Have Kids Lost Their Feelings of Patriotism?
By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini
Q: Dear April Masini,
I have some younger grandchildren--elementary school age--and was horrified recently that they don't know the entire Pledge of Allegiance or the words to the Star Spangled Banner. As a Vietnam veteran, I am proud of the Country I fought to keep safe. When I talked to my daughter about it, she said that things have changed and that the same emphasis on patriotism is not put on for kids anymore.
What do you think? Do I need to take it upon myself to be sure my grandkids are educated about their Country?
Sincerely,
Proud American
A:
Dear Proud American,
There has been a shift in kids' feelings towards their Country.
Reasons why patriotic feelings among youth have changed:
Younger generations have been sensitized to death, violence and war. When television brought war into American living rooms some 30 to 40 years ago, there was a horrified reaction. But for 40 years, now, Americans have been seeing war on the news, and violence in their entertainment, and Memorial Day doesn't capture a real feeling for many people who have never served or have known someone who served.
Might it be that the expressions of patriotism have changed?
Patriotism still exists, but there is more of a global feeling of wanting peace or not wanting peace, rather than a sense of one country against another for many people. Not everybody -- but many people. In addition, there is so much inter-marriage and bi-racial reproduction that the face and the faces of America have changed to a more global look.
Don't Gen X and Yers respond more to candlelight vigils (i.e., Virginia Tech), online "communities" and makeshift memorials at the scenes of fatal automobile accidents?
Yes -- because these are more real to them than wars that take place in other countries. When tragedy, terrorism and death happen in our backyard, it's easier for people to understand. When it happens overseas, it's much harder to comprehend, trust and understand.
How can these preferences be reconciled with traditional observances like Memorial Day?
Communication. When men and women who serve our country are celebrated the same way our celebrity movie stars and heiresses are, then American youth (and seniors) will have a better understanding of what their lives are like. There is no Real World or other MTV reality show that takes place behind enemy lines or in basic training. If there were, there would be more understanding and interest in those who serve now and recently.
April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas,
and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.
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