On the Fourth of July, Alan Dowd, a contributing editor and journalist for the American Legion, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and talked about supporting America and his recent story in the American Legion Magazine titled “Flagwavers.” Dowd also talked about one of his old articles that detailed a phenomenon called declinism.
Freedom-hungry people from all across the world show why it is normal to love America. This is the premise that Dowd began with when he wrote Flagwavers. In collecting data for this report, he found that younger generations of Americans have a lower opinion of the U.S. than the older generations of Americans who are generally more prideful in their country. Among the polls, Dowd found that Gen Z and Millennials have an opposite opinion on the American Flag than Gen X and Baby Boomers.
Dowd said it is not the fault of the younger generation for their stance. They are just reacting to the culture created by the preceding generations. Dowd explained how social media has contributed to the mass distribution of news and its impact on the stance of younger Americans. Educational rules and regulations have also contributed to the current patriotic decline, and Dowd believes that unless the rules around educational curriculum are loosened, this trend will continue.
He also talked about a recent series of articles on declinism. He defined it as a phenomenon that comes around every decade where U.S. citizens believe in the downfall of America. While not substantiated, these feelings of doom have led to the environment the younger generations experience, Dowd said.
To see more of Dowd’s work, including his article “Flagwavers,” please visit alanwdowd.com. Listen to the entire episode to learn more.