#alternate Quantcast Follow @MicNews SHARE TWEET Policy Arts World Music Identities News Science Most Viewed Today in [ZDU5ZDZiMDc4MiMvLU5Wc2tBaUl6VzA5RTg1WjJ5XzBZZGRrODdnPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzLzExdWZxZm9yb GNqemViMzJiMWQ5bXVhcXlydmZ1aHIxMHNyc2JqYWNqZ2pheGRucTNjbGg2bG12b2NuMnpx OXIuanBn.jpg] Why Obama's Cuba Policy Is Even More Shrewd Than Anyone Thought [NGNlZTI4ZWI4MyMvRGJYaVdxSGpTS1BqdG9pMlFXVVpWTU9Wa3RBPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL2NzbGpxajFwc HZneXFtYmJ5amhreXQ4ZmdpdWFub3M0cGRnYmoxZ2F5cTBodmwwcWx1YmNodHlka2RyejU5 eXMuanBn.jpg] Pentagon to Congress: For the Love of God, Stop Buying Shit We Don't Need [OWU3YmRiMGM1ZCMvVWlteE1naTJNY0FNamoyZmxxSEQyOTA4M25ZPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL2txdmxxa3dlN 29yM2JpaWV2aGM3NmRld3p1cTU1OW11Y2Vsb295cWtuMjcwZzM1dnlzZ2sxZ2t6a2dwY296 djQuanBn.jpg] No, Mitt Romney Is Not Running for President Again [ZjJjMzAxMTg3NyMveXN3bHRzSy0wTFYyNmc4SGc1RS1sVkZhSEx3PS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL3h2em91cHdkc GNzdzJ4Z240d2h4YzZpZGNyemwxZ3JvNmlwd2hjdjNxam1leTF2Y2Zia29jOTZjZnhibWEz YmEuanBn.jpg] Here's How Much You Have to Earn to Be in the 1% in Your State [YjE4NGRiYWQzNiMva3loWUl5SXdveXh1WWxMSXQtRmQyR3dNeVI4PS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL2JyZXB0bHJic 2F2bjd4ZmRxYWR5b3F5aGR0aGxmZnJkeDhpcDE2cWx3dm9uMHMzZ3B0emxzNnR2eG14bGFt NXkuanBn.jpg] Here Is Your Glorious Hour-By-Hour Guide to Netflix on Valentine’s Day [MWU2NDEzZDRiNCMveG9Rb1V2WDRJSTIyd0t4dUFLQ0xoNHFOVGhJPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL3RubHd1ZW5kZ 3FkaDBtemNxNHgwbmc3cGhmZHNra3I3amlteWp1eWhuZ3FxZXJ2NGFyM3puaXl5YnBjbDhs OHEuanBn.jpg] This Website Lets You Mold Your Tweets Into Strange, Beautiful Poetry [YmU1NGM2MDcyNiMvWW9SSlVNWERWajR1YW5leFQ4Wnd5cGhNTVBzPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX 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[OTVjM2E1OWMxNiMvN0RoV2V3Qm1hbU1sZkFRNkVBREV0cDFGQUR3PS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL3pqbnFpYnR1e HVvbG5vYnJhZ2pjZ3p0bDRmc29pdWJjYWJ0dGp0djhucnBseDUyZXh6ZHppY3ptd3VveHFx bjkuanBn.jpg] The Most Infuriating Statistic About Islamophobia in America Has Nothing Do With Islam [MzZiNzhkYjhlNSMvY2NnZWJrRWE4MzhURWliU2Z6UnpHcEI2aWs4PS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL3UxaXV5aTlpd jV6OGJpdTV2b3FocWpxejgxbWk5bGZ1eTBvdWxhaTRmeG1iaXNram55ZHRmd2VjZjE5bXRw cG8uanBn.jpg] What the Fascination With Russell Wilson's Race Really Says About Us [YzA2ZjNiYTk2ZSMvLThYaVI5WVVybGZ2eFJ5YTNnRmpGS2dCQzYwPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL3RwOWl2M3kwa Xh6ZnJxcWp0cnF2amRjdDdtcTlqemdxbmZ0eXFiZmxxNmhvNXp0aDl0NnZjYnJ5dXh5eDl1 ZWwuanBn.jpg] Stunning Photos of Curvy Women Prove Athleticism Comes in Every Size [MTAxMjk2Yzc3ZCMva1VicDZmcTUtUERIbkVSeEFWSDlLelBsVWtJPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX 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Northern Lights, and It's Strangely Beautiful [YmU5YzU2NGU5YiMvdDFhbnRLYWVuVm9hcGNSR01kRHNPOXZJNTUwPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL2ZhYjJ2aHgwa GN4Y3o1Y3NrZmY4a2NsMGQyYWFreHloMWU3eXFndGtlMDF4ZGEyZG53dnpyMGRva213d2Jk MGYuanBn.jpg] Brain Scans Reveal What Blind People Actually See When They Look at the Same Thing We Do [NmE2ZWNjYzQ1MiMvaG1iU25pMTlHb3RoVEtxTF9wR3BQRVBhSnUwPS8xNjR4MTE1L3NtYX J0L2h0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9wb2xpY3ltaWMtaW1hZ2VzL21mcHFzY3liM nZ5cGI2eWphOGtycXIyaGllZXo4eWdud2NuempqaDN3cG96a2g0MmxtcHZhcGlmOGp2NDd1 eWcuanBn.jpg] Science Has Great News for Beer Lovers Policy Arts World Sports Music Identities News Most Viewed Today in [3zlwr5bqgjvxbty3kzecb5vq7k5egnf4e6it8faz0qkkmpnntt2t0di3aj1urd2v.jpg] A New Study Shows How Hard It Is to Get a Job, While Republicans Miss the Point Entirely [cqjm1o7v29f84t0drcmrkhevat3pwh1ytnsoymzgoexwq9qmhcjcdtooiuapp5zc.jpg] Obama Just Did Something About Climate Change That No President 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Until Now [6dyfsxilmcwfssn38iujfmtgx2htazak5opyj6smxc3g2vpfjyo20x1jr4r7t1ji.jpg] Kendrick Lamar Just Released His First Single in Two Years, and It's Incredible [3e72da87b0a31cc790ed147b2ff7ff5b41554b5f7d268baab656edb44bea26a0.jpg] 7 Times Miley Cyrus Actually Had a Really Good Point [878pvpbhw2ci7w7ysjuwtf9wajc30ve4vkenffxvz9up5djuz1zhbqddq5xrxwlu.jpg] Apple Is Reportedly Shutting Down Beats Music After Buying It for $3 Billion [6107698599a262b10f7bed844a5ca0d9ca114757ce361ea98761c983853ab3e2.jpg] University of Chicago Students Take Matters Into Their Own Hands With Online 'Rapist List' [418a83f9d455642923dff9b1ad3664107be5e39470590c7235cd30659acfaf1b.jpg] An 11-Year-Old Ferguson Boy's Remarks Just Left Politicians Everywhere Speechless [lxcbs925hdbvh3f3jnfwnkfqyspcl5bbeak6hgng47n355gnq3gn8ot4ru2vh56u.jpg] NBC Just Made an Awesome Casting Choice (And Hollywood Should Pay Attention) [d61ca311b7a40ebd050453407dfd5e45448920c7afce6cea3308f9f504b75e7c.jpg] 10 Empowering Bisexual Confessions Highlight the Benefits of Finally Coming Out [8uddkz7j5j2wdmb8ygnht6v2jqvf68n3ldg13hzm114nklpxy4n5lpb4u68g86so.jpg] Hipster Pants Are Way Too Tight for the New iPhone [bwqhdqtcii8e794sbe53bbi1hd86c2qhmhhove2xtgl51ioqf7um6nw24g343rjv.jpg] That 'Faux Fur' Kohl's Has Been Selling Comes From Real, Adorable Animals [c55b47278262ef0432720b15e85bbaead2d94ef20af896c686a5525861a7eab3.jpg] These Brilliant Teen Girls Just Helped Solve World Hunger at a Science Fair [4xyi56612qbfv65feat458oxns0nlo91k9cfb3utk71u4ewcur13e7pbrcliz9l1.jpg] A Waitress Trolled Rush Limbaugh in the Most Brilliant Way Possible July 4th 2013: What It Means To Be Patriotic in 21st Century America Alexandra Cardinale's avatar image By Alexandra Cardinale July 04, 2013 SHARE TWEET * SHARE * TWEET * PIN The 21^st century information age has shredded the traditional definition of patriotism which says, "I stand with my country — right or wrong." Instead, since founding the nation, we have more explicitly championed the idea that patriotism means loyalty to a set of principles; ideal principles that not only ask, but demand for dissent, criticism, and an actively inquisitive body to challenge those in power who may violate those standards. Today we technically celebrate the American Revolution, and more specifically, the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4^th. Yet our citizens still declare their patriotism even today through the same demands of social and political progress. During the Civil Rights movement within America, Martin Luther King Jr. said in a speech during the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, "the great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right." When a group of conscientious citizens activate this patriotic (and human) right to voice an opinion, they embody that nation and can live and breathe the true definition of patriotism, regardless of any individual person's political or social affiliations. President Barack Obama said: "I have no doubt that, in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it ... Loving your country shouldn't just mean watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. Loving your country must mean accepting your responsibility to do your part to change it. If you do, your life will be richer, our country will be stronger." It does not matter how patriotism is celebrated, with salutes or beer or barbecue or visiting memorials, as long as it is recognized and profoundly appreciated for the value and power it holds as a vehicle for social progress rather than a dogmatic commandment for blind nationalism. The time-honored symbol of the American people, history and ideals — the American flag — is not owned by the administration in power, but by the people; and these people use that symbol to stand for basic democratic values including economic and social equality, mass participation in politics, free speech and civil liberties, elimination of the second-class citizenship of women and racial minorities, and as a welcome mat for the world's oppressed people. Even with the dark realities that come with extreme corporate power, far-right xenophobia, and social injustice, the nation has called upon patriotism time and time again to overcome and achieve those fundamental moral principles we have so dearly held on to throughout history. American movements — the abolition of slavery, farmers' populism, women's suffrage, workers' rights, civil rights, environmentalism, gay rights, and countless others — all hold very similar core human values of fairness, equality, freedom, and justice. All of these values have been adopted and championed as American ideals. While we may battle over the standards by which we achieve these values, every American, whether they vote red or white or blue, has an equal right and duty to claim their ideas and actions in search of these ends as their own. Ultimately, it is these values that define patriotism. Not just American patriotism, but human patriotism. As long as we continue to challenge the betterment of our nation through our association with these philosophies, then together as a nation we can consider ourselves patriotic. Happy July 4th. Like us on Facebook: SHARE TWEET Alexandra Cardinale's avatar image Alexandra Cardinale Alexandra Cardinale curious, quirky, and vivacious student currently researching Communications, Business and Law at New York University. Her extensive study in 16 countries have given her a unique perspective on both domestic U.S. policy and current international policy outside. She works to apply this inquisitive point of view to her writings here at PolicyMic and to any and all of her political discussions. 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