Pro- and Anti-Americanism

I believe that being a member of Generation Z has shaped the way I see pro- and anti- American sentiments. Growing up in a post 9/11 society, I have only ever known a pretty divided country. On the news, we would regularly see stories of Al Qaeda and ISIS, and they were often labeled “anti-American” groups that sought to destroy our way of life. Because of this, I think that some people unconsciously started to associate being anti-American or being against western ideals with terrorism. I saw anti-American sentiments as not believing in the American dream or the values that America claims to hold as its highest ideals. I used to feel that being pro-American meant that you were very patriotic and believed our country’s founding ideals of freedom and equality without really questioning our nation’s hypocrisy. However, I now believe that you can have pro-American sentiments while still acknowledging America’s shortcomings. This is important because I think that without understanding where our past policies have gone wrong, we will never be able to learn and grow as a country.