When I grew up, I was very proud to be an American. At the local airshow my heart would swell with pride as the song "I'm Proud To Be An American" played. I dreamed of flying a fighter plane off of an aircraft carrier when I grew up. I watched "Top Gun" so many times i wore out VHS copies of it without number.
Being born and raised in England, and moving to American not even a year after 911, I have always been fascinated by the idea of American patriotism. While I don’t think that there is anything wrong with loving your country, it has always been a foreign concept (no pun intended) to me, how strongly American’s believe that they are the greatest country in the world.
Globalization can’t solve everyone’s problems. Despite being based on an ideal of universal benefits, globalization has proved itself to be a system that has complicated the problems of many nations. Globalization would actually benefit everyone if it were carried with perfectly equal representation of and influence by all nations, but such perfection is only utopian.
Are you scared right now? Do you feel that at any minute a plane is gonna com crashing through your window? I DONT!! This is why i always cringe when i hear about small Acts in congress or some new rule allowing the president to declare war without the Congress. Have you heard of the Patriot Act?
I'm tired of the stereotypes and assumtions that are often associated with American nationalism. My experience with people around me as well as those from other countries (usually from chatting in various online communities) have made me more aware of how Americans and non-Americans alike view nationalism in the US.
::le sigh::
It's September 11... again. Yes, we all know where we were 6 years ago (Was it 6? I've lost count--but I could tell you where I was!). Yes, we've all rehashed the tragedy of the event again. Yes, we all (well, most of us) agree that it was a terrible thing to have happened. But really, does everyone have to have this same discussion AGAIN?!
When did nationalism become a bad thing?
