The Definition of a New American Patriot

The New Definition of an American Patriot

         Patriotism has always been a vast, unambiguous idea that's usually seen in a very narrow scope. If you're a white male who supports the government, the war, and have an American flag decal plastered across the back window of your pick up truck you are a true patriot. As for anyone else, you are the very definition of a dissenter. You backhand the idea of America with every pro-choice, anti-gun utterance. To think you are given the same rights and privileges as the real patriots is simply unconstitutional. Not to mention those who are homosexual or have immigrated or voted for Gore. They might as well pack their bags; the patriot Gestapo is coming to get them.
         America itself was created from dissention of another government. If it hadn't been for the fighting of the original Americans, none of us would have the chance to argue about social security or abortion today. The settlers of America wrote a constitution that would ensure that everyone had a chance to make their opinions known. Now, when anyone does or says anything that is thought to be suspicious, the Central Intelligence Agency is allowed to tap phone calls and intercept e-mails due, in part, to the Patriot Act. This did not allow new activities, but amended the abilities of the standing acts. This was all warranted after the September 11th attacks, until multiple instances came to light where the CIA had abused their powers. The Patriot Act turned out to have some very unpatriotic results. For merely mentioning the CIA, I am sure that I have been added an extremely long list of "people of interest."
         I, myself, didn't have a real, daily account of "true patriotism" until my mother re-married when I was a teenager.  Her new husband is everything my real father is not. He is loud, Southern, overfed, an avid NASCAR enthusiast and an ex-Marine. This being said, a Marine recruiting commercial didn't pass through our television without a proud and hearty "Oorah" succeeding it. There is always an American Flag flying outside of my mother and step-father's house on government holidays, but why wouldn't there be? He will only drive a Chevy, the most American of cars, I suppose, he would think. The current Chevy is a gas-guzzling SUV that has no regard for green house gases or global warming. They are now a family of two and don't haul massive amounts of anything; so why do they (or the other millions of Americans without a large family or hauling needs) choose an SUV?
         In recent years, many things have come to define and divide our nation. Are you pro-war or anti-war? For or against Bush? Should we be drilling for oil in Alaska or relying on foreign subsides to our continental oil drilling? The way Americans live and refuse to change has a lot to do with all of these debates. We cannot continue to consume oil at an absurd rate and try to cut all foreign oil ties, it just isn't possible. Americans are used to having plenty of everything, but we are now down to a point of give and take; we cannot have it all without giving in on our beliefs.
         I have a love-hate relationship with the media. I love the media outlets that have a liberal bias and I hate anything published or broadcasted by Rupert Murdoch. I don't kid myself into thinking I look for unbiased sources; it's not worth my time. Whether you have an allegiance to CNN or FOX News Channel, the gist of the information is the same. The difference being that the liberal outlets allow ample time for Bush's inept quotes from whatever speech was given the previous day to be aired.
         It can easily be seen that the 18-34 demographic has a soft spot for satiric content. If they didn't, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Saturday Night Live and any number of other late night programs would be off the air or out of content for their various skits and monologues. Stephen Colbert even takes the joke a step further by making it appear that his program has a conservative approach while actually having a heavy undertone of liberal sarcasm.
         Taking a closer look at, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" one can see the new ways in which their viewers attempt to confront current politics. They listen and cheer at the points made by Stewart and Colbert all the while getting ideas for new initiatives.
         This then asks the question, "are the ‘new patriots' lazy because they rely on television to start their revolutions?" My response would be a resounding no. Instead of participating in activities that would be seen as cliché or wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the American flag, the "new patriots" start e-mail campaigns and write blogs. I see this as being more effective than being a walking billboard in the sense that dealing with issues on an electronic level allows one person to reach many.
         Colbert specifically shows the more ludicrous aspects of American life and government by pretending to agree with and making heavily right wing statements on his program. His program's introduction shows him in a room with typical American images swirling around him. He is seen waving a full sized flag and then a bald eagle flies across the screen while making a screeching noise. While interviewing his show's guests he regularly interrupts and tries to twist their words in an attempt to highlight his true underlying ideas. On a recent episode I saw, Colbert was interviewing General Wesley Clark on his recently published book, "A Time to Lead: Duty, Honor and Country." Clark was talking about his motivations for writing and what was the premise of his book. When Colbert asked if President Bush was the motivation for the book, Clark said that it was. Colbert responded by saying that he automatically likes the book for that reason, all the  while making it hard to hear Clark adding that it was because of Bush's poor leadership that the book had relevance. Colbert stayed in character and tried to challenge Clark's response on that and all other issues brought up throughout the interview.
Much like Colbert, "Team America: World Police" uses a backward approach to make its point. The characters in the movie are the ultimate Americans, on the outside. Once what the characters are actually saying is taken into account, one sees the true meanings and motives of the movie. Instead of using human actors, the movie is acted out with puppets whose strings are blatantly visible. The puppets go on a mission to take out a terrorism cell in the Middle East. The fact that the directors opted to use puppets instead of actors leads me to believe that this was just another poke at how the government uses the "loyal Bushies" as puppets to do their dirty work. The film makers are using the movie as their way of standing against the government and thus, being the epitome of a "new patriot" with the title alone, the satirizing begins. The fact that they are world police makes a wonderful direct reference to the American military and their forceful and at times unwanted presence in the world. A song titled, "America, Fuck Yeah" is played multiple times in the film to different images of so called American things. It is used to reinforce the hard lines of the supposed true American.

America, fuck yeah! Comin' again to save the motherfucking day, yeah! / America, fuck yeah! Freedom is the only way, yeah! / Terrorists, your game is through, 'cause now you have to answer to / America, fuck yeah!

This is a small excerpt of the entire song. It uses harsh and powerful words to get the simple message across; America is number one and don't you forget it. The rest of the song goes on to get more ridiculous (if that's imaginable), but this section of the song sums up the movie in a neat little package.
         All of these satirical TV personalities, movie makers, writers and musicians are themselves the definition of a new American patriot. They embody what many in the nation stand for (and against). These people who exercise their first amendment rights on a daily basis are just as American as the gun-toting Republicans. Just because the "new patriots" do not agree with every move our Generals make or every Bush sponsored learning initiative, doesn't mean that they aren't true Americans.
         America will always thrive on forward thinking. What's more progressive than redefining a symbol of America to fit the standards of today? The new patriot embodies the ever-changing fundamentals of what makes America great. If it weren't for the obnoxious patriots of yesterday, we would have no measure by which to mark our advancement against, so for that the new patriots should be thankful. 

Works Cited
Parker, Trey. "America, Fuck Yeah." Team America: World Police Soundtrack.
Atlantic, 2004