Students should respect cherished icons of freedom

The past two weeks have given me a lot of time to reflect on the terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C., and New York, as well as the aftermath in which we are now shrouded. It seems that the death and feelings of fear and vulnerability have touched each one of us in some way or another. And this touch has a kind of King Midas enchantment. However, instead of turning everything to gold, it has yielded red, white and blue.

There is now this omnipresent patriotism among Americans. Before Sept. 11 it was just a small fever, now patriotism is an epidemic. There are American flags on every other backpack and you can't go 15 seconds without seeing someone wearing a ribbon. I am one of them, but I can’t help but feel a little guilty about it. Like the people who claim to be huge Colts fans, but can't seem to recall who the starting quarterback was before Peyton Manning, It’s as if I'm a "fair-weather" American, if you will.

This bugged me for a little while, but I have come to the conclusion that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. At some level I really feel for the United States, simply and truly. Nothing in this world is what it is merely by contrast. Just because this abundance of patriotism was not visible in the past doesn’t mean that it has always been nonexistent. Understanding this allows me to cherish this new plateau of patriotism in the United States, which, quite frankly, has otherwise been void in my lifetime. And I think that it is just remarkable how everyone feels it.

Lee Greenwood's song "God Bless the USA" captures this feeling in its lyrics. It really is a modern anthem for anyone who is engulfed in this new wave of patriotism. I remember shortly after the Gulf War, my older sister used to play that song (pushing the volume limits of her pitiful car stereo) whenever she saw a "Veteran" sticker or license plate on another automobile. That, although somewhat annoying, was a genuine gesture of patriotism.

Around 3:30 Sunday morning I was lying in my bed watching "The Empire Strikes Back" while falling asleep, until I was awoken by the cries of what was a far-from-genuine gesture of patriotism.

There was a group of people in the parking lot outside my apartment who took "God Bless the USA," which has helped countless people rise above the tragedy we came into two weeks ago, and, in their drunken state, sullied this song. Putting it on a level with Jimmy Buffet's "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw."

There is no way to put into words how they took advantage of this song and used it, not as an exhibition of nationalism, but as a stupid, drunken attempt to gain anyone and everyone's attention. It was blatantly disrespectful and unquestionably insulting.

It wasn't the fact that these guys sang worse than a middle school boy's choir and couldn’t get half the lyrics straight. That’s understandable, I mean we all can't be musically talented (I know I'm not). What's pertinent is "God Bless the USA," like many of our nation's icons and symbols connecting with us more now than ever, still holds a deeper meaning to those who have died and others who have risked their lives to protect our country and our way of life. All of us need to be mindful of this fact whenever we wave a flag, sing our national anthem or recite our pledge of allegiance.

The people singing in the parking lot are just an example of people who treat representations of our freedom as if it’s just the current fad. Although it is true that patriotic symbols have become mainstream apparel all of a sudden, we still have to approach this flood of red, white and blue, not as the materialistic accessories they are, but as depictions of the reasons why they have become so popular to begin with.

As for the parking lot assembly, I know they have the freedom to say (or sing) whatever they want, and speak their minds in a manner of their choice, I am not asking anyone to give up their freedom. I am simply asking for the courtesy to respect the icons that represent the freedoms that we hold dear.

There lies a slim possibility that interpreted their actions all wrong and the glee club warbling Greenwood's words had the purest intentions in what they were doing. I hope this is the case, and that your efforts were merely misguided. If they were, think about what I said in the past few paragraphs. If not, then your intentions were ill-mannered, and I believe if for some reason you find yourself involved in our coming retaliation efforts, only then will you understand what I am trying to say.

Shawn McGann is a senior in the School of Technology. He can be emailed at opinions@purdueexponent.org.

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