Most Young Democrats are Embarrassed to be American
If you thought your country invented slavery, you might be embarrassed too
At a recent rally, Bernie Sanders thundered his platitudes while standing at a podium in front of a giant American flag. But he wasn’t just standing in front of Old Glory. Attendees had draped a Palestinian flag over the American flag.
That seemed to be just fine with Bernie and his fans. What really enraged the audience is when officers removed the Palestinian flag. The crowd booed and began chanting “Free Palestine!”
What the crowd tolerates and what it boos says so much, and not just about those who attend Bernie rallies.
Consider a recent survey conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School.
Survey administrators asked Americans under 30 what they thought about their country. The results were especially revealing for young people on the left. Just 24% of young Democrats said they were proud to be American, and 54% said they were embarrassed.
The pollsters didn’t ask why they were embarrassed to be Americans, but chances are good that racism plays a key role. From kindergarten through college, and on television, in movies, and in the media and social media, young Americans have been taught that America is fundamentally, systemically, and uniquely racist. It’s one of the monoculture’s sacred beliefs.
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Of course, American history includes plenty of dark chapters and of course young Americans should grapple with them. They should learn the bad, but they should also learn the good. And when older adults tell them only half the story, young Americans jump to some bizarre conclusions. The conclusions may be untethered from reality, but they flow naturally from the lies and half truths they’ve been taught.
Consider slavery. If you believed America invented slavery, you might also be embarrassed to be an American.
Think no functional American adult actually believes that?
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