Patriotism: The Definition
The word patriotism holds a definition that can be loosely interpreted. In the essay, “All Consuming Patriotism,” by Ian Frazier he questions what is currently considered patriotism. He expresses his idea of patriotism as shopping and putting money into the economy. To support his idea he claims the government encourages citizens to shop and they obey like children. He then compares his idea to an example of patriotism from the 19th century, in which a group of women join together and use physical labor to support their husbands in the army. Using this comparison he communicates his main point to the reader that patriotism has transformed from an act of labor to solely being an act of consumerism. I believe Frazier has the wrong idea about what current patriotism is. Patriotism does not revolve around money; it starts with self sacrifice and an inner desire to support your country.
As a student and an employee, I drive constantly, through neighborhoods, on the freeway, and around cities. It is very common for me to see a bumper sticker that says “support our troops,” or even someone holding a sign saying the same thing. I consider these examples to be acts of patriotism; a man holding a sign shows he had the desire to support U.S. soldiers and was willing to sacrifice his time to stand and show it. At one point in Frazier’s essay he mentioned many people have this feeling inside that they need to help the country. I will agree with him on this, as it ties in with a main ingredient of patriotism: desire.
People want to express themselves with action. In New York City so many have been showing up recently for jury duty that the courts have had to turn hundreds away; officials said a new surplus of civic consciousness was responsible for the upsurge. (41)
This quote gives a great example of patriotism; volunteering for jury duty. It also shows how desire is something that people have and want to express. Due to the fact that so many people wanted to volunteer...
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