Many Americans have their own idea of what it means to be patriotic. The word has been around for centuries and has been used to describe many different types of people. Patriotism has been used as a synonym for nationalism and yet has very different connotations. During the Revolutionary War, even those fighting against their nation for the hope of a nation not yet formed are historically labeled "patriots."
My point is that the word has, and is currently subjected to, a complicated definition. The most recent activity that has called the true meaning of the word "patriot" into question are the NFL protests during the National Anthem.
In this debate, it seems as if there are two sides. One says that if you do not stand for our national anthem, you are disrespecting everything that our nation stands for. The other says, if you protest by kneeling for the national anthem, you are preserving everything America is meant to stand for.
Many of us said the pledge of allegiance in elementary school, vowing, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The reasoning behind the current protests is that many have not seen "liberty and justice for all" carried out.
Many people have fought and died for our rights. For hundreds of years, America has been said to be a beacon of liberty. Our freedoms as Americans have not been granted to every individual by their governments but we are fortunate to have a constitution that grants each citizen certain rights in our nation. Therefore, we are allowed to speak freely about the issues we wish to bring up. We are even free to criticize the government and the country itself.
Police brutality is a real issue that people are voicing their dissent against through peaceful protest. They are not disrespecting the military or the country in which they live. They are telling their country that many of its citizens deserve more respect than they are currently receiving from certain members of society. The question here becomes: is dissent actually patriotic?
Because of the values of liberty on which America is founded, it seems to be that the answer is yes. If you love your country enough to point out when it is wrong, that should be seen as using your rights for that which they are intended. Protest can be patriotic if it is done to fix an issue and make our country better.
Many of those people who kneel in front of the flag make a valid point about where we still need to improve in America. That does not mean they hate this country or the flag. In fact, for many who protest, not only in the NFL, it is quite the opposite.
Some Americans love their country so much that they cannot sit idly by while the freedom and liberty in our country seems to be given to only some and not the "all" as we have been promised.
Those who fight for equality are the most patriotic Americans of all.
