Taking back the word patriot and the American flag in 2021



I'm a pretty easy-going guy, and if you use a word incorrectly I'll let it go, usually saying to myself "I know what you mean". I may cringe a bit, but I'm no grammar Nazi, and I'll just let it go. What I've discovered lately is that there are limits, even for me, and if you're misusing the word patriot, especially in the United States, I'm gonna call you on it.

I'm a patriot. I love and support my country, which is the United States of America. My ancestors have all been patriots, after the forming of the country in 1783. Before that, they were revolutionaries. That is, British colonialists who overthrew the existing government on the American continent. And that's why every July 4th I say that my family weren't patriots, they were revolutionaries. They couldn't be patriotic to the United States, it didn't exist in 1776. When it did, they were.

So let's be clear here. If you're interested in overthrowing the American government (and I wish you didn't feel that way), you're a revolutionary, not a patriot. If you're a patriot, you fly the flag with pride, never torn, never upside-down. Respect for the flag, which is a symbol of a country, is the best place to start as a patriot.

In my lifetime I've seen the language change, the most notable incident being when the word "bad" suddenly started meaning "good". Someone might say, "That band is really bad!", and I know that they mean that the band is really good. I'm sure that you can think of more words in the English language that have taken different meanings, sometimes meaning the opposite of what it originally meant. And I'm fine with that, that's how the English language works.

But I'll stand by the word patriot. If you're not sure what it means, I'll gladly lend you a dictionary. And if you want to argue about it, all I can say is: "Tell it to the Marines!"


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