I am about to write an article about American pride. I’ve been trying to talk myself out of writing it because topics such as this tend to be controversial; but the alternative is to say nothing, and that doesn’t sit well with me either. In fact, it feels worse.
What started this for me, was looking around and witnessing (increasingly) all the American flags on display. More than ever before, people are wearing our flag on their shirts, affixing bumper stickers, attaching (oftentimes multiple) flags to their vehicles, etching our flag into the back windows of their trucks, etc. I don’t have an issue with our flag- my concern is that it has progressively become weaponized.
Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for my freedoms, and as many people can and do point out, it could be worse. For example in several West African countries, female genital mutilation is a common practice. In countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Pakistan, women are often denied an education, honor killings take place, women are often denied custody of their kids if they get a divorce, and for them, many freedoms we have here in America are simply not possible.
Still, the fact is, our country was founded on genocide, and the countless Indian owned casinos scattered throughout the U.S. do not and should not erase that fact. Our country’s economy and many of it’s national landmarks were constructed largely in part due to slave labor: The White House, the Capitol Building, the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. to name just a few. Yet we balk at the notion of reparations, and the freedoms of POC are nowhere near that of their Caucasian counterparts. One argument against financial reparations is that sending out a check to every black person in the country would be a logistical nightmare. Unless you consider the pandemic, where our government did just that, and in addition, sent out an estimated $200 billion dollars in checks to fraudulent persons/entities. Nonetheless, they proved it was possible.
When the national anthem is played, the lyrics the land of the free, and the home of the brave stand out to me. The freedom of women to get a safe abortion is about to take a drastic hit if/when the Supreme Court does in fact overturn Roe vs. Wade. And like the pandemic, it’s POC who will suffer the most should this happen. They are less likely to be able to afford having unwanted children, childcare, basic healthcare and taking time off of work to travel to a state that allows abortion. This ruling could also have a snowball effect for people who rely on EVF to get pregnant and possibly affect gay marriage as well. The irony of it all, is that the stance of being anti-abortion is to protect life; yet, here in America, few things are protected with as much ferocity and dedication as gun rights. We are free, but not free from gun violence.
According to NPR, 27 school shootings have taken place so far in this country and the U.S. has surpassed 200 mass shootings this year- and we have six months left to go. Additionally, a separate NPR article stated that only 1% of guns in this country are used for actual self defense- the main argument for the U.S. owning roughly 40% of the world’s guns.
This takes me to home of the brave- if we’re talking about civil rights leaders- past and present, along with leaders of the LGBTQ community and our military (who are comprised of many ethnicities and sexual orientations)- then I agree wholeheartedly. Our soldiers fought for our freedoms in both World Wars. Arguably, however, WWII was the last war that was actually fought for our freedom, and not for other matters such as revenge and financial gain.
One aspect of our culture that is harder to deny, is the less than stellar treatment our soldiers often receive upon returning home from fighting for our country. From not enough VA facilities, to the rundown condition they’re often in, to unacceptable medical coverage to treat injuries and mental disorders such as PTSD, and so on. Even the first responders from 9/11 had an extremely difficult time getting extended coverage (later known as The First Responder’s Bill) for their ongoing and sometimes lifelong illnesses. Comedian and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart testified on their behalf to ensure such a bill was passed, scolding a near empty Congress for their inaction in terms of doing right by those 9/11 first responders. This took place on June 11, 2019. The bill was passed- almost eight years after those heroes first converged upon Ground Zero.
But the people who make and enforce the laws that govern us, the politicians, are (in my opinion), mostly cowards who are being or have already been purchased by special interest groups like the pharmaceutical companies and the NRA. This is one area that remains completely bipartisan, for what that’s worth.
One positive step to rectifying the whitewashed history we are taught throughout our lives is the teaching of Critical Race Theory. This could at least give a more honest portrayal of Black History, but to date, this notion is widely dismissed. Also, books are being banned (some for the subjective reason of offensive language), at an alarming rate (not guns though), which is counterintuitive to freedom of speech- the First Amendment, which ironically, those same people hold in such high regard. All this to control the narrative of what it means to be patriotic- what it means to be American.
I know that no civilization that exists today is without blood on its hands, and we are no exception. But my main concern for this country is that you can’t heal what you don’t acknowledge, and the powers that be seem to be more concerned about altering reality than trying to fix it. I have no desire to be blindly patriotic, and I also don’t believe that questioning why and how things are done in this country makes one less patriotic. A person can be both grateful for the freedoms they have, while also being concerned about the direction our country is heading in.
The threat to our democracy is real, and I am grateful for the ability to express my concerns. But the fact that “it could be worse” is not for me, a basis for pride. What would instill pride in me is if we stopped using that argument to do and to be better; and that starts with getting real about our past.