Think flying a flag on July Fourth makes you a patriot? Think again

Every Fourth of July, New Jersey turns into a sea of red, white, and blue. Flags appear on front porches, boats, pickup trucks, balconies, and just about every other place you can stick a pole.

Good.

But let’s not kid ourselves into believing that hanging a flag automatically makes someone a patriot or a good citizen.

It doesn’t.

us a flag under cloudy sky during daytime

A flag is a symbol. Patriotism is a lifestyle.

You can have the biggest American flag in Monmouth County and still be the neighbor who makes life miserable for everyone else. You can curse out the waitress, cheat people in business, spread racist garbage online, or decide that anyone who disagrees with you somehow hates America.

None of that becomes acceptable because Old Glory is waving outside your house. If anything, you're all show backed by zero substance.

Being a patriot means caring about the country enough to care about the people in it.

That includes people who don’t vote like you, don’t pray like you, don’t look like you, or don’t agree with you. Freedom isn’t just about defending speech you love. It’s about tolerating speech that makes you roll your eyes.

time lapse photography of fireworks at night

Real patriotism also requires something that’s becoming harder to find: informed citizenship.

Too many people today simply pick a politician and believe every word that comes out of their mouth. They never question. They never verify. They never consider another viewpoint. They become fans instead of citizens. Cult members instead of patriots.

Our founders didn’t build this country expecting blind loyalty to political leaders. They expected skeptical, engaged voters who understood that anyone seeking power deserves scrutiny.

The people who strengthen America aren’t always the loudest ones waving flags. They’re the volunteers coaching youth sports.

The neighbor checking on an elderly resident during a heat wave. The person serving on the school board, the EMT giving up weekends, the voter who actually researches candidates before filling in the ballot. The person who doesn't throw their jury duty notice in the trash.

man riding bike and woman running holding flag of USA

So absolutely fly the American flag this Fourth of July.

But what are you doing the other 364 days?

Are you caring about people less fortunate than you? Welcoming people who don't look like you? Defending people who don't vote like you?

Because the truest measure of patriotism isn’t what’s hanging from your house. It’s what’s living in your heart and showing up in your actions.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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