September 17th was Constitution Day – did you know that? Probably not. Why? According to a poll conducted by Gallup, the amount of people who are proud to be American has significantly decreased. According to the poll, in June, only 39% of adults in the U.S. said they were “extremely proud” to be American. Now compare that to after 9/11 in 2002 when 70% of Americans said they were extremely proud to be American. When you look at specific age groups and political affiliations, the poll shows a stark difference between Republicans and Democrats.
So, that leaves the question, what happened? How did we go from 70% of the population being proud of their country to 39%, over the course of 19 years? Could it be the fact that people just don’t trust the government? Or could it be that people are fed so much information, mostly negative, that they are almost led to not liking their country?
It could also be the fact that people are so focused on themselves, instead of being a part of the bigger picture. Individualism is the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant. This idea is taking over America now more than ever. So that leaves me with the big question: Is it possible for Americans to celebrate their differences while still being proud of their country?
It can change. You, an average high-school student, can make the choice to ignore all the negative views of America and focus more on all the positive things America represents. You can choose to be proud to be a part of “We the People.”
