Trip Gabriel’s article “Two Visions of Patriotism Clash in the Midterm Elections” describes how both republicans and democrats differ in their views on what it means to be patriotic. This article is relevant to American culture because it shows the two types of political beliefs in America and describes what each side views as “American” or “Patriotic”. The article talks about how president Trump has called his opposers “unpatriotic”. These opposers include NFL players who kneel for the National Anthem, and Democratic Lawmakers who did not clap for his state of the Union Address. For republicans, patriotism means openly showing respect for traditional American things such as the flag, the military, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Democrats, on the other hand, view patriotism as voting in an effort to reclaim American Democracy. Recent polls have shown that with Trump’s presidency, many Democrats’ pride in America has dropped. The article asks many citizens of different backgrounds and viewpoints to define what they think it means to be patriotic, and it is clear that there are some disagreements on this subject.
This article os significant because it shows that there is not just one definition of patriotism. Everyone views being patriotic differently, so how can we tell someone they are wrong for that they think is truly American? AS long as there is a divide in political parties, people will always disagree on what it means to be patriotic.
Gabriel, Trip. “Two Visions of Patriotism Clash in the Midterm Elections.”The New York Times, 6 Nov. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/us/politics/patriotism-midterms-trump.html