Tom Moore '14 talks about his version of patriotism: loving a country like a mother, but without preaching superiority or blindly supporting all she does.

Steven Zhang '12 says America is gone, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

“It will only cost $500, all inclusive. Flight, room, food …”

There was a brief pause.

“Oh, plus drinks, yea. So like $1000.”

The source of the conversation was an innocent looking petite in a baggy Cornell sweatshirt, clutching a calculus textbook unable to fit in her jam-packed Jansport backpack.

I immediately knew she was planning her spring break. Spring break: the consummate week of sun, sand and “romance.” The week students from across the country “dance” intimately with strangers in unrestricted, inebriated revelry on national television. The one-week revolt against the rigor of the American education system — book learning swept rudely from the altar, replaced by carnal knowledge.

Americans love to feel good about themselves. The exhaustive yearning to connect with our leadership, our ideals, and our capabilities has been a primary driver of American electoral and cultural politics, and is perhaps one of our country’s greatest narratives. In the face of domestic or foreign adversity, Americans thirst to rid themselves of national self-doubt and to unify around national pride, the eternal stimulant of the American people. Such a mentality seems quite apposite since last Tuesday’s election as our generation — Generation Y — now finds itself at the helm of a resurgence of the ultimate restorative device: patriotism.