Decline in Patriotism

According to the recent Wall Street Journal/NORC poll, patriotism has significantly dropped since the poll was first conducted in 1998. At that time 70% of Americans viewed patriotism as being very important, which now stands at just 38%. Most of this decline comes from Americans under 30, which only 28% of them view patriotism as being very important. Also in decline include the importance of hard work, religion, raising a family, and community involvement, which shouldn’t be surprising because like patriotism, they also represent traditional American values. So why is patriotism in decline, particularly among young people?

First, to be patriotic, one must view America as a source of goodness rather than the opposite. He who considers himself patriotic or is “proud to be an American” has an overall positive view of the country otherwise he wouldn’t be proud. Likewise, he who considers himself not patriotic generally has a less favorable view of America. This person sees the country more as a place beset with racism, sexism, exploitation, etc., than a place of freedom and opportunity. So why are young people seeing the country more like the former rather than the later? They are taught at an early age, when their minds are most ripe for influence, that America is a bad place. The 1619 Project teaches kids that America—and its foundation—is so rooted in slavery and racism that the real birth of our nation is not 1776, it’s 1619, when the first African slaves arrived. It even argues that the American Revolution was fought in order to preserve slavery. Related material includes Critical Race Theory which is so pervasive it seems standard curriculum like math and science. After school, kids hear the same calls of systemic racism, police brutality, white oppression, sexism, etc., from the media and Hollywood. They see their favorite athlete kneeling before the flag or spewing garbage like LeBron James. It’s no wonder young people are less patriotic today.

I believe there’s also a macrophenomenon causing young people and all Americans to be less patriotic now which the above mentioned woke culture falls under. As our country continues to get older, we as a people—generation after generation—become further and further removed from our roots. Jamestown, the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War II, Carnegie, Edison—all the events and all the people that put America on the map become less and less tangible with the passage of time. There’s a reason why the oldest among us—those who went through the Great Depression and World War II—tend to be more patriotic than everyone else. Our eldest went through real times of hardship and struggle and going through that makes people more appreciative. Today our younger generation is growing up in a world of smart phones they can practically do anything with: order food, call a ride, pay a bill, take a picture with. Things like running water and AC are assumed like the sun rising every morning. For most people, as our standard of living increases so does our sense of entitlement. And as a result, we become less appreciative and thus less patriotic. We nitpick America like a spoil child does to his parents.

Can we reverse this trend or is it the inevitable course of a great nation that continues until it’s no longer considered great?