Overall, 39% of U.S. adults say they are “extremely proud” to be American in the most recent poll.
Meanwhile, only 18% of those aged 18-34 said the same, compared to 40% of those aged 35-54 and 50% of those 55 and over.
18% is still too high. As Obama’s pastor said, God damn America! Americans have very little to be proud of at this point.
We felt that way when I was younger. By “we” I mean every American I knew with very few exceptions. I have watched that feeling wain and die over the course of my lifetime. We’ve made progress in areas like diversity inclusion, but we’ve slid backwards in so many other ways that people feel disheartened. They see the constant onslaught of the 24 hour news cycle, always reporting about politicians and corporations enacting policies that actively hurt or reduce the quality of life for average Americans, and it’s hard to maintain that feeling. Add in the intentionally engineered political division from companies like Fox News and the result is a divided, unhappy, populace.