Everyone should be proud of their country. Most younger Americans don’t give a shit, IMO. I took it for granted myself. I’m in law school but I got a history degree first. That’s when I really started to appreciate the contributions the US has made to civilization in its brief existence. (All this despite the professor’s earnest attempts at focusing on the negatives.)
I personally don’t see much patriotism and flag waving except from older folks. It’s too bad… I think one of the root causes is the dry, boring history programs in high schools…
One example, all of these marvelous American inventions that we take for granted, that make life bearable…they didn’t just appear one day out of blue. Americans suffered, lived shitty lived and died young for generations so that the next one could live a little easier, longer and happier.
I have a flag and touch it every day in remembrance of what other people went through so I could live my life in relative comfort.