Ever since President Barack Obama was elected into office on Nov. 4, I’ve noticed an obvious change in the way our generation seems to view the country. Rather than hearing everyone bash George W. Bush and all of our country’s problems all the time, I often hear “Yes, We Can” incorporated into random sentences and I also see an infinite number of Obama shirts circulating the hallways. While I’ve heard of this newfound spirit being referred to as this civil rights movement, which is causing some miraculous rise in patriotism, I question whether that is truly the case.


What exactly is “patriotism,” anyway? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “patriotism” is defined as, “love for or devotion to one’s country.” Could it be that Obama’s presidency has led to more of a love for simply Obama himself rather than for our country?

This question prompted me to also look up the definition of “fan.” Merriam-Webster defines “fan” as, “an ardent admirer or enthusiast as of a celebrity or a pursuit.” While I obviously recognize that our president is not exactly a pursuit, he certainly seems to fall into the celebrity category these days. But then, is our president supposed to be a “celebrity,” for say? Last time I checked, as the president, Obama actually has work to do, like um, let me think… oh yeah… run the nation. Who knew, considering his name is used in the same way some star athlete’s name would be used.

Regardless of Obama’s “celebrity status,” when I compared the two definitions of “patriotism” against “fan,” I’d have to say that our country has ample Obama fans.

However, these feelings don’t carry over as a representation of patriotism. Patriotism is all about the country as a whole. While supporting the nation’s president may be part of being patriotic, it takes much more to truly embrace what patriotism is.

What about the students who claim to be oh-so-patriotic as they haven’t washed their Obama T-shirts in months and bow down to their life-size Obama cutouts every night but don’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? Can they really be considered patriotic? Although I recognize the personal beliefs of some regarding the reference to “God” in the pledge at school, those who are not offended by it and are physically capable of standing have no reason not to rise and face the flag during second period announcements.

Besides, the pledge can mean many different things to different people. There are numerous students in this school who know people risking their lives as they’re fighting for our country in the Middle East. There are even more students in this school whose parents or grandparents had a harsh life in another country and worked hard just to be able to earn a green card into this country.

And to those of you who disagree with the Pledge of Allegiance, whether your reason is because of the pledge’s reference to God or because of anything else, you can and should show support for the country you live in by not disrespecting those reciting the pledge.

I timed the Pledge of Allegiance during second period, and it took exactly 10 seconds. Yes, 10 seconds; that’s it. So to the many students who talk, text, do homework or do anything else through those 10 whole seconds that the pledge takes up, start respecting those in your class who have the right to recite the pledge by sitting at your desk quietly.

Other than patriotism, the concept of civil rights seems to be on people’s minds with Obama being the first black president. Yet, by just listening to conversations around WJ, it is quite obvious that our generation’s perception is quite off as to how Obama’s presidency ties into not only patriotism, but civil rights.

Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not diminishing the fact that history was made when Obama was elected. I, like many WJ students, find it gratifying to have seen our country’s first black president be inaugurated (on my wide-screen TV, that is). Yet, you’re not a part of a civil rights movement by being proud of Obama for making history.

By electing Obama as president, America proved how far we’ve come since the time when there were slaves or segregated schools. Yet, this proved that people way before Obama’s time had paved a path of equality that allowed Obama to become president. So, sorry everyone who thinks that they’ve been supporting the biggest civil rights hero in time, but Obama is no Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you even look at where and how Obama comes up on Facebook, it is practically insulting to him. All of those students who have Obama written under their “Interests” or “Religion,” come on. You probably think that you’re also extremely patriotic by obsessing over Obama, but he’s not an interest, and he’s certainly not a religion!

So, whether you consider yourself a Republican or Democratic, liberal or conservative, or anything in between, there’s no reason to be taking away from the power and dignity Obama has as the President of the United States.

It’s one thing to support your president, but it’s another thing to only support your president and not your country, which is what a lot of teens seem to be doing. It’s time for our generation to actually be patriotic, so all I can hope is that during the pledge tomorrow, our school can have a 10 second period of unity in which we show real patriotism together.