SAE Chp. 8 Ideas (presentation reading)

I felt like I did ok, but there were some ideas and topics I forgot to mention or add just because I think I was a little worked up right before my presentation. This subject is very special and in a way emotional to me just because I have such close ties to the subject at hand. Also, I feel like all we hear now a days is negative opinions about the United States so my goal was to remind people that really it is not ALL of America, but a select group that creates this opinion.In my life I get to see soldiers every day which helps remind me who we are as a nation and what so many people are doing for our country right now just so that we have the freedom to go to school, drive our cars, and live our lives the way we want to. I feel a lot of people are losing hope and patriotism in our country and giving in to what others are saying about us. Just because a book or newspaper says it does not mean it is true.For instance, the Army ROTC is in charge of raising and retiring our flag on campus. A few weeks back I went to watch my boyfriend and his cadets retire the colors for the night and as I watched I noticed how not a single person stopped to watch our flag be lowered or even really look at what the cadets were doing. Some looked as if they were puzzled and confused as to what was going on, but nobody did anything to show any sign of respect. In fact, as they were marching in line back to Avery a couple of guys actually blocked their formation and almost made them lose stride. That upset me so much because it just shows ignorance and lack of respect. I am not trying to say we all need to be crazy patriots, but to at least remember who we are and that there are people out their fighting for us with little to no support from the USA. Like I was trying to say in my presentation I hear so many people grill my boyfriend and our friends in the Army about how they think they are dumb or crazy for doing what they are doing, but they never stop to think about how much that really hurts these guys. To them they are doing one of the most noble things they could do and really enjoy all the blood, sweat, and tears it takes to make it in the military. These people are dedicated individuals doing what so many would never have the guts to do. We don't have to support the cause, but at least support our men and women in the services. What is sad to me is that they are defending people that don’t even care to be defended.At the same time a majority of the world is trying to point fingers and blame, blame, blame. Instead of exurting all that energy in blaming and being negative why don't we use that energy towards something positive and towards a solution. Let's work together to find a cure. We always hear about the past and how it was so bad for whatever reason, but let's start looking to the future and how we can make it so nothing like the past will happen again. As a society let's look past the media and ignorance and use common sense and knowledge. Overall, I thought I did fairly well. I enjoyed the responses more than I thought I would because I knew that my ideas and feelings towards the subject are fairly controversial to a lot of people. I was not sure how everyone would react, but in actuality the responses were exactly what I was looking for. I hope I was able to make some sort of impact and open people’s eyes to the distorted images created about America, my home, your home, our home.