Patriotism is the opposite of despair
Americans are becoming less and less patriotic every year — a fact that should disturb anyone interested in fixing what’s broken in the US.
A recent poll from the WSJ found only 38% of Americans said that patriotism is very important to them. That’s a catastrophic drop from almost 70% in 1998. What’s worse, only 23% of respondents under the age of 30 said patriotism was important. That should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention to the younger generation. For them, disillusionment and detachment are the name of the game. All this spells bad times ahead.
When a nation loses its pride of country, it’s amazing how quickly things can devolve. I should know — I’m from Venezuela. I fled to the US as my country fell apart and became the largest humanitarian emergency in the hemisphere. I know exactly what it is to lose hope in your country.
From my experience, I can tell you patriotism is not a dirty word. Pride of country is essential to solving any issues we have in our country. Without a sense of commitment for the place we call home, we’re doomed to rapid decline.
Lest I come off sounding like I’m offering just another “kids these days” rant, let me assure you, I understand where young American’s aversion to patriotism is coming from. They’re understandably ashamed of the dark spots on their country’s history.
I can relate.
Whenever my home country makes headlines, it’s usually over something awful — like hyperinflation, mass migration, civil unrest, or people eating out of trash cans.
But Venezuela didn’t used to be the economic hellscape it is today. It used to be one of the most prosperous countries in South America. My parents used to tell me about it — like a bedtime story. And that’s one of the reasons I left. Hope for the future was impossible. Prosperity was a fairytale. All I could do was watch as my city crumbled. Meanwhile, the ruling dictatorship silenced all dissent.
How was I supposed to be proud of my country? It seemed there was absolutely nothing to be proud of.
Today, I know I was looking at the problem all wrong. Venezuela isn’t defined by its economic hardship or societal oppression. It’s defined by the heroic dissidents who fight against these problems — those who put their lives on the line for the hope of a better future.
Young Americans should take the same perspective. Yes, the US was once a country with slavery and Jim Crow laws, but then we had Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King. Instead of focusing on the ills of the past, young Americans should look to the battles we’ve won and to the fight ahead.
Patriotism isn’t a dirty word. It’s the opposite of despair — hope. And right now, we need all of the hope we can muster.
Patriotism is the Opposite of Despair by Daniel Chang Contreras
