As usual I had to work on independence day… could have switched with someone to have it off today if I wanted to, but I don’t mind the extra money while working with one of my favorite co-workers. Plus unlike the others I managed to get out before the mad rush. :trollface:
I watched people around me, customers and employees alike all dressed for the holiday. Wearing clothes and jewelry that reflect the holiday, shirts saying “American and Proud”, which I can’t deny are two things I have a hard time being and feeling at the same time over these last couple of years.
It’s hard for me to have any sense of pride relating to my country when I have to wake up every day and read about something embarrassing, depressing, and various acts of stupidity with a high chance of them all being rolled together into one cancerous growth. It’s hard to celebrate independence when you have to read, or even deal with the established inequality we so desperately seem to crave, and forcing it onto unwilling participants, all to make themselves feel relevant in their own shitty day to day lives. Then you have the people who couldn’t give two shits about current events and our world. People are being shot? Kids are being separated by their parents and being sent to camps? The trade war may have an impact on sending gifts to your international friends? It doesn’t effect me, therefore it shouldn’t effect anyone else.
I too try to keep myself distracted, usually by what I blog about here, it helps keep me somewhat sane in an insane world; That and it’s unhealthy to keep glued to all of these stories knowing you can’t really do anything to change the situation. It also doesn’t help being surrounded by apathetic people who would rather continuously bury their heads in their smartphones instead, only relying on word of mouth, or one news source entirely for their news just leads me to more depression. Unlike them I have to at least recognize what we’re doing, and how morally bankrupt it is.
I know I’m not the only one that thinks this way. There are other websites and blogs that I frequent that are finding it hard or even pointless to celebrate. On one they did mini posts of the constitution, on another there was an upside down flag, signaling distress.
My country doesn’t fill me with pride, but at least I can say I have enough of my own knowing I didn’t vote for this to happen. We need more younger people to do the same.