Argentines say: “In the United States, at least people are patriotic”
Argentines are very passionate about describing to Americans what it’s like to live in the United States (a country which they will never refer to as America, by the way). Even if they have never stepped on our soil, they’ve seen lots and lots of Hollywood movies and series on Netflix and they know an plenty about what life is like up North. Especially how easy it is to buy a used BMW and the price of a pair of Nikes.
One of the things they notice the most about Americans is the fact that we are patriotic. We don’t speak badly of our country even though we might not like the government. And the moves show how we have flags on our cars, on our t-shirts, and we fly our flag in front of our homes.
…and they are right.
My Grandpa flew the flag every single day. Maybe it was a habit that he picked up in the Air Force while stationed in Okinawa. Every morning that didn’t look like rain, he would walk out to the porch in his wooly moccasins, pull the flag out of an old milk churn that had umbrellas in it, unroll it, and put it in its bracket by the front door. If he planned to come home after dark, he would always turn the lights on so that the flag didn’t fly in the dark.
But they can change
Complaining about our own life or dreaming about the lives of others becomes a habit. And our habits are a big part of who we are. It might not be easy for Argentines to learn not to complain about our own country, but we can fly the flag as a reminder. Just buy one online and it comes in the mail.
Just fly the damn flag.
Today is Independence day in Argentina, and I have the flag flying outside. People tell me that it’s a patriotic habit that I learned in the United States, and they are right.
It was a little strange the first few times that I raised a flag that wasn’t the one that I pledged allegiance to, or the one that grandpa flew every day, but it reminds me that I can do things that reach beyond my friends and family. I can do things that are good for my town, and for my country (or countries) and for other humans that I have never met.