By Beth Byrd
Editor-in-chief
Who knew muskets and bayonets would be at the top of America’s Christmas wish list?
Memories of the Civil War seem to have replaced the holiday desire for “peace on earth” as people from all 50 states petition to secede from the Union.
Slavery may have been one of the hot issues that fueled the desire to secede 150 years ago.
But according to a Nov. 14 article by Peter Grier, Washington editor of the Christian Science Monitor, Republicans are to blame for this 19th-century flashback.
“That’s because the whole thing goes beyond the appearance of sore losing and nears the outer rings of planet lunacy,” Grier said.
Call me crazy, but I believe this situation revolves around issues much more serious than a political party trying to get even. It has much more to do about people trying to make sense of a dream long faded.
Think about the legacy left by each generation. My parents, for instance, were young adults in the 1970s, complete with bellbottoms and the Beatles. My brother’s college days occurred when “Friends” was not just reruns and the Spice Girls were still a group.
And what about us, current students speeding toward the work force?
We have been characterized as “Generation Jobless”: the young adults equipped with degrees and debt who move back in with their parents and pray for a minimum-wage gig at McDonald’s.
Sit long enough near a group of students, and fear radiates from them like a doomsday omen. Say the word “resume,” and panic strikes the heart of students with the highest GPAs and longest list of activities because, frankly, scoring a job takes much more experience than it once did.
And with reports of enormous layoffs due to the new health care taxes, the situation appears to only be worsening.
If these are the sorrows of students, who are society’s dreamers and achievers, we can only assume the stress of a bad economy negatively impacts our parents and grandparents as well.
Adults of all ages and social realms struggle to afford gas that has almost doubled in price over the past few years and the spiked grocery bills that are predicted to rise even higher due to the 2012 drought.
As we cling to our quickly fraying rope of hope, I see at least one problem bigger than all of our economic fears: A loss of what we are as a nation.
Patriotism has never been one of my strong points, as I adore foreign languages, cultures and customs.
But as I heard a Jackson radio announcer report that more than 50 locals recently became American citizens, I could not help but think about the lack of pride in our nation.
The announcer excitedly described these people swearing their allegiance to our country, but I had to wonder how many Americans born and raised here would actually do the same thing.
When did July 4 become more about hot dogs than freedom? When did Veteran’s Day become just a time to sing the national anthem in church before worship?
Being an American seems to have morphed into this putrid mixture of apathy and materialism, as more people flock to the fireworks stands than to the polls.
One of the most unpatriotic moments I have witnessed was during a trip three years ago to Washington, D.C. Standing in a museum, I gazed at one of the original handmade American flags.
The huge tattered piece of cloth glowed with dim light in its glass encasement that was placed in a large, pitch-black room. The sight of it made chills spill down my spine.
“What’s the big deal?” one teenage girl asked her parents. “It’s just a flag.”
Her words stung my heart. Just a flag? What about its historical value, the effort invested in its creation, the blood spilled to preserve it, the freedoms it ensures, the people who abandoned everything in other countries to be under its protection?
Just a flag? I think not.
On the other hand, I can see a strange sense of patriotism through the states petitioning to secede.
Considering the millions of Americans who did not care enough to vote, I can at least respect the citizens who sign these petitions for their willingness to stand up for something they believe in, for fighting to preserve the rights our forefathers died to create, and for refusing to give in to principles they deem unconstitutional or ungodly.
Dividing our country is not the answer to our problems.
But witnessing a renewed sense of vigor for the preservation of who we are as Americans is a lesson from which we all could learn.
Beth Byrd is a senior journalism major.
