TOMORROW, IN places where people can convene in America, there will be many ceremonies dedicated to the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001. In response to hate flagrantly demonstrated against our country, there will no doubt be an outpouring of patriotism. Flags, songs and various assortments of symbols that represent our country will demonstrate these feelings of pride.
However, these symbols are just symbols. The flag, the songs and all of the other things that represent our country are pointless if there is no deeper meaning behind them, and although they are meant to demonstrate feelings of patriotism, many Americans have lost the connection between the flag that they are waving and what that flag is meant to show. There are people who have misused and distorted patriotism to the point where they flaunt themselves by covering their bodies with these symbols of America. Rather than being done as a way to show pride in America as a whole, many people have perverted patriotism, rendering it a self-centered way to demonstrate their own righteousness. Patriotism is a unified pride in America that is inclusive to all of its citizens, and actions like this cheapen patriotism and the feelings of unity that brought our country together.
During tomorrow's ceremonies, people ought to consider for a moment what makes them patriotic beyond the fact that they are displaying a symbol of our country. Although the democratic ideals that our country was founded upon are essential to American culture, it is the actions and beliefs of Americans that make them amount to anything. Patriotism is not something that can be conveyed in words or symbols, and the best way to grow from participating in the ceremonies is to try to remember how America was right after the tragedies occurred.
In the hours after the first planes collided with the World Trade Center, America got to see the extremes of human decency among its citizens. While one end consisted of Americans behaving as terrorists themselves, the other side displayed a unity that Americans ought to strive for. Lessons can be learned from both ends of this spectrum, and by doing this, one can define what patriotism is. This, in turn, can put meaning behind a flag that has become more of an ego booster than a symbol for our country.
The first extreme showed Americans reacting to the hate spewed upon their country in an equally hateful way. The amount of persecution against Arab-Americans in the United States was shameful. Only four days after the Taliban attacked America, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Arab-American Institute reported over 200 cases of persecution against Arab-Americans by other Americans. It is a bitter parallel that, even though it was hatred and ignorance that caused the Taliban to attack us, some Americans insisted on indulging in it and fanning the flames.
The numerous lives lost should serve as a reminder of what kind of damage hate and bigotry can do, and it should not be an excuse to create more of it. From incidences like this, Americans can clearly see what patriotism is not. Attacking our own citizens in the name of our country is terrorism, and patriotism, although it is intended to bring people together, is also about accepting difference. Although these bigots were no doubt united in their hatred for Arab-Americans, patriotism is a pride and unity among all Americans.
The other end of the spectrum demonstrated the human bonding that followed the attacks. Almost every American can remember an emotional interaction during that time. For me, it was trying to get in touch with my friends in New York City, to make sure that they were all right. There was a feeling of helplessness that I was in Virginia, and I was too far away to be with the ones that I loved. At the time, no one had any idea how many more attacks were on the way, and I wished that I was home to support my family instead of being in my dorm. Instead, I ended up going to the candlelight vigil on the Lawn, and it was there I felt the togetherness I desired.
It was the simplest of ceremonies, with a few candlelights and prayers, but it was enough to make me feel comfortable far away from my loved ones. It is this bonding that I had with faceless strangers that is the meaning of patriotism. There was strength in a united sympathy and a feeling of togetherness even though it was an anonymous mass. When I saw an American flag that day, I felt real patriotism, and the symbol had a deeper meaning behind it -- it ran even deeper than America's democratic ideals by displaying a perfect unity among our people. This worth in a symbol cannot be related in measurable values, and anyone who has plastered their car or clothes with multiple flags in the past 12 months has completely missed the point.
So, when people are singing songs and waving flags in displays of patriotism tomorrow, they would do themselves well to remember the inherent meaning of peace and unity behind that flag, and the patriotism that gives it that meaning. By analyzing the good and the bad that came out of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans can be truly patriotic. Although it is easier for Americans to sit back and enjoy the decorations for what they are rather than reflect upon the meaning behind them, it is important that our citizens do both.
(Kevin James Wong's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at kwong@cavalierdaily.com.)
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