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Dec. 30, 2004 I'd like to share something that's been on my mind for a while. It has to do with the idea of Americanism. I constantly see remarks like "the American thing to do," in magazines, newspapers, television commercials, etc. However, I'm seeing this phrase used to back very, very different things. One case, for instance, I recently saw a sign that said "Impeach Bush: It's the American thing to do." but just earlier that day I had seen some of the increasingly popular ribbons/stickers that said "Support our troops: IT'S THE AMERICAN THING TO DO." The first example is an extraordinarily liberal form of Americanism, while I doubt that many liberals are proudly showing off their new "Support our troops." (Just as a side note, that is not to say that liberals do not support our troops, it is to imply that they generally make a connection with those ribbons and support for the War in Iraq.) So what is the American thing to do? We've got half of the country saying that we're supposed to support the president because it's 'the American thing to do," but on the other hand, we've got the other half crying bloody murder at the war and the president, saying that it's wholly un-American to be in Iraq. I first made this connection about two weeks ago in my history class, where we first began to discuss Americanism and it's part in motivating the US to fight in WWI. I won't go into details, but I very quickly made a connection to today's Americanism, with multiple forms of advertising, all claiming to be "American." People will hang American flags from their houses, buy ribbons to stick on their cars, and even vote a certain way, simply to be American (Although I've noticed that they will NOT stop driving a car that gets terrible gas mileage despite the ever-growing US dependence on Mideast oil, but I digress.) I'll go back to the question: What is American? America contains so many ethnicities, religions, and any other form of being diverse that comes to mind. We are an immigrant nation that has attracted people from around the world since the New World was first colonized. nearly 4 centuries of growth, immigration, racial mixing. Presently, American is somewhat of a 'pot luck' of diversity. To name one thing as solely American seems rather naive. Other than that, I must admit, I am purely stumped as to what exactly is "American. ------------ About the author: Jack Lepiarz is a Junior at Madison High School in Madison, New Jersey. Now 16 years old, he has been writing avidly for the past 5 years and has a completed novel (but unpublished), Spencer. He currently trades between two houses in his town, spending time living with both of his divorced parents. Email: Jackwuzhere42@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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