I remember having a talk with a vet friend about this very subject. We both mused that it feels like having a fucking funeral for a deeply flawed creature that we nonetheless loved very much, and that is now shuffling around like a grotesque, insect-ridden meat puppet.
What, exactly, should I be proud of?
A nation that is moving backwards on human rights, increasing wealth inequality, and got really “mask off” about supporting genocide. A nation that is inherently dysfunctional and wreathed in corruption.
To give you one example, there where a few million protesting against all that happening. Not sure if that falls under national pride, but it sure is societal pride.
This is the result of the Republican party, starting at least with the Bush neocons, weaponizing patriotism to be a way to slander their critics, and to publicly demonstrate their allegiance to the conservative movement.
After a couple decades now of conservative pundits and politicians responding to criticism by implying their opponents don’t love America as much as they do, or even trying to stifle conversation by demanding everyone profess their love of America on the spot, I think everyone else is pretty sick and tired of the flags and pins and stars-and-stripes punisher tee shirts.
Talked to a guy a couple months ago about Trump being re-elected and he literally told me that “at least we can now fly American flags again” now that Biden was out.
I just stared at him like… what the fuck are you even talking about dude??
Not a citizen, by the way. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was already deported.
“We love America just as much as they do. But in a different way. You see, they love America like a 4-year-old loves his mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups. To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one grow.”
-Al Franken
I think everyone else is pretty sick and tired
From where the rest of us are standing, “everyone else” is WAY too comfortable with it. Inaction = acquiescence.
theres an old saying in the corporate world… ‘whatever you allow to persist becomes policy’
unfortunately, 40% of america are brainwashed to vote against their own best interests with another 30% not voting at all trapping the rest of us in their self-created hellscape.
It’s older than that. Nixon started it and Regan kicked is down the mountain.
We’ve been living in it. It’s happening.
Good. Patriotism leads to nationalism, xenophobia, and racism.
Patriotism itself isn’t bad. I would love to live in country I’m proud of.
As long as there is substance to the reasons for pride, yes…
no shit, sherlock.
zero reason to be proud of a fascist government.
fuck the 4th of july.
I’ve never been diagnosed with “clinical depression”.
I’m guessing now it would be “yes”.
My country is completely losing it’s shit and even an Ocean wide bidet isn’t good enough to clean the asses of 75 million Harris voters.
Good point. And now I gotta go check if there are going to be more protests planned around here for the 4th.
I need to look for one as well 50501 is not showing one in my area.
This. And I’m otherwise a very patriotic American veteran.
Great, so you’re organizing with your fellow veterans to do something about it, right?
Yeah. I’m not going to any celebrations of the country this weekend. I don’t have it in me to be patriotic right now. It’s wild how far we’ve fallen in the past decade. And flabbergasting how much further we fell over the last 6 months.
I never thought I’d literally be stocking up on ammunition over political shifts in the US. That’s what the crazies on the right do.
Only reason I’m gonna set off fireworks is for my kid. He turned 5 in May and has been begging me to set off fireworks for the 4th.
I just can’t imagine 36% are still proud.
It has always been ~30-40% in this country… These are the “deplorables” that Hillary was referring to.
They will never change.
Take a trip through flyover country (my hometown!), there are still loads of stupid people everywhere.
Oh, I believe it. I just can’t imagine it.
See the left side of the curve.:
"The car’s on fire and there’s no driver at the wheel. And the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides
And a dark wind blows
The government is corrupt And we’re on so many drugs With the radio on and the curtains drawn
We’re trapped in the belly of this horrible machine. And the machine is bleeding to death. The sun has fallen down. And the billboards are all leering. And the flags are all dead at the top of their poles"
I’m gonna be blasting Godspeed all 4th of July
Their most recent album is good, and I believe all proceeds go to humanitarian aide in Gaza. The album itself is about the genocide.
Someone once said to me “the nation I belong to doesn’t exist yet”. I rather like the ring of it.
So, has anyone actually read the 1,000+ pages of the Big Bill?
Because if you did, I promise you wouldn’t be celebrating a time America gained her independence knowing that our government is about to rewrite history just so they can have a big old tax break with the blood of Americans on their hands. Democracy was a nice 250-year project while she lasted, but she’s at her end now thanks to the greed of a few, it appears.
Can confirm. Proud of my state (California) but almost zero pride left for my country. Trying to figure out if I should flee the continent or start building guillotines.
Same, minus the state pride (Georgia).
Still got Atlanta at least? (Moved to Washington from GA a few years back)
fuck this stupid country
The bootlickers literally dipped in pride of America when Trump was voted out. Became more prideful when he got back in.
They have no capacity for critical thinking or competent understanding of anything at all. A bunch of knuckle dragging idiots.
That’s generally how fascism works.
Don’t they rely on increasing national pride and with it, national identity? They need a steady supply of useful idiots who buy into the bullshit.
They have stirred up national pride, shame for them that they pulled an Austria-Hungary and are stirring up a springtime of nations. The US ain’t a nation it’s an ideological empire with a disintegrating ideological foundation.
I didn’t say they were doing well, lol.
In order to feel patriotic you’ll have to have failed history.
I identify as a Californian first. My US passport holder has stickers of the Californian flag. Many Europeans may dislike the USA right now, but you tell them you’re from California, or they see a California flag sticker on your passport holder, wallet, or phone, and then they won’t be so icy.
Hopefully that sick overnationalism gets down to a sane level like it is in most civilzed countries. Imagine no adoring the flag and pledges of allegiances like one normally only sees in fascist dictatorships.
