A new Gallup poll shows a record low level of patriotism among the two youngest generations of Americans.
According to Axios, the new survey shows that patriotism is at its lowest among Americans between the ages of 18 and 34, while still remaining higher among older Americans. Overall, just 39 percent of American adults describe themselves as “extremely proud” to be Americans.
Of those 39 percent, a mere 18 percent are between the ages of 18 to 34, spanning the generations of Millennials and Generation Z, also known as “Zoomers.” By contrast, 40 percent of Americans aged 35 to 54, the oldest of Millennials and many in Gen X, identified as “extremely proud,” and 50 percent of those over the age of 55 said the same thing.
Just 10 years ago, 85 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 to 29 said they were either “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American.
In addition to age, party identification is another factor that determines the likelihood of patriotism: Whereas 60 percent of Republicans identify as patriotic, only 33 percent of independents say the same, and a mere 29 percent of Democrats describe themselves as such.
The decline in patriotism overall has been attributed to numerous factors, including increased political polarization and economic declines, as well as a rising and consistent trend of public education openly teaching anti-American curriculum to the youngest generations, indoctrinating them into hating the country rather than appreciating it.
My 16 year old granddaughter announced at the dinner table the other night that she’s “not particularly patriotic.” She said this almost as she was expressing lukewarm feelings for a certain car brand.
This is a good kid. No snowflake… Works her butt off for straight As at a top academically ranked high school. Wants to be a robotics engineer. No drugs…No boys…so far but she’s very beautiful. Well, she is.
Grandpa the recalcitrant Democrat is appalled and will be giving her some extracurricular American history lessons.
These kids are going to pay a higher price than they realize for their attitude. Patriotism fuels a society. People are eager to be part of a winner, happier when they believe they are contributing to a good cause, and more confident when they trust the world they live in. The opposites are also true. England lost a lot of its spirit after WWI. It showed in its literature. And in the growing number of Englishmen willing to spy on their home country.
Now it seems to be our turn. But, unlike England, we are not going to fall into the arms of supportive cousins who share many of the same values. Far from it. These kids are going to have very interesting lives.
While this may upset many people, that’s probably a very good thing. For decades, Americans have believed in and supported many myths about this country and its current government. Those myths fueled incredibly divisive, brutal, overseas wars, government programs that redistributed income, and mass, uncontrolled immigration. Nearly one out of every five people is foreign-born and there is no effort at assimilation, because Americans are daily lectured that we must “respect” their culture, values and language, what results did people expect? No other result is likely. When American citizen children occupy classrooms with foreign citizens who should not be here, are lectured they are bigots, racists and the country is a lie, what should parents expect?
The people who fought, died and worked to win independence from Britain, establish constitutional order wanted none of that. Most of those soldiers were teenagers. They would be the first to condemn what has happened. Why should intelligent people (not that the little darlings possess that quality) be patriotic? Because that emotion makes money for publicly-listed corporations, who sell out America and Americans every chance they get? Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious as Oscar Wilde claimed. It’s the predicate to every abuse, and bad policy that has wrecked a once-stable, prosperous country and its people.
In fact, I believe it’s the people who are angry, who detest what’s happening to the country who demonstrate a kernel of wisdom. Wisdom leads to understanding, then to action. What “patriot” supports anything that has originated in Washington, D.C., or most state capitals for the past few decades? Perhaps the nonsense that “the children are the future” will prompt a few idiot parents to take their responsibilities more seriously. Most of them have imbued their darlings with imaginary positive qualities. Time for a healthy dose of reality.
Patriotism cannot matter unless it it taught otherwise it is learned the hard way. The hard way is when your property, your ability to acquire property and your very life is threatened. Your homeland does not need to be threatened by a foreign adversary. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (property) can be threatened by any criminal and the government, historically, has been the one which very often becomes a more serious criminal than the ones it is supposed to protect citizens from.
She needs mentorship and I’m sure she is exposed to a generational conga line of educators who feel just as she does. She wants to do what everyone wants to do… of which none may be possible without everyone in government making certain the ability for her to pursue her interests is safeguarded. She lives under an umbrella, created by her family, her community and her government, as we all do, and it has to work well so she can go forth and become what she wishes to be. America works because we have a Constitution that created a government that is run by moral and religious people. That means that they are also patriot people. That is the only way it will work.
At this point in her life she should be a prolific reader. She may benefit from reading “The Diary of Anne Frank”.