With the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approaching, questions arise about what role patriotism plays in the life of a student attending college. Most undergraduates are going to have been born sometime between the fall of the Soviet Union and the Sept. 11 attacks, closer to the former rather than the latter and fairly young when the towers fell. At that age the broader implications of the attack would be lost on a child but its effects on America and its citizens, which can still be felt today, played a large role in shaping this generation’s idea of patriotism. From the attacks themselves to the War on Terror and the many consequences therein, the reactions and politics of the people surrounding the children who would become today’s students formed those children’s own political beliefs.
The pledge of allegiance is a common fixture throughout public schools in the United States, often recited daily while saluting the American flag. Children learn about the founding of our nation, its legendary fathers, the guiding principles of the Constitution and the idea of the American Dream. They usually don’t engage in discussions of partisan politics, political corruption or the constitutionality of the government’s actions. With some exceptions, these more thoughtful ideas usually don’t take hold until a student arrives at his or her first college campus. While at home a student may have been in an echo chamber, always surrounded by peers and adults who all expressed similar viewpoints, the university brings a vast diversity of opinion. Gather together 30 different college students and you’ll have a room with 30 different worldviews being represented. When presented with this difference of opinion on everything from politics, religion, philosophy and many more subjects, students can take one of two options; they can either surround themselves with like-minded individuals all expressing the same opinions, or they can challenge their own thinking and look into why they believe what they believe.
On patriotism specifically, let’s say a student with a pro-American perspective gets into an argument with a student with a more critical viewpoint of the government. On the topic of the United States the first student would present examples of the good the USA has done for the world, while the second student may present a litany of crimes and misdeeds done by the nation. Are either wrong in their view of the country? The answer to that question is not important. What is important, however, is that the students in question can involve themselves in a discussion about their nation. There are two main reasons that this hypothetical debate is an important feature of our nation; first that they can engage in such a debate, and secondly that they are engaging in the debate.
Citizens of the United States can sometimes take their liberties for granted, or poorly understand what they mean. The protections of the First Amendment of the Constitution are some of the most widely misinterpreted freedoms available to Americans. Regardless of that, for the most part anyone in America can say just about whatever they want without worrying about unmarked black vans showing up at their door. While you can’t threaten the President, you can question the actions of the government using as many swear words as you please on your social media platform of choice. The ability to have discourse that questions the government is a vastly underappreciated facet of our country, in contrast to how often the right is exercised.
In regards to the hypothetical students, a reader might ask, “why are they even bothering talking about it? What’s the point?” In life, to grow as human beings we must be challenged, presented with some obstacle that we have to work to overcome. Even if you don’t always succeed, you can learn from your failures. Going through your whole adult life without ever having your viewpoints challenged would be an absolute miracle with the sheer diversity of opinion that exists within the country, and being able to explain and defend what you believe is an important skill College is often the first testing grounds for a young person’s ideas.
With all this in mind we return the focus again to patriotism on campus. Some will argue that the pledge should be recited in university classrooms, others will argue against. Some will stand with their hand over their heart for the national anthem at a WT football game, and others will remain seated. The most important thing to remember is that they each get to choose what to believe.