Democrats are missing out — show some pride as we embark on America's 250th year
That's what the Gallup Poll found this week in its annual survey on patriotism.
Only 36% of Democrats say they feel pride in America, fewer than ever before.
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It's sad, but no surprise: Whenever the political mood turns against them, Democrats announce big plans to flee the country, give up their citizenship and go make their home in some far-flung locale.
Patriots can't even imagine abandoning these United States.
Republicans' pride, at 92% this year, has held relatively steady, Gallup found.
Oppressor/victim
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As we embark on our 250th year, we have solidified not only a national identity but a national ethnicity.
But Democrats are missing out, intentionally cutting themselves off from that cohesion.
Once we were from everywhere, with loyalties to the nations of our ancestors.
Now no other country can claim us, and we can claim no other country as our own; that's something to celebrate — and Republicans know it.
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Age plays a factor in the Democratic decline.
Members of Generation X hold more nationalist pride than Millennials do; Gen Z comes in lowest of all, at about 32%.
It's a failure that lies squarely on our education system — which obsesses over the 'original sin' of slavery and other historical wrongs, rather than how we have changed and persisted since.
Schools' 'white privilege' curriculum teaches that our prosperity and global dominance is something we should feel bad about — it isn't.
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It's unhealthy for us to hate ourselves, and it harms young citizens to instill in them an oppressor/victim mindset that casts America as a global problem in need of correction.
Because even if these young Americans want to hate their country, they can't escape who and what they are.
We are identifiable to everyone worldwide — except, it seems, to ourselves.
Americans don't pass as natives when we travel to Europe, Asia, Africa or South America.
Even when our skin color matches that of our hosts, we are always visible as who and what we are.
It's in our persistent smiles, our pristine white sneakers, our matching T-shirts, our loudness.
It's our table manners, our insistence on tipping, on air conditioning, on ice.
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It's the way we always lean to one side when standing in line; it's even in the way we look, with bits and pieces of genetic traits from across the world all melded together.
We exhibit a culture that we perceive as universal, but are really national markers.
I love us: We are direct and confident; we stride, we do not slouch; we are bright, big, friendly.
We take charge, entering conflict assuming we will win — we're back-to-back World War champs, after all.
Embrace US
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Even those naysaying Americans who complain about the country do so with the utmost self-assurance and righteousness — our haters cannot escape their own American traits.
Good.
They are awesome.
Let's embrace them — and let's encourage our immigrants to take them on, too.
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That's exactly what our immigration system used to do: When some 2 million immigrants came through Ellis Island, they had to show that they would not be a public burden and were not anarchists, that they would be a benefit to this country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is saying that now: If you hate our way of life, if you hate our nation, do not come.
Americans must think of themselves as Americans first — and there's no point in hating who and what we are.
We are not a place to which people should be importing their ancient grievances; we are not an ancient nation.
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We patriots have high expectations for ourselves and value temerity, hard work and social mobility.
We are not a nation of strugglers, but a nation of strivers.
Democrats blame systems for the failures of individuals and demand change, perfectly comfortable with the idea that the new systems they create will eliminate freedom and opportunity.
Stake a claim
But the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which we uphold at every turn, is evidence of America's greatness.
All of us must stake a claim in this nation, to own who and what we are and work to make it better, not to tear it down.
It is all of ours, it is spectacular, and we are fully of it.
So let's love it.
Libby Emmons is the editor-in-chief at the Post Millennial.
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