When I was in high school, every Monday morning the school would play on the announcements “America the Beautiful,” along with the pledge of allegiance. It was more than any other high school in the city did, and more than really I was willing to put up with on a Monday. To this day I still don’t know who suggested it, but I’m pretty sure they still do it.
That and the Pledge kind of reflects how ingrained into our society a sort of blind patriotism is. Automatically people jump to “FREEDOM! ‘MURICA!” as excuses when really we need to have a lot of conversation and education about what we mean by that, and who it really applies to anymore. Patriotism becomes the end-all, be-all of an argument about policy and criticism of the direction the country is going in. Someone can say a problem exists but just saying “We have no problems, this is the greatest country in the world!” before shotgunning a beer and firing off six rounds won’t fix it or create a conversation like what the country was founded on. It’s kind of like the Hitler fallacy, in that it can’t be argued with and maybe it isn’t wrong, but jeez, that’s not where I wanted this argument to go at all. It just kind of leaves a conversation on a note of “Really, dude?”
Our country is a pretty good place to live and we’ve come so far… but there’s still a long way to go.
This Fourth of July really did feel weird. I think the culprit for that is pretty obvious: No matter your thoughts on the outcome, the 2016 election cycle was ugly and divisive. Let’s face it- the country was injured. I don’t think it’s fatal, but it has definitely not healed. I went to a picnic sponsored by the college and they played the National Anthem, and for some reason it just didn’t sit completely right with me, but I heard several blind patriots sing proudly.
I’m glad you’re proud, and you have every right to be. But I realized at that moment that this was not how I wanted to show my patriotism. In fact, no moment in recent memory that anyone played National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, or America the Beautiful genuinely made me feel patriotic and proud.
But let me tell you when I did feel that way.
Last year was the first election I was eligible to vote in. I am registered in the state of Virginia, not Pennsylvania, and I was denied the opportunity to go to the polls in person. I cast my ballot absentee at the end of September. I was disappointed that I thought I wouldn’t get an “I Voted” sticker. But I got to make my voice heard, and really it felt like it counted. Virginia went for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and I was proud that I was a part of it. Later, I got a text from one of my parents of mail I had gotten at my house with an “I Voted” sticker. That one is still on my tablet today.
I was still reeling from the election when I got that letter. I wasn’t sure what to do next, honestly. I was in the radio station on Election Night, lightly buzzed on vodka, with the electoral map version of a March Madness bracket frantically switching colors from red to blue, blue to red, trying to see how to make the numbers add up in my favor. Eventually, I realized it was not going to start adding up anymore. I sat back in my chair, and then forced the News Director to play “Electioneering” by Radiohead. It was labeled as depressing, and then I wasn’t allowed to pick the music anymore.
A few days of reflecting and watching the news led me to the conclusion that starting to get active with the politics that exist. Obviously I wasn’t going to singlehandedly revolutionize the system- that’s not how it works. January 20 came and went, and I set my sights on the Senate. Remember, I’m registered in Virginia and I have Senator Tim Kaine and Senator Mark Warner to constantly email, begging them to vote no on DeVos, Pruitt, Perry, Carson, and more.
There was also the fun time when Trump’s budget draft came out, scrapping several vital agencies and endowments I cared about. A postcard campaign came to the college to save the NEA and NEH, and I grabbed some and sent them in to my elected officials.
Surprisingly I got this text from my mother a while later.
Yes, it’s a generic press release that I think I saw online once before. Still, I felt for about two seconds that my voice was being heard. Someone took a second to pick my address to send the press release by mail. Someone had to decide it was a good idea to let me know he agreed. That felt patriotic to me.
I guess, in conclusion, the founding fathers weren’t satisfied with the original constitution for a reason. And there was a reason that they decided that freedom of speech, the press, petition, and assembly should be first on the list of rights to protect. Say what you want about the extracurricular activities of the Founding Fathers (looking at you, Jefferson), they had the idea that it was the first priority.
You have to admit that one of the most American things you can do is learn, educate, speak, and think critically of the country we were born in. Criticizing the country and throwing tea in the harbor is as American as apple pie. However, listen to the experiences of others, and try to criticize it in such a way to make life better not only for yourself, but for the person next to you as well. Speak up for what you believe in, but not on your crazy uncle’s Facebook page. Go to the people whose job it is to listen, and speak until you are heard. If they don’t listen, find a NON-VIOLENT way to make them. Every Election Day, even the primaries, you get your ass to the polls and vote for someone who you think will listen to your voice. Get that cool, patriotic sticker.
Finally, be kind to others, and that will help heal the wounds left behind from years of ugly words and policies as well as prevent further injury.
Then maybe those songs will go back to feeling a little more special.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, and make good choices.
-Britt
Lipstick Prints on Coffee Mugs 