Hoo-ray, America.
You know, try as I might to be "patriotic", I have to say...the Fourth of July depresses me.
I guess it is pretty quintessentially American to spend the day gorging ourselves, getting drunk, and lighting up explosives. But really, guys, how does this celebrate our independence as a nation? It doesn't. At least not in any way I can see.
And all the flag-waving and parades and other such things...this sounds bad, but they make me kind of sick. All the invasion-and-occupation-in-the-name-of-patriotism, all the PATRIOT Act bullshit, all the "You're either with us or you're the enemy" crap. All of it has just left a really bad taste in my mouth. That's the association I have with the word "patriotic". With the whole concept of it, really. Particularly with all the discussions in my Women&War class right now, nationalism and militarism and how they come about, what they do. Create a carefully delineated "us" and "them". Portray the "them" as threatening. Proceed to build up a massive military, divert funding from social programs and send the nation spiraling into debt to support it, and go whomp the shit out of whoever you feel like. All in the name of "the homeland". And if any of the citizens dare to protest, call them "unpatriotic", because they're clearly not with you, so they must be against you. It's twisted and pathetic and scary as all fuck.
Don't get me wrong. I truly do have a great deal of affection and loyalty for my country. But I feel that part of that affection is the obligation to tell it when it's fucking up. I wouldn't just stand back and be disgusted if my lover, or my mother, or someone else I love started beating up other people and other assorted bad shit. I'd do something about it, as best I could. And I feel that I have that same responsibility with America. If I love my country, I owe it to it to take care of it.
And while I'm on the subject, it disgusts me when people have the mentality that ANY dissent means you don't *really* love your country. Ferfucksakes, you people, this country was founded precisely BECAUSE PEOPLE DISAGREED WITH THEIR GOVERNMENT. Have we really gone so far that we've become the corrupt, bloated power we disdained so long ago?
Well. Happy Fourth of July, Internet.
I guess it is pretty quintessentially American to spend the day gorging ourselves, getting drunk, and lighting up explosives. But really, guys, how does this celebrate our independence as a nation? It doesn't. At least not in any way I can see.
And all the flag-waving and parades and other such things...this sounds bad, but they make me kind of sick. All the invasion-and-occupation-in-the-name-of-patriotism, all the PATRIOT Act bullshit, all the "You're either with us or you're the enemy" crap. All of it has just left a really bad taste in my mouth. That's the association I have with the word "patriotic". With the whole concept of it, really. Particularly with all the discussions in my Women&War class right now, nationalism and militarism and how they come about, what they do. Create a carefully delineated "us" and "them". Portray the "them" as threatening. Proceed to build up a massive military, divert funding from social programs and send the nation spiraling into debt to support it, and go whomp the shit out of whoever you feel like. All in the name of "the homeland". And if any of the citizens dare to protest, call them "unpatriotic", because they're clearly not with you, so they must be against you. It's twisted and pathetic and scary as all fuck.
Don't get me wrong. I truly do have a great deal of affection and loyalty for my country. But I feel that part of that affection is the obligation to tell it when it's fucking up. I wouldn't just stand back and be disgusted if my lover, or my mother, or someone else I love started beating up other people and other assorted bad shit. I'd do something about it, as best I could. And I feel that I have that same responsibility with America. If I love my country, I owe it to it to take care of it.
And while I'm on the subject, it disgusts me when people have the mentality that ANY dissent means you don't *really* love your country. Ferfucksakes, you people, this country was founded precisely BECAUSE PEOPLE DISAGREED WITH THEIR GOVERNMENT. Have we really gone so far that we've become the corrupt, bloated power we disdained so long ago?
Well. Happy Fourth of July, Internet.