Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?
I always find it interesting on what someone seems to be patriotic. I know my stance is not the most common. My background is not normal. Most of my family members have served in the military or have worked for government agencies. I, myself, interned at the VA when others were cutting their teeth in a newsroom or a movie set. My goal was to work for an agency with my degree. However, even with this mindset, what I find to be patriotic may be different.
I find the most patriotic people are the ones who question the government. Those who watch the news and wonder what is going on behind the scenes? Why is this narrative aggressively pushed to distract the general public?
I believe being patriotic means having a healthy bit of skepticism towards those in authority and standing up for what you believe is wrong. I meeeeean our forefathers were pissed enough to throw tea in a harbor. Why would a true modern day patriot just see the world around them and think yep everything is fine… when it’s obviously not.
Americans are a different type of people. We’re strong, stubborn, hardworking, and we fight for our beliefs. We don’t always agree with each other, but that is fine. Our country is not a hive mindset, and that is how it should be. Creativity can not blossom if we are all the same. If you don’t believe me, good lord, just look at our infantry. Those men come from all backgrounds and when their backs are against the wall, they can create some new, unique, and fun ways to unalive the enemy. That or torture each other in the most loving yet abusive way possible. My favorite social media person calls it grunts and crafts. If you don’t believe me, check out The Fat Electrician, you’ll learn so much about our military and war history.
But that right there. Our American history. Our ancestors are survivors. They may have fled their homes, like Ireland during the famine, or other countries where they were being prosecuted and murdered for their race or religion, or forcibly taken from their homeland. It doesn’t matter how they got here, what matters is their flight and survived. That fight is in our DNA. The ability to survive, question and fight makes Americans different.
So when someone asks what it means to be patriotic, to me it means to be a bit of a rebel and a hell of a survivor.