FizzingWhizzbees
ONE love, blood, life
Do you think it's true that America is a more patriotic nation than many other countries, for instance Western European countries? And if so, why do you think so, and what do you think causes it?
Personally I think America probably is more patriotic than many other countries. I live in the UK but I spent a year as an exchange student in the US so I'm just trying to make some comparisons based on that. For instance, in the town I stayed in many of the houses had American flags hanging outside, lots of the classrooms in school had flags on the walls and shopping malls and parks often had flags displayed too. Here in the UK it's quite unusual to see our flag displayed, people definitely don't display flags outside their home and it's rare to see flags in schoosl or parks either. I think flags can be a symbol of patriotism - showing pride in your country and its heritage so perhaps the fact that Americans are more likely to display flags show they're more patriotic.
I was also lucky to visit Washington DC (which I have to say is the most beautiful city I've ever visited and I'd love to go back there) and see all the monuments and museums there. Again, I think the fact that there are so many monuments to past presidents, and to war veterans can indicate patriotism. People can visit those memorials and feel pride in their country's heritage and in the sacrifices people have made for it. We have some memorials like that in this country, but I don't think people have the same sort of respect for them as people in Washington DC seemed to have. The school I studied at in the US was arranging a trip for its seniors to visit the capital, specifically to see all the monuments and to visit the White House and Supreme Court etc so that students could actually see how their government worked. We hardly ever do anything like that in the UK. Students might get to visit London to see an art gallery, but rarely would anyone arrange a trip to visit the Houses of Parliament or to go to a memorial.
I think maybe Americans are generally more proud of their country's history than the citizens of some other countries. Maybe it's because America is a younger country and had to fight to win independence from Britain, whereas for lots of European countries, they've been independent nations for centuries! Maybe it's because people look at the ideals their country was founded on and are proud of that.
Anyway, those are just some random ideas of mine. Sorry to have made this post so long. Looking forward to hearing some other people's ideas!
Personally I think America probably is more patriotic than many other countries. I live in the UK but I spent a year as an exchange student in the US so I'm just trying to make some comparisons based on that. For instance, in the town I stayed in many of the houses had American flags hanging outside, lots of the classrooms in school had flags on the walls and shopping malls and parks often had flags displayed too. Here in the UK it's quite unusual to see our flag displayed, people definitely don't display flags outside their home and it's rare to see flags in schoosl or parks either. I think flags can be a symbol of patriotism - showing pride in your country and its heritage so perhaps the fact that Americans are more likely to display flags show they're more patriotic.
I was also lucky to visit Washington DC (which I have to say is the most beautiful city I've ever visited and I'd love to go back there) and see all the monuments and museums there. Again, I think the fact that there are so many monuments to past presidents, and to war veterans can indicate patriotism. People can visit those memorials and feel pride in their country's heritage and in the sacrifices people have made for it. We have some memorials like that in this country, but I don't think people have the same sort of respect for them as people in Washington DC seemed to have. The school I studied at in the US was arranging a trip for its seniors to visit the capital, specifically to see all the monuments and to visit the White House and Supreme Court etc so that students could actually see how their government worked. We hardly ever do anything like that in the UK. Students might get to visit London to see an art gallery, but rarely would anyone arrange a trip to visit the Houses of Parliament or to go to a memorial.
I think maybe Americans are generally more proud of their country's history than the citizens of some other countries. Maybe it's because America is a younger country and had to fight to win independence from Britain, whereas for lots of European countries, they've been independent nations for centuries! Maybe it's because people look at the ideals their country was founded on and are proud of that.
Anyway, those are just some random ideas of mine. Sorry to have made this post so long. Looking forward to hearing some other people's ideas!