Living as a Brit in America is always a little strange around July Fourth. People tend to assume that you hold certain beliefs about two countries, and are often wrong. I usually laugh it off by sharing a meme to the effect of “Happy Treason Day, you ungrateful colonials.”
I’ll go on the record here: colonialism is bad. Hot take, I know. The Americans were right with what they did, and their means necessary and justified. Was what they created perfect? No. Of course not. For example: slavery was still a thing. Which is also bad. I’m full of these hot takes today.
But this brings us to an interesting question that I’ve been seeing come up from my American friends. How do we celebrate the Fourth of July when there seems to be so little to celebrate about America right now. How do you celebrate your country when patriotism is in such short supply?
First, I would say that celebrating as such is probably not the right thing right now, but maybe this can be an opportunity to galvanize the spirit by reflecting on the actions of those imperfect individuals that came before.
Second, I have seen a few versions of a definition of patriotism versus nationalism that have stuck with me. To paraphrase: nationalism is love for your country founded on the belief that your country is flawless and beyond reproach. Patriotism is love for your country and belief in its potential, with a strong desire for it to be better, and being willing to take the actions necessary to get it there.
So the fourth of July might not be a time to celebrate what the country is, but what you want it to become. It is not a celebration of a country that is or was great, but a celebration of a group of people who saw the injustice in their nation, saw that people were being oppressed and silenced, and were willing to stake their lives on a chance to change it.
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I couldn’t agree with you more ??????