So as it turns out, this particular 4th of July is one in which I will be working a ton of hours. I work a part-time job on the weekends in addition to a full-time job working the overnights. it can be a real pain when I have to work both jobs, but this weekend will be a bit extreme. At least Saturday, the holiday itself, will be. My overnight job switches to 12 hour shifts for major holidays, and we all have to work some holidays. The first one so far this year that I will be working is this holiday, on a day that I otherwise would normally have had off with the alternating schedule. Instead of being off, I work Friday night into Saturday, then go to my weekend job from 7 until 3 in the afternoon, before starting the 12 hour special holiday shift at 6 that afternoon/early evening. When I get out of that shift the next morning, I will need to go to my weekend job. All of that leaves very little time off from 10pm Friday until 3pm on Sunday, but I will do my best.
Nevertheless, even if I was not working so many damn hours, I would not be celebrating this particular holiday this year. No barbecues, no fireworks shows, and nothing special.
Why?
Because frankly, I do not believe that there is much to celebrate right now in the United States. It feels like we have taken a very wrong turn and are doubling down on it, actually picking up speed down this dead end road. And again, to me, that is nothing to celebrate.
Now, I have met people who cannot fathom how I could possibly feel this way. They always feel that it is appropriate to celebrate, and especially on the occasion marking 250 years, the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence.
However, I do not feel that way. In fact, quite the opposite.
One of the major problems that I see in this country, in fact, is this alarming ability that Americans have to simply ignore the bad things going on around them in their country. To try and seek an escape, to try and have fun. Often, to celebrate themselves, to path themselves on the back for being Americans, for being part of what they never tire of telling you is the greatest country in the world.
And it is precisely this kind of thinking which is the problem. Americans already are too fixated on themselves and their own assumptions of superiority over the rest of the world. That is how we have come to stand out for all of the wrong reasons. That is how we get someone like Donald Trump to be the elected face and voice of a country.
Personally, I feel it is actually quite patriotic to reach a point when you recognize that it is probably best not to celebrate. When you love your country enough to think seriously about matters, and then recognize that things are actually quite bad at the moment. It is patriotic to recognize the reality, in fact, that things really are not that good. That, tempted as you may be to join everyone else, you probably should not join in those celebrations, especially when mindlessly celebrating our own perceived greatness itself becomes the problem.
But how can you say that? Some will ask such questions, of course. Things may not be perfect, they will say, but we have it better than most countries of the world.
Okay, but we are going in the wrong direction. Have been going in the wrong direction for a long time.
Yes, I am grateful for the relative stability that living in the United States for the vast majority of my life afforded me. Yet, it feels considerably less stable than I can remember it feeling ever before. And we keep insisting on getting the most polarizing and self-interested politicians possible into our highest offices. Trump is only the most visible and extreme example, but he is far from alone. That almost assures that things will just continue to get worse and worse for a long time to come before they ever really begin to get better. It is entirely self-imposed, collectively, by us. That is the tragedy of it. Things might still be relatively good, compared with much of the rest of the world. But this country has long been goin gin the wrong direction, for decades. And we are flooring the gas, putting the pedal to the metal to make things worse.
And worse they have gotten. Now, pessimism on both sides prevails. Here is a snippet from a recent article by Tim Reid & Joseph Ax of The Independent:
A Reuters/Ipsos poll reveals that one in five Americans will not mark Independence Day this year, including a quarter of Democrats and 8% of Republicans. Furthermore, two in five respondents doubt the nation's ability to endure for another 250 years
Hardly makes you want to go out and celebrate, does it?
Nor am I alone. From the same article:
Beverly Gage, a Yale University historian, observes, "The very idea of celebrating has become political and partisan." She adds, "What is striking about our moment is how widespread the pessimism seems to be." This widespread sentiment is underscored by the Reuters/Ipsos poll, which found that one in five Americans will not celebrate Independence Day, and two in five question the country's longevity.
Yet, the celebrations of ourselves in our narcissistic echo chamber are growing ever more obnoxious and mindless. No longer are we collectively even taking pride in things worth taking price in. Now, it is always just loud and mindless. We have country singer Brooke Lee singing the traditional 1948 song "See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet" written by Leo Corday and Leon Carr. It sounds like a shameless corporate plug trying to sell products while selling mindless, kneejerk nationalism at the same time. She sings "America's the greatest land of all."
Another car company has come out with an even more crass, mindless, mind-numbingly stupid advertising line. Ram Trucks have their new "In Loud We Trust" commercial out, complete with real American Dana White showing the ultimate macho truck. The whole message is that we should embrace our collective American reputation for being loud.
Don't think. Don't you dare.
Just be loud and proud.
Doubling down on our collective national stupidity, which has frankly been in vogue now for entirely too long.
Sometimes, it makes me think of that scene from Rocky IV. The one where Drago, the machine-like evil Soviet fighting machine, is standing in the ring showing no emotion. Meanwhile, you have the loud entrance of Apollo Creed, wearing stars and strips trunks and a whole bunch of extras, also loudly patriotic. He comes out dancing to "Living in America" by James Brown, apparently not understanding the danger he is in, not appreciating the ill will his makeshift glitzy show is producing in the big, bad Soviet. Except in this case, Drago would pretty much be how Americans perceive the entire rest of the world outside of American borders. We just keep bragging about how great we are, blind ourselves with display of nationalistic red, white, and blue, and enter with undeserved swagger, playing songs as tribute to our own greatness. Meanwhile, the rest of the world watches us with stony faces and increasing hostility. We elected a man to our highest office who seems to think that Greenland rightly has always belonged to us, to the point where he is threatening to take it over militarily. He also makes a point of undermining the independence of Canada, claiming that it is the "51st state." He has also threatened other places militarily, including Panama, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and Gaza, and has outright invaded Venezuela and waged an undeclared (and illegal) war against Iran. He dismisses dozens of countries in Central American and Africa as "shithole nations" and waged economic war on the rest of the world, all at once, with his tariffs. His insistent arguments that the rest of the world owes the United States for...well, pretty much everything...has grown stale for many around the world, including tens of millions of Americans. But he never tires of the patriotic bluster, of dancing like a fool and taking everyone else far too lightly, burning rather than building bridges with pretty much the entire rest of the world. At some point, this becomes a dangerous game, especially when it feels like the entire rest of the world views you with increased skepticism, pity, and anger.
Some Americans recognize that this approach is not good. That it will not end well. Many are trying to warn the rest of the Americans of this mindless bluster. But those Americans are too proud and, yes, too loud to bother listening, thus assuring that we will learn nothing. At least not until it's too late.
Why?
Because In Loud We Trust.
What idiocy.
So with all of that, I have decided to sit this one out. I may not be able to stop this, or even to slow all of this nonsense down. At the very least, however, I can make damn sure not to participate and be a part of the problem.
All of this mindless patriotic hoopla, this cheerleading and chest thumping is something which I can and will forgo. In fact, I will do something else entirely, something which, apparently, Dodge Ram and their consumers believe to be distinctly unpatriotic. I am going to sit on the sidelines and be quiet and let this holiday pass by. At a time when, frankly, it is beginning to feel embarrassing to be American, I will remain quiet and not actively celebrate, since it does not feel like there is all that much to celebrate. Yes, we still have it better than much of the rest of the world. But it feels like we don't have as much as we used to in almost every way. Worse, it feels like we are acting out in a manner that will assure that things grow worse, not better. To me, that is nothing to overlook or to gloss over in order to party and wave the flag and try to forget all of the bad news. To me, it is far more patriotic to be quietly reflective and alert of everything going on than to drown it out with the sound of our own celebrating of ourselves and our own perceived greatness.
To be sure, I was never much of a flag-waver. But now, I feel like participating in such mindless celebration of ourselves is a part of the problem. A huge part, and actively contributing to things getting worse here.
And to the extent that I am patriotic and want the best for my country, I will forego any mindless and loud celebrations like we are seeing, and which also are in vogue.
Millions say they won’t celebrate July 4 as poll reveals deep national pessimism Tim Reid & Joseph Ax Monday 29 June 2026
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/america250-independence-trump-divisions-pennsylvania-b3004933.html
Millions say they won’t celebrate July 4 as poll reveals deep national pessimism | The Independent
RAM TRUCKS | IN LOUD WE TRUST | FT. DANA WHITE: the most despicable commercial you will likely ever see
https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckcars/comments/1u66ikh/ram_trucks_in_loud_we_trust_ft_dana_white_the/?rdt=38767#:~:text=This%20is%20the%20second%20American,silence%2C%20or%20safety%20ever%20again.
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