July 3-9, 2008
editorial@boulderweekly.com
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What is patriotism to you?In the interest of understanding patriotism from the perspective of Boulder County’s citizens, Boulder Weekly went out on the streets and asked dozens and dozens of people, “What does patriotism mean to you?” Here’s a sampling of the answers we heard. Photos by Dana Logan
“That’s not something you think about everyday. It’s being proud of where you’re from and who you are. Certainly there are a lot of things that I’m not overly proud of, of our country, but that doesn’t mean I’m not patriotic or that I’m not happy to be an American.”
—Kate Higgins, 40, advertising
“Good question. I never thought about this one… Having honor and pride.”
—Travis Mason, 33, firefighter
“I’ve never thought about it. It’s hard because I think there’s a disconnect between the people and the government that’s fashionable in Boulder. Obviously patriotism is loyalty to your country, but is that necessarily inclusive of the government or is that something separate? I don’t think it’s necessarily supporting your government. I think dissent is patriotic. So I think patriotism in how we structured America as an ideology — not just the government — and you have to have the bravery to do what you believe is right inside your heart… I think, for me, patriotism is being brave enough to stand up for what you believe in — whatever that may be.”
—Tigger Bush, 34, server
“Being proud of where you’re from, but also being knowledgeable of why you’re proud. Or maybe that’s part of being knowledgeable of the history of what it is that’s gotten us to where we are. I think, personally, for me part of that appreciation for our country has also come from being able to travel outside of the country and be here and appreciate what I have here. Because it’s always so easy to rag on it when you haven’t been anywhere else or you don’t know differently.”
—Jen Crun, 29, advertising
“Patriotism means freedom. Obeying laws, I guess.”
—Dennison Harvey, 35, landscaper
“Having a deep passion for your country and the freedom we have to make our own decisions.”
—Jill Cassells, antique store owner
“Standing for what you believe in and truly believing what you stand for.”
—Jeff Lupear, 42, firefighter
“What does patriotism mean to me? I can put it down in real simple form. I support our troops, and I support their mission. We are — there’s many here that are veterans — and everyone has a different thought. That’s mine. That’s what Americanism is all about. Even though I may disagree with people about certain items — the war — I fully support it. In my opinion, you cannot say you support our troops if you don’t support their mission. To me it’s just words and a bumper sticker — people riding around saying ‘support our troops’ and then they have an Obama sticker.”
—Andrew McDonald, 65, Veteran of the Vietnam War
“For me, I guess patriotism is just supporting your country and supporting it throughout wars. And even though the war isn’t a good idea, you still support your country throughout all of it because that keeps a good country going. Because if you don’t support it, it’s going to get even more corrupt.”
—Dori Bachmann, 16, student
“Giving back is patriotism to me. What the Sons of the American Legion do is raise money for the Children’s Hospital and several local charities. We do it out of respect for our fathers that served, but we do it in a way that gives back to the community.”
—Chuck Hoylman, 54, carpenter, Son of the American Legion
“Having loyalty to your country and really sticking to it.”
—Cassidy Barr, 15, student
“The most patriotic thing that I do is vote. I always feel very self-righteous when I go into the voting booth, and I guess that’s what I feel is the most patriotic thing that I do — the most patriotic moment that I have.”
—Marlene Metz, 30, musician
 “I don’t like the word patriotism right now. The way that people describe it in terms of the war and that’s what they think patriotism is about. I guess, patriotism means to me: democracy.” —Martine McDonald, 22, Peace studies major at Naropa
 “Fighting for what you believe is right for your country. Right now, you have to support our troops in Iraq, but fighting to maybe remove them — fighting for better things. Something that’s going to better everyone’s lives and our country.” —Maria Ranallo, 20, student
 “Patriotism means to me, everybody living in peace where they live and not being involved in war or conflict or negative interactions with other people.” —Eros Salvatore, 36
 “It means standing up for the best ideals that you know that your country holds — doing what it takes to make your country get to its best place.” —Chaniqua Brown, 20, student “Patriotism is understanding the ideals of your country and doing your very best to uphold those ideals.” —Jade Brown, 23, student
“Pride of place and heritage. I resent what flying a flag has come to mean. To me, it’s become associated with war mongerers.”
—Mike Dorey, 54, computer programmer
 “I’m not into borders, so I really don’t have a definition of patriotism. I’m really global. I love traditions, especially having grown up in Spain, I love cultural traditions, but I get very nervous about patriotism. I just think people take it to an extreme.” —Nelli Van Buskirk, 43, business office assistant
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