I’m in my early 20s and although my generation’s side of the matter wasn’t sought, I want to reply to the letter posted online on Aug. 24 about the meaning of being American and the issue of the mosque being built at Ground Zero. I’m not sure what the author meant by the statement that “in 1950, it meant something to be American.” Today, being American may not mean the same thing it did in 1950, but it still carries a significant meaning. The world is a different place. Technology has changed everything for the Western (and developing) world. Terrorism has changed everything for America. World War II no longer may be something everybody lived through, but the effects still are far-reaching. I have been to the beaches at Normandy. I have been through what’s left of a concentration camp. These things have schooled me on nationalism and, most importantly, they have shown the consequences of intolerance and hate.