Why are Americans so Patriotic?

[Draco-Onis]

I would be ok with mandatory service if the US was like Switzerland, Finland, or Austria.

Not ok with it for the US because we're constantly getting into stupid wars and doing stupid shit. And it is sad that military families have to sacrifice so much for no real reason and get treated like crap afterward.

The reason it needs to be mandatory in the US is because of the stupid wars, if people knew that whenever a president declared war that odds are someone they know will be in danger maybe then they would care. As it is right now Americans don't see the real price of all these wars nor care about the people whose lives are destroyed when they return.

[javen]

We Americans are patriotic because we basically sacrifice nothing for it, I know I am in the minority but I am 100% for mandatory military service. We don't vote, don't protest in mass for changes, don't get involved in our political system, most of the burden of this patriotism is put on a few families who sacrifice and get screwed by the government in the end.

It's extremely easy for so many to be patriotic to say we are the best and love America when you got no skin in the game.

Mandatory military service would be bad for the same reason the draft during Vietnam was bad. Rich families got deferments or posts in the National Guard, and it was mostly only those less fortunate who actually served.

[Draco-Onis]

I understand your point. I do agree all healthy citizens should serve in the military for 2 years once you get out of school. But I served 3 years in the Army and still feel very patriotic. But I do hate with a passion what I am seeing happen to the US. It is slowly becoming corrupt from within. Just as Nikita Khrushchev said would be the way it would be destroyed.

I am more for it because maybe it would make people wake up, participate and change things.

[breadisfunny]

I understand your point. I do agree all healthy citizens should serve in the military for 2 years once you get out of school. But I served 3 years in the Army and still feel very patriotic. But I do hate with a passion what I am seeing happen to the US. It is slowly becoming corrupt from within. Just as Nikita Khrushchev said would be the way it would be destroyed.

this corruption started with the nixon administration.

[LaserChild9]

The only thing "Hammered" into our brains is the fact that flag represents the blood, sweat and tears of all the people that came before us to make the nation what it is. All the negative and positive things that has shaped this country. The nation is what it is because of EVERY single African, White, Indian, Asian, Hispanic that has lived in this country and fought and died to make it how it is, for better or for worse. The true definition of Melting Pot.

So it isn't about a piece of cloth, its what the cloth represents and WHO it represents and their sacrifice so that it isn't in vain. That's what Us Patriotism is based upon. Respect for those that were here before us and all that they have done.

Being a veteran, and being deployed to other countries, it's hard to see a lot of that patriotism from other countries, not all, for their homeland. There are a few nations. I've always thought that if some of those countries had some patriotism for their homeland, the way other countries of the world do, that those places would be better off than they are now.

Bash me all you want with your juvenile comments, but that's my opinion.

I completely understand that, but a dog sitting on a flag that is on the ground isn't malicious blasphemy, its just a thing that happened to a flag. It may have been accidental, it may have been intentional but does it matter? Its not someone giving a big fuck you to the flag, its something someone did not think of.

[Ryme]

Sorry but the inventors of the sport called it soccer.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index....e-word-soccer/

Again deal with it.

An appeal to definition is a fallacious argument, so an appeal to an outdated definition is even worse.

[Xjev]

Well I've been in many countries and no where I've seen flags everywhere as many as in United States. Whether is it a good thing or not I don't know.

[McFuu]

The reason it needs to be mandatory in the US is because of the stupid wars, if people knew that whenever a president declared war that odds are someone they know will be in danger maybe then they would care. As it is right now Americans don't see the real price of all these wars nor care about the people whose lives are destroyed when they return.

My favorite quote from the past 16 years of " war" is, " America isn't at war, Marines are at war."

[zoomgpally]

Yeah mate, the rest of the world will rename football because 'Murica has invented a new sport and wants to use the name. How about no, we'll just call yours American Football instead.

Can we start calling it what it really is? American Handegg

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No, they play fotball here, not Handegg, like in Murica.

Ouch, that was my joke

[caervek]

Can we start calling it what it really is? American Handegg

It's still a ball game played on foot (as opposed to ice or horseback) hence the name.

[Arterus]

American exceptionalism is definitely a pervasive thing, and one that's started at a very young age. When learning about WW2 for example, 90% of the base cirriculum is centered around Pearl Harbor, and the invasion at Normandy and its direct effects. Very little is said about the Russians stopping the Nazis on the Eastern front, or the French resistance following the occupation of Paris. It's completely centered around America's involvement.

The reason it's so widespread is that unless you specifically seek out additional knowledge yourself, especially the atrocities that America has committed, you'd never really know about them. Our horrible and completely inhumane treatment of native americans and african slaves is never, ever brought up in our public school system, and I imagine any teacher who tried to give a historically accurate lesson on the subject would very quickly be shown the door.

This in turn breeds the notion that America is perfect, and thus nothing about it needs to change. If you already believe the United States is the "best" then changing anything about it could put that at risk. But that's not patriotism, that's just nationalism. With patriotism, you can love something, and still recognize that it's fundamentally broken in many ways and want to fix it. In fact, many of the problems the US faces today are directly due to the fact that they've been completely ignored and allowed to fester and spread.

Every country is going to teach you more about the country you live in. Do you think that Britains don't learn more about their involvement in WWII than other countries do? As an american you will learn more about how the country itself was involved.

Patriotism was widespread after 9/11, and has steadily declined. People are most patriotic during times of turmoil, when they look to the country for stability and safety. People get complacent, I really don't see America being as patriotic as it once was.

Its funny, you act as if every major country in the world has not committed some sort of human rights violations. Has America killed as many people as the Soviet Union, Communist China, Imperial England, Spain, Portugal, France? The list could continue forever.

I don't think anyone thinks America is perfect. Certainly we've been moving forward in some areas, backwards in others. There is nothing wrong with being proud of the country you live in, regardless of what country that is.

this corruption started with the nixon administration.

As corrupt as the Nixon administration was, it was still able to prosecute and impeach Nixon. Even with pressure from the president, the Attorney General at the time refused to give him special treatment and resigned. Do you really think that would happen today? Its far worse now than it has ever been.

[Allybeboba]

this corruption started with the nixon administration.

Oh, it was well entrenched well before that. But it has not ever ran so deep and throughout as it runs today.

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So I recently made a post asking how patriotic the average american was (http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...erage-American), I didn't respond in that thread because I didn't feel that I had anything to add but after reading through all of the responses, I realized I should have expanded the question when I originally posted to ask why Americans are so Patriotic. I didn't want to edit the original post or add a reply with the question as it may have been overlooked.

So regardless of an Americans definition of Patriotism, my question now is why? I can see why you would be proud of your country and glad to be a citizen, but I saw a story that I cant wrap my head around, which revolves around the American Flag:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ican-flag.html

It just seems to me that some of these responses were a bit drastic. 'Shame on you, Kaley. You lost a fan.' Really?? That person will no longer be her fan over an image of 2 dogs sitting on the flag on the ground? I understand that the American flag stands for a lot to its citizens, but at the end of the day it is just an inanimate object that can be made by anyone, its a flag.

How does one become Patriotic? It seems to me that people are taught to be Patriotic from a very young age in schools, which seems odd as its done when people are young and impressionable, they don't seem to get much choice in the matter because they don't have time to form their own opinions.

I don't want to offend anyone with this thread, I just want to understand American culture more because a lot of it seems very alien to me, having not been raised this way myself. If I have gotten anything wrong, please feel free to correct me, as stated already, I mean no offence.

The real question should be is why aren't other countries as patriotic as the US?

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

Because we are fed lies about how great the country is in every facet.
Just saw a commercial for the Army.
They compared joining the army to joining a sports team. You practice in both, and eventually you take the field.
But "When America's army takes the field, its better if the other teams just don't show up."

Which is such hilarious nonsense I'm surprised they are even allowed to publish it.

[LongJohn]

Because they don't know any better.

[Tyrianth]

Again, the definition of ball says it can be an ovoid. So, you could say Handball... if you wanted to.

I know, I'm just teasing as he got so upset over my original post. Which wasn't in anyway meant to be instigating lol

[JohnBrown1917]

I understand your point. I do agree all healthy citizens should serve in the military for 2 years once you get out of school. But I served 3 years in the Army and still feel very patriotic. But I do hate with a passion what I am seeing happen to the US. It is slowly becoming corrupt from within. Just as Nikita Khrushchev said would be the way it would be destroyed.

Which is utterly pointless if a Country does not need a big defensive army.
Look at Sweden, they just brougth back the draft, but only the volunteers get drafted because they do not have the defense budget to employ all young citizens.

[Visor]

In North Korea ppl very patriotic as well. So you can get a common idea why this can happen. Total propaganda works fine everywhere.

[JohnBrown1917]

The real question should be is why aren't other countries as patriotic as the US?

Because they do not have the need to feel superior to everybody else for no reason.

[cuafpr]

b.c. a lot of us seeing as more than just piece of cloth, we see it representing everyone that has ever died for that Flag, a symbol of hope and freedom ... not a perfect country but still one that stood up at the right time and when it was needed on several occasions. I was proud to server under it, and ever since being a civilian its not the same life.. (sucks being civvy tbqh). If the time comes i'm called or asked to fight for it I'll gladly do so, and long as i breath there will be one flying... just is.

[Tabrotar]

Just google "Agent Orange" and see why american patriotism is bad.
The effects are still visible ( even on the american soldiers which came in contact with it and their kids) but nobody talks about it any more because it´s "a war best be forgotten".