American Pride

There is a line in one of interview transcripts for our play where the mom of one of the Marines who died talks about "being an American worth fighting for." I was reminded of this a few nights ago when we had an event at a local library in Cleveland where we read excerpts of the play. There was a discussion afterwards, and an older gentleman who I'm pretty sure was a veteran remarked that the majority of Americans today have no connection or interest in what's going on with the military. He went on to suggest that there is strong correlation between serving your country and having pride in your country and that he feels that sense of pride and service is lacking in young people today.

The discussion really got me thinking about my own pride in my country. I know that being an American affords me all sorts of privileges that I often take for granted, but I also find myself often critical of certain policies and attitudes in our country. When I studied abroad in Barcelona I cringed whenever I was around loud American tourists quietly hoping I would not get lumped in with these obnoxious offenders. I did everything I could to immerse myself in the Catalan culture, taking all my classes with Spanish and other European students at the University, and shunning any classes where I would be with other Americans.

And then I saw Madonna's 'Drowned World' concert. I had waited in line overnight to get the tickets- it was my first time seeing her in concert and when she walked out on stage, I am not ashamed to say it, I started to cry. And out of nowhere, my American pride started to blossom. I was like, that's right, she's from my country! I'll claim ownership to that! Reflecting on that experience, I was surprised with how fiercely I wanted to cling to my American identity in that moment.

For me, these moments of pride have been pretty fleeting, though. I don't feel an ever-present sense of connection with my country but maybe that's because it's impossible to generalize what it means to be American---it's so different for each person. We are a relatively new country almost entirely composed of immigrants spread across vastly diverse geographic and cultural areas. In that respect, if I were asked to join the circle I mostly strongly identified with I would probably go to the Brooklyn, Performer, Vegan, Jewish, or Woman circles before joining the American circle, and maybe that's ok.

I guess time will tell the course of my American pride. I'm certainly hoping with all my might that November 4th will give me a huge reason to be proud again, to feel united and hopeful about the future that is possible in our country...