everybody on board. It happens in the minds of every individual. I believe Jim Morrison said it best, “There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first.”

There are wars to be fought on the home front, not a war in the general sense, but instead the idealistic sense, one that transcends sociopolitical conventions of our recent past and instead more closely evokes the revolutionary spirit of those who made this great nation to what it is today. This war will be a grave undertaking to ensure the survival of the principles, rights, and liberties we hold with such high regard and to such esteem, and it must be taken seriously, so that this country may thrive once more, for this war is for the very soul of our nation. We need not fret, however, because it's in our bones and it's in our blood to endure bleak and despairing times, and in conquering our adversaries and our own demons we truly shine and bring new and incredible things into this world.

Let's take our country back, America.

This is the first piece in a series on politics by author and mad patriot of the people, Vincenzo Caporale. Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on the importance of voting and why young people should take an interest in politics.