An NBC News poll found that national pride is declining, with recent polling showing that approximately 20% to 23% of Americans are not proud to be American. This sentiment highlights a growing generational and political divide in patriotism ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday, reports NBC.
In the years immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S., as many as 70% of Americans said they felt extremely proud of their country. Even after that period of national unity forged by tragedy, most adults reported high levels of American pride through the start of Trump’s first presidential term in 2017.
Overall, at that time, 82% said they were either extremely or very proud of the country.
But the numbers have dived since then, and just 33% say now that they are “extremely proud” to be an American, with another 23% describing themselves as “very proud.” Meanwhile, 21% say they are “only a little” or “not at all” proud to be an American.
That isn’t surprising; 9/11 was unifying, and now, years later, our differences have reached an apex. The media has a lot to do with dividing us. NBC News left that variable out.
I was pleasantly surprised that it was only 23% who aren’t proud to be Americans. That takes in millions of criminals, terrorists, communists, lunatics, and 23% is better than I thought it would be.
Most of the 23% are young, but the young often become more conservative as they grow older and wiser. This isn’t the terrible number that NBC News would have you believe. Everything is partisan right now. People will get tired of that eventually. There are signs that they already have, as the hate comedy on late night and the hate TV on cable sink in the ratings.
We’ve had tough times before, and we can beat this, too, but we have to fight for our liberty. We are in danger of becoming a one-party nation; we need to fight that. It would be too much power in the hands of a few. We are very lucky to be in this country and to be free.
