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We are the People. And We’re Not Giving Up.
There doesn’t seem to be much to celebrate this 4th of July, or about being American these days. Stupidity at the top and selfishness all over has left us sinking deeper into a pandemic swamp while more competent countries are climbing out, startled at how pathetic we’ve become. The wave of protests propelled by the killing of George Floyd has revealed racism as a toxic rot that has hollowed out our system and mocks our belief in fairness. Our so-called president keeps blasting a flamethrower at our values. His allies cheer, or cower in fear; his supporters salivate. It’s easy to be depressed and afraid; I certainly have been over the past few months, despite being a natural optimist. Easy to wonder what’s become of this country, if it was ever anything to celebrate, to worry that we’re descending into an Idiocracy meets V for Vendetta dystopia.
Fuck no. Just no. To hell with that. Fuck giving up, fuck pessimism, fuck giving in. It’s not just that we can’t. Why should we?
America is what we make it. We make it, us, all of us. This country is ours. This culture is ours. We can’t give up on the promise of an America that allows us to create ourselves and create our country in…
