As America prepares for the eventuality of war in Iraq, some of its citizens, feeling disconnected from mainstream culture, are beginning to question their ties to the country and their identity as Americans.
Last night, Delta Sigma Theta sorority gathered an group of students together to discuss issues of identity in crisis.
The comfortable group of about 20 students convened in Casque and Gauntlet to discuss the topic of "Strangers in My House" over pizza and soda for about an hour.
Different members of the audience shared their anecdotal stories about being naturalized, gay, female, non-white or a combination of all of these and living in America today.
Definitions of patriotism varied from person to person, but ranged from "blind" to a "sense of national pride."
"Sometime I don't know how to feel about it. I have a love-hate relationship with this country," another student said.
Some members felt that certain events in American history such as slavery or the treatment of Native Americans have prevented them from being able to feel fully patriotic.
"How do you love a country that did not always love you?" one audience member asked.
Other students felt that being comfortable as an American depended on class as much if not more than on race, gender or sexual orientation.
"After Sept. 11, people were saying that the world had changed, but not for me. That man on the corner is still selling crack, those people two doors down are still starving," one discussion group member said.
Several students discussed the fear that immigrant communities in America suffered after Sept. 11.
One female student told stories about how suddenly all of the businesses in her town were covered in American flags because they felt that there was an automatic assumption that they were not patriotic.
"Patriotism can be a way to gain acceptance," one participant said of foreigners who display flags or join the military.
Audience members also discussed the disproportionate percentage of the armed forces composed of African-Americans.
Several audience members agreed that this was because of biased recruitment by the government in impoverished areas. Others felt that in certain cultures serving in the military was more of a family responsibility and tradition than a national duty.
A few students spoke about how embarrassed they were when they were in other countries and people realized they were American. One spoke about friends who had decided while on foreign study programs in Europe to tell everyone they met that they were Canadian.