Many people will have seen patriotic pins in one form or another. They can often be observed being worn on the lapel of any politician being interviewed by the media. The most common design being that of the national flag, and supposedly denotes a strong spirit of patriotism.
The concept behind these badges is nothing new, although the various experts cannot agree when they started their rise in popularity. One thing that they do agree on is that they become more prominent during troubled times. Maybe there is more to the idea that they rose in popularity during the Civil War.
Troubles and conflict tends to bring out the patriot in people. Even a walk down a residential road in America will soon give you an idea about how often patriotism is displayed publicly. Taking a large flag with you on a daily basis would prove very awkward. A smaller metal version which can be worn is so much easier.
Sometimes it takes something like conflict to bring the public's feelings of patriotism to the fore. The prime example of this was America during the Second World War. Originally it was not deemed suitable for women to wear such items. Men were called up in ever increasing numbers, and it was the women who fulfilled the roles that they left behind. Which also happened to include the wearing of these pieces.
Not only was it the national flag that was being displayed. There were also designs being worn which denoted which service a loved one was in. There were designs for the Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy. Each design was worn with pride, and often more than one would be worn at the same time.
Armed conflict has not always been viewed so positively as WWII, for instance the protests that occurred over the involvement in Vietnam. To try and refocus the public the Nixon administration borrowed a ploy from the film The Candidate. Nixon decreed that all of his aides should wear a lapel badge to promote steadfastness and uniformity with the administration's policies.
The various units also had their own emblems produced as a way of increasing identity and solidarity between their troops. As they were not ideal for wearing on combat operations many were sent back home and were worn by family members there. Members of the veteran's associations often still wear their old unit insignia with pride.
Another recent upsurge of patriotism came immediately after the Twin Towers attack on 9/11. Even Barrack Obama wore a lapel badge for a short while. His popularity suffered when he discontinued wearing it. Which goes to prove that you shouldn't ignore the importance that the public place on a symbol. It is not a surprise that he is often pictured wearing one now.
So it is easy to say that the popularity of these patriotic pins has ebbed and flowed throughout history. However like history there are plenty of people who have an interest, and many people collect these items. Also there are still many people who wear these items with great pride for a variety of reasons.
The concept behind these badges is nothing new, although the various experts cannot agree when they started their rise in popularity. One thing that they do agree on is that they become more prominent during troubled times. Maybe there is more to the idea that they rose in popularity during the Civil War.
Troubles and conflict tends to bring out the patriot in people. Even a walk down a residential road in America will soon give you an idea about how often patriotism is displayed publicly. Taking a large flag with you on a daily basis would prove very awkward. A smaller metal version which can be worn is so much easier.
Sometimes it takes something like conflict to bring the public's feelings of patriotism to the fore. The prime example of this was America during the Second World War. Originally it was not deemed suitable for women to wear such items. Men were called up in ever increasing numbers, and it was the women who fulfilled the roles that they left behind. Which also happened to include the wearing of these pieces.
Not only was it the national flag that was being displayed. There were also designs being worn which denoted which service a loved one was in. There were designs for the Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy. Each design was worn with pride, and often more than one would be worn at the same time.
Armed conflict has not always been viewed so positively as WWII, for instance the protests that occurred over the involvement in Vietnam. To try and refocus the public the Nixon administration borrowed a ploy from the film The Candidate. Nixon decreed that all of his aides should wear a lapel badge to promote steadfastness and uniformity with the administration's policies.
The various units also had their own emblems produced as a way of increasing identity and solidarity between their troops. As they were not ideal for wearing on combat operations many were sent back home and were worn by family members there. Members of the veteran's associations often still wear their old unit insignia with pride.
Another recent upsurge of patriotism came immediately after the Twin Towers attack on 9/11. Even Barrack Obama wore a lapel badge for a short while. His popularity suffered when he discontinued wearing it. Which goes to prove that you shouldn't ignore the importance that the public place on a symbol. It is not a surprise that he is often pictured wearing one now.
So it is easy to say that the popularity of these patriotic pins has ebbed and flowed throughout history. However like history there are plenty of people who have an interest, and many people collect these items. Also there are still many people who wear these items with great pride for a variety of reasons.
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