Monday
Oct112010
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Monday, October 11, 2010 at 5:34AM
Actually, it's more like American Spirit. American pride perhaps. One of the things I like most about America, funnily enough, is the patriotism which is so intrinsic in its population. Sure, at times it can be obnoxious and too in your face, and it may even appear arcane to some outside visitors, but I find something very refreshing about it.
Pledging allegiance to the flag, singing the national anthem before sporting events, voting to improve your country, turning out to see a head of state. Apart from the putting your hand on your heart and turning to the national flag, and hanging up flags outside of our homes, these could all be things which the British do too. Yet back home we just don't seem as patriotic as we should. I am proud of my country, and I know many others are as well, but we don't show it, we don't let those emotions out. We wouldn't turn out to see David Cameron, or even the Queen, as Americans turn out to see the President. And you would certainly never see me giving up my life to save Mr. Cameron. We sing the national anthem but we don't necessarily teach children the words. And I somehow could never see a political speech about the greatness of our country, about our pride and honour in it, about what we can do to make it even better in the world, invigorating the British population and stirring warm feelings inside, as a speech in the US does.
It is not just a pride in the country, but also a pride in the individual. Pride in achievements, in work, in life. And, in the case of teen spirit, pride in one's own school. School spirit is of integral importance to any campus in the US. Wisconsin is a great example, but the same is true of any college across the US, and any high school. Most likely any middle or elementary school. It's why schools have homecoming weekends, with alumni travelling back from across the globe. It's why college football matches draw in crowds of 80,000, plus thousands more TV viewers. It's why I own about 8 different Wisconsin t-shirts.
It's impossible to visit Madison, or even Wisconsin, and leave without knowing who Bucky is, or without noticing the school's colours are cardinal and white (not just any red). In Warwick, it was geeky to wear a school sweater. In Wisconsin its a necessity to be seen in something Bucky-esque on gameday. Anyone not wearing red or white or Badger themed gets abuse, as my roommate James will attest to. Warwick had one store devoted to school souvenirs, and even that only extended to a small corner of the shop. UW-Madison has the UW Bookstore, in multiple locations, along with who knows how many shops on State Street which carry Bucky stock. You name it, you can buy it emblazoned with UW-Madison. The range of products is simply phenomenal: Bucky underwear? Check. Bucky sleeping bag? Check. Bucky cookie cutter? Check. You might say its just another manifestation of capitalism, but I think it's really great to support your school, and be proud of where you go to, especially if it's a great school like Madison. Why not send Wisconsin Mom and Dad shirts home, or have a Bucky license plate on your car. Or, as is the case in our kitchen, a cardinal cooking apron!
These items really show that you care about the institution your are attending, and are proud to be a graduate from that University. Why not walk around in Wisconsin sweat pants and hoodies, and show off your school to the world.
A few weeks ago I found this spirit extending to supporting family members too. Organisations here have always been big on collective spirit, usually making t-shirts perhaps for all the patrons of a club. The same is true for families; I remember seeing many families sporting matching t-shirts on various trips to Disney for example, excited about their collective holiday. And in Madison, family members were wearing matching t-shirts a few weeks ago to show their support for a relative competing in the Ironman competition.
Man what a brutal event that is: a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, nicely topped off with a 26.2 mile run. Anyone who completes it is certainly an Ironman. And what keeps these people competing? Well I would think it largely comes down to the support and pride of family members, knowing that people are out there cheering you on, and seeing those home-made t-shirts along the route.
http://host.madison.com/news/video/vmix_e5f28f04-bf20-11df-90be-001cc4c002e0.html
This is a link to a nice little video of the Ironman in Madison, showcasing the city a little, along with little glimpses of the spirit which emanates from these supporters.
Pledging allegiance to the flag, singing the national anthem before sporting events, voting to improve your country, turning out to see a head of state. Apart from the putting your hand on your heart and turning to the national flag, and hanging up flags outside of our homes, these could all be things which the British do too. Yet back home we just don't seem as patriotic as we should. I am proud of my country, and I know many others are as well, but we don't show it, we don't let those emotions out. We wouldn't turn out to see David Cameron, or even the Queen, as Americans turn out to see the President. And you would certainly never see me giving up my life to save Mr. Cameron. We sing the national anthem but we don't necessarily teach children the words. And I somehow could never see a political speech about the greatness of our country, about our pride and honour in it, about what we can do to make it even better in the world, invigorating the British population and stirring warm feelings inside, as a speech in the US does.
It is not just a pride in the country, but also a pride in the individual. Pride in achievements, in work, in life. And, in the case of teen spirit, pride in one's own school. School spirit is of integral importance to any campus in the US. Wisconsin is a great example, but the same is true of any college across the US, and any high school. Most likely any middle or elementary school. It's why schools have homecoming weekends, with alumni travelling back from across the globe. It's why college football matches draw in crowds of 80,000, plus thousands more TV viewers. It's why I own about 8 different Wisconsin t-shirts.
It's impossible to visit Madison, or even Wisconsin, and leave without knowing who Bucky is, or without noticing the school's colours are cardinal and white (not just any red). In Warwick, it was geeky to wear a school sweater. In Wisconsin its a necessity to be seen in something Bucky-esque on gameday. Anyone not wearing red or white or Badger themed gets abuse, as my roommate James will attest to. Warwick had one store devoted to school souvenirs, and even that only extended to a small corner of the shop. UW-Madison has the UW Bookstore, in multiple locations, along with who knows how many shops on State Street which carry Bucky stock. You name it, you can buy it emblazoned with UW-Madison. The range of products is simply phenomenal: Bucky underwear? Check. Bucky sleeping bag? Check. Bucky cookie cutter? Check. You might say its just another manifestation of capitalism, but I think it's really great to support your school, and be proud of where you go to, especially if it's a great school like Madison. Why not send Wisconsin Mom and Dad shirts home, or have a Bucky license plate on your car. Or, as is the case in our kitchen, a cardinal cooking apron!
These items really show that you care about the institution your are attending, and are proud to be a graduate from that University. Why not walk around in Wisconsin sweat pants and hoodies, and show off your school to the world.
A few weeks ago I found this spirit extending to supporting family members too. Organisations here have always been big on collective spirit, usually making t-shirts perhaps for all the patrons of a club. The same is true for families; I remember seeing many families sporting matching t-shirts on various trips to Disney for example, excited about their collective holiday. And in Madison, family members were wearing matching t-shirts a few weeks ago to show their support for a relative competing in the Ironman competition.
Man what a brutal event that is: a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, nicely topped off with a 26.2 mile run. Anyone who completes it is certainly an Ironman. And what keeps these people competing? Well I would think it largely comes down to the support and pride of family members, knowing that people are out there cheering you on, and seeing those home-made t-shirts along the route.
http://host.madison.com/news/video/vmix_e5f28f04-bf20-11df-90be-001cc4c002e0.html
This is a link to a nice little video of the Ironman in Madison, showcasing the city a little, along with little glimpses of the spirit which emanates from these supporters.
Reader Comments (1)
Nice post, and a good summation of American patriotism. I can still recite the pledge of allegiance despite not having said it for several years now, and I can remember multiple instances in my (public) high school and middle school where teachers would often go on short speeches about the importance of saying the pledge, and look on those who didn't disapprovingly.
That the U.S. is one of the few 1st world countries with a great deal of patriotism is, in my mind, a good thing. It helps build national unity and a sense of togetherness. And while it is at times merely empty rhetoric to speak of "the interests of America", at other times I do believe politicians and other people genuinly believe in working towards the ideal of bettering America.
And besides, at the end of the day, if you aren't patriotic about the country you live in, chances are you shouldn't be living in that country. I don't mean patriotic in the sense of blindly thinking that your country is flawless, but rather the idea that even if you feel like your country is deeply flawed you feel inspired to try to fix the problems you see.
Of course, patriotism isn't always a good thing. It's oftentimes been shown throughout history that the path from patriotism (defined as simply pride in one's country or ideals) to nationalism and finally jingoism is often a short one with devastating consequences. It's fear of this slipperly slope that results in countries like Germany and Japan being devoid of patriotism/nationalism today, which is shame, because patriotism in and of itself is not a bad thing.