When the poets tell of the great and forgotten deeds of bygone heroes that defined the United States, let them sing of the brothers of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
This group of heroes, whose Vineyard Vines polos gleamed like the armor of Athenian soldiers, stood athwart the anti-American mob and ensured that no angry harpy could stop the Stars and Stripes from waving proudly atop the campus quad.
For more than an hour, this group of college students stood around the flagpole and held up the flag of the United States of America so that it did not touch the ground, even as a rowdy group of anti-Israel protesters kept trying to replace Old Glory with the Palestinian flag.
This patriotic stand, rarely seen on college campuses today, inspired a nation. A GoFundMe page set up to “throw this frat the party they deserve” has raised more than $400,000 to date, and donations keep rolling in. Even Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) contributed to the rager fund.
As the GoFundMe description reads, “These boys … no, men, of the UNC Chapel Hill Pi Kappa Phi, gave the best to America and now they deserve the best.”
As inspiring and heartwarming as it is to see patriotism endear widespread financial and moral support from thousands of people, the great tragedy of the UNC incident is that the actions of Pi Kappa Phi stood out as an anomaly rather than the norm.
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Last year, a Gallup poll found that 39% of the public identified as “extremely proud to be an American.” In 2003, the number was 70%. The numbers are even worse for people aged 18-34, with a mere 18% describing themselves as extremely proud of their homeland. The poll’s findings underscore a disturbing truth: Patriotism, or love of country, is in a steep decline, especially among young people.
Perhaps the heroism of the brothers of Pi Kappa Phi and the luxurious bash they will soon throw will inspire more young people to recognize the great gift that their homeland has afforded them.