On Sept. 11 this year, I felt strangely sentimental when I attended the labyrinth memorial at the chapel. I noticed a photographer at the site, but neither he nor I knew we both represented The Diamondback. The next morning, I picked up a copy of the paper and was shocked to see that the full-page front picture of an introspective-looking student at the memorial was me.
To me, Sept. 11 symbolizes American patriotism. I am troubled to think I represented the patriotic remembrance of Sept. 11 through that picture, because I do not consider myself patriotic.
Patriotism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “love for or devotion to one’s country.” Personally, I do not wave an American flag outside my home, I do not say the pledge of allegiance with utmost pride (or when I’m abroad) and I feel a slight bit of shame to say I am American. Nonetheless, I felt moved — as an American — on Sept. 11.
Culturally, we have labels for what is and what is not American. Hot dogs and beer at a baseball game: American. College football: American. NASCAR: American.
In politics, however, it gets iffy. Is racial profiling for the sake of national security American? How about Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and the tea party? For some, fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan is what it means to be an American. As Americans, we all have different ways of displaying and expressing our patriotism.
At its core, the bedrock of American patriotism is built on the foundations of freedom, justice and liberty. Preaching those ideals is one thing, but unfortunately, I have difficulty seeing how those principals are carried out today in America. I think cutting Medicare and Medicaid is ensuring inequality, not equality, and I think without a higher minimum tax rate for the wealthy, we are perpetuating an unjust society.
As Americans, our different cultural backgrounds feed our different values. Without a common definition of liberty, freedom and justice, we cannot come to a common understanding of what it means to be patriotic.
Politics today exemplifies the divide of patriotic values. Just listen to the Republican debates. And if the past few months in Washington are any testament to how the Democrats are getting along with Republicans, then the possibility of political compromise seems dim.
I am still trying to make sense of how I feel to be an American. I went to the labyrinth on Sept. 11 because I was carrying a heavy heart with the significance of the day. I was overwhelmed thinking about one of the victims who worked in the World Trade Center. Other Americans may have been sitting watching Sunday football, only stopping to memorialize Sept. 11 during the moment of silence before the game. When it comes to patriotism, to each his own.
Despite our country’s shortfalls, the ideals of freedom, liberty and equality established more than 200 years ago are still at the forefront of what we strive toward. This tells me there is reason to be proud to be American, regardless of how we feel about individual policies.
Compared to the rest of the world, our access to freedoms and equality is not so shabby. So maybe, in my own way, I am patriotic after all. Even if I don’t agree with everything our politicians do in practice, I have a love and devotion for what America strives to be in theory.
Jennifer Schwarz is a senior environmental science and policy major. She can be reached at schwarz@umdbk.com.
