In order to be loved, a country must be lovely. It need not be flawless. In fact, no society—excepting the eternal City—is flawless. But to garner affection, it must be loveable.
The World War II generation recognized our nation’s loveliness and gave everything they had to defend it. In fact, the sacrifices of that generation are the reason we, 20th century Americans, can live as free people in a sovereign country.
The WWII generation was grateful for our nation, willing to spill their own blood on its behalf, and generally happy to get on with life within its borders once they returned. This era was perhaps the last time a citizen’s patriotism was likely to be instinctual and other citizens’ response to likely to be approving rather than cynical or ironic.
Today, however, I fear that many Americans are instinctually anti-American….
To read the rest of the article, originally published at Carolina Journal, click here.
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