Open up the Twitter app on your phone and you’ll see that we live in incredibly politically charged times. Cities crumble under the weight of poverty and negligence. World leaders threaten nuclear missiles and war until they’re blue in the face but remain silent when faced with the inevitability of disastrous global climate change. Dangerous ideologies that should’ve been extinct a long time ago rear their ugly heads. It does not take a genius to ascertain that some things about our world are very, very wrong.

Why is it, then, that those who point out the flaws in their country, society or culture are deemed “disloyal” or “hating” or even downright “treacherous”? Why are patriotism and activism considered mutually exclusive? The way I see it, the only time you can really be a patriot is when you actively engage in the pursuit of betterment. And while the United States is one of the most progressive, democratic nations in the world, it is most definitely in need of betterment.

The fact that Nazism and white supremacy are still topics of conversation in a country lionized for its acceptance of diversity is unacceptable in 2017. The fact that the life expectancy of transgender women is only 35 years in a developed country whose average life expectancy is 75 years is unacceptable in 2017.

The fact that our country’s leaders dismiss climate change as a “liberal hoax” and back out of international agreements to curb its effects when the majority of the global scientific community agrees on its prevalence is unacceptable in 2017.

The United States is not perfect and you are deluding yourself if you think that it is. However, when people like Jemele Hill, Meryl Streep, Bernie Sanders, JK Rowling and more express their negative opinions about the social, political, and economic climate of the United States, they are met with jibes and taunts ranging from “irrelevant” to “socialist”. The public nature of the backlash which ensues when a public figure expresses a desire for change discourages people from educating themselves about politics, forming their own opinions, and actively pushing for progress.

The mentality that those who criticize the government or society or politics are inherently hateful of the United States is a very dangerous one because it blinds us to the problems that Americans face on a daily basis. It renders us complacent. When enough people get publicly criticized for pursuing change, we begin to associate change with negativity, causing stagnation and decreases in public knowledge: more Americans know Kim Kardashian than FDR and the majority of them wouldn’t be able to identify the ACA as Obamacare.

If we truly care about our country, we need to become educated, democratic citizens who strive for betterment. It all starts with knowledge: reading about policies proposed by Democrats and Republicans, becoming aware of the multi-faceted nature of social issues plaguing America, keeping an open mind about the opinions of every side. As band director Mr. Weaver says to students after they fail to deliver satisfactory performances: “I love you just the way you are, but I love you too much to let you stay that way.”

Love your country enough to put your time into its betterment. That is patriotism.