Too much patriotism?

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Lilly

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I have always been proud to be an American, no question about that. now that we are in war, i am no less proud. what i am concerned with is people who have a new-found love for America who take it too far. people who couldn't even tell you that there are thirteen stripes and fifty stars on the flag, let alone what they stand for. people who are so ignorant so as to think that Islam is a violent religion and they should punish innocent Muslims here for what radicals in Afghanistan are doing. Is anybody else a little wary of this?

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Go lightly down your darkened way.

[This message has been edited by Lilly (edited 11-24-2001).]
 
While we're on the subject, I know the stars stand for the states, but what about the stripes?
 
Lilly, that can be an ill effect of patriotism, but I do not think that all "newfound patriots" are subject to those attitudes.

Doctor Teeth: the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies.

~U2Alabama
 
Dr. Teeth,
The 13 stripes on the flag represent the unity of the original 13 colonies.


One thing I have found disturbing, or more in poor taste, is companies using the September 11th tragedy and recent resurgence of patriotism as a way of moving merchandise.

I was flipping through t.v. and paused on one of those home shopping networks. It was showing this New York based cookie company trying to sell these chocolate cookies. The spokesman was saying, "Since September 11th, anybody and everybody wants to be a New Yorker and with these cookies you can have a part of it". It was kinda funny when the QVC lady kinda paused in disbelief after he said that.

This weekend I had the unfortunate chance to see a commercial in which it showed a group of firemen saying that they used the George Foreman Grill. At the end it showed George Foreman with firefighters and people of different ethnic backgrounds holding up their George Foreman grills.
 
Originally posted by babble:
This weekend I had the unfortunate chance to see a commercial in which it showed a group of firemen saying that they used the George Foreman Grill. At the end it showed George Foreman with firefighters and people of different ethnic backgrounds holding up their George Foreman grills.


Are you sure this is a post-9/11 ad? I was thinking I had seen a similar theme in his ads before, as the Foreman grill may be a "safer" alternative to traditional grills. And these days (even prior to 9/11), most ads try to reflect ethnic diversity. The only thing Foreman has done against diversity is the names of his sons.

~U2Alabama
 
Yes, I'm pretty sure it is as I've never seen it before yesterday, but you could be right. The varying ethnicities is a theme common in most commmercials these days. What I was referring to mostly was the prominent use of firemen, who have become more highly praised heroes since Sept. 11th. I don't think I've ever seen firemen used in his commercials before, but I could be wrong.

I suppose I'm most disgusted by what that cookie salesman said. It just doesn't seem right to me to try and capitalize on such a horrendous disaster.
 
Lilly, I don't think patriotism is the problem. It's when patriotism crosses over into nationalism that things can get ugly.

I have always given thanks in prayer for the freedoms we enjoy in this country. I feel very fortunate to have been born and raised in America -- to be an American. I should be clear: As opposed to being "proud" to be an American, I am thankful to be an American. That's an important distinction.

I am not opposed to the military effort that is currently taking place in Afghanistan.... that's not the point. Rather, I am disturbed by the attitudes being displayed by many Americans in conjunction with that military effort.
 
I am a big fan of this newfound patriotism, yah.. some of it may lead to less than stellarly intelligent americans shouting 'kill all muslims'.. i mean, i live in a place where at the local egyptian owned italian restaurant people would order food then not pay for it.. But I also live in a place where a muslim arab gas station owner pulled his kid out of school sep. 7, closed up his shop on sep 9., and then disappeared on Sep.10th.. So, there's sh#t all over the place to arise suspicion, but back to the point of the patriotism, I think that an excess is necessary, just as long as it doesn't then go 'out of style', because Bush and the gov't need it to keep the war going, and to keep our country behind us, because it'lll be a long war and that's the strongest proponent for public opinion, as it is these not as 'intellectual' americans who won't be able to understand all the deep x's and o's to teh war effort, yet their patriotism will almost blind them to anything else so they'll be behind us and the gov't will keep the public opinion..
 
So sick of the companies all using it as an advertising slogan. And the worse of all was the Porno Spam everyone on MSN gets just for having the misfortune of them as an isp, on Sept. 12 there was a Spam "Even in times like these, you can still get off." Ug. Yuck. Its hard to not get cynical about would these new found patriots have cared one iota about those people in the bldgs. or planes? It's now "my flag is bigger than your flag," and they have never voted so many of them, or know anything about our govt. or even where Afganistan is. Jay Walking shows us every week how the American educational system is a failure.
 
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