Modern American Honor

Have you ever seen the Disney movie “Mulan”? Have you heard the opening song “Honor to Us All”? Honor is a very interesting topic due to the many factors, such as culture, that have big effects on it. Although some might argue that honor never changes, honor is diverse throughout history and culture based on gender, the ages lived through, and the morals that one person might have; which has an effect on what modern American honor is. Now, if honor changes, then what is honor?

Since there are many different types of honor based on the many different cultures, there are also many different definitions of honor. Dr. Mark Cooney, a professor of sociology at the University of Georgia since 1991 wrote, “Traditional honor cultures tend, also, to

be highly patriarchal, subordinating women and treating their sexuality as family property” (Cooney). This gives an insight to why men might beat a female causing domestic violence while trying to so masculine. This as helps to create a link between violence and honor. Dr. Cooney also wrote, “Honor cultures too are typically antipathetic to law and legal officials: a man must stand up for himself and not rely on others to do so” (Cooney). In other words, honor is associated with manliness; what about a girl’s honor? If the above statement is true then are girls considered manly if they earn honor? Overall, the definition of honor is if you do something selflessly for someone else or something no matter what gender.
In old American societies dating back to the days of George Washington duels were a huge way of showing honor. According to a blog called ‘The Art of Manliness, “Refusing a challenge to duel would effectively end a man’s political career. Dueling proved to a man’s constituents that he had the requisite honor, courage, and leadership to represent them in Washington” (McFay). The context above helps to give an insight to why there was so much dueling in the foundation of the United States of America. To simplify, since dueling gave men a component part of being a man that provided that man with honor, courage, and leadership that they could use to help them in Washington with politics. Journalist Omar Bihmidine wrote an article on the virginity of both men and women he said, “If we stress virginity as a sign of honor and prestige-even if some lose virginity by reason of an accident-we are at the very least doing our utmost to encourage our girls to remain virgins until marriage, [...]” (Bihmidine). Meaning that one way of showing honor as being a female is staying a virgin. In the end, there is many different ways that a male and female can be honored.
Another way of seeing American honor, is defined differently based on the different region and the beliefs such as the military. General MacArthur gave a speech on May 12, 1962 to the U.S. Military Academy while accepting the Sylvanus Thayer Award where he said, “Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be” (MacArthur). The quote above shows one of the way that the U.S. Military chooses to live: you should be honorable, you can be honorable, you will be honorable. This also reveals that MacArthur followed that way of thinking in order to get the honorable recognition of the Sylvanus Thayer award. During that same speech MacArthur goes on to say, “Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man-at-arms. My estimate of his was formed on the battlefield many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then, as I regard him now, as one of the world’s noblest figures; not only as one of the finest military character, but also as one of the most stainless” (MacArthur). In other words, Americans see honor as fighting for their country, even if you don’t make it home. This defines American honor as morals and selfness that a person might use to do good for others.
Another outlook on American honor that shows a muddy definition is things like newspapers and pop culture.

The song ‘God Bless The U.S.A’ written in 1983 and sang by Lee Greenwood a year later has a few lines that say, “And I won’t forget the men who died Who gave that right to me And I’d gladly sat up next to you And defend Her still today” (Greenwood). To explain this more in depth, modern American honor is standing up to fight/defend the U.S in any logical and ethical way. In modern America, one way that we show honor is through a day called Memorial day. On a U.S. website all about Memorial day it states, “Today we must recognize an unfortunate fact of life: our beloved country was formed and is protected by the blood of warriors” (Memorial Day 2015). To sum things up, the above quote shows why Memorial Day is celebrated in the U.S.; to honor the ones that died to form the country and the ones protecting it. In short in modern American honor is shown through pop culture such as Lee Greenwood’s song ‘God Bless The U.S.A’ and a day dedicated to honoring the fallen who shaped the

country.
After seeing one culture’s honor, look at another culture’s honor like Arabs. Blogger Jason Pappas talks about Raphael Patai’s book called ‘The Arab Mind’ to which Pappas quotes Patai, “Much has been written on the subject honor among the Arabs. What is not emphasised... is that there is a strong correlation between honor and group survival” (Patai). This helps to show that in the mind of Arabs, honor and family is two terms that go hand-in-hand together. This also give a possible insight as to why Arabs do cousin marriages. Pappas quotes Patai again saying, “Historically, the sense of honor wa so much tied to the group spirit that both were (and still are) referred to by one and the same tern, ‘`asabiyya,’ which means primary ‘family spirit’ or ‘kinship spirit’” (Patai). Again this helps to display the link between family and honor in the Arabic culture. In short, Arabs link honor with family for group survival.
From looking at the three cultures above; American honor, modern American honor, and Arab honor, Japanese honor is most definitely different.

In an article written by Justin McCurry in August of 2015 on the last two Japanese Kamikaze pilots Hisao Horiyama, one of the last two pilots, said in the interview, “‘I felt bad that I hadn’t been able to sacrifice myself for my country. My comrades who had died would be remembered in infinite glory, but I had missed my chance to die in the same way. I felt like I had let everyone down” (McCurry). Reading between the lines, one of Japan’s ways of honor was, to put it bluntly, commit suicide in war if you were unsuccessful or lost the war. In the same interview Horiyama also says. “‘[...] Even if we were to die, we knew it was for a worthy cause. Dying was the ultimate fulfillment of our duty, and we were commanded not to return. We knew that if we returned alive that our superiors would be angry’” (McCurry). The above statement helps to support that suicide is a way of honor. Japanese honor in war is shown as suicide if you lose the

war.
Looking back now at the American definition of honor in both modern and old ways, the Arabs way definition of honor, and the Japanese definition and way of honor; the three countries have differences and similarities. Both Japan and America focus their definition of honor with military but Japan honored suicide while America in America the circumstance of suicide is not seen as honorable. The Arab way of seeing honor is most different from the other cultures provided above since they focus on family. The Arabs and Japanese both include suicide as honor so you don’t dishonor your superiors in Japanese culture or your family in Arab culture.
The knight in shining armour is the only way honor can be depicted as shown in pop culture. Betsy Ross says, “Today the American knight holds the commercial supremacy of the world” (Ross). In other words, a true knight is more full of bravery than the normal person making him honorable. By the true knight being more full of bravery than all others he is therefore the only way honor can be depicted. Yet individuals who supposedly claim honor have very different characteristics and morals than those of the knight in shining armour, for instance Medal of Honor recipients. An American army website says, “For years, the citations highlighting these acts of bravery and heroism resided in dusty archives and only sporadically were printed” (Medal of Honor). This shows that earning honor is done through acts of bravery and heroism, making a lot of people to be given honor like military personnel. To put it another way, acts of bravery and heroism helps earn a person the medal of honor.
As to be seen, some might argue that honor never changes as shown through the knight in shining armour even though modern American honor and other honors changes throughout history and cultures based on gender, the ages lived through, and the morals or ethics of one person. Have you ever seen the Disney movie ‘Mulan’? Have you heard the song in the opening of the movie ‘Honor To Us All’? Now do you know what honor is?