Ah, just breathe in the sweet rotting scent of state nationalism.
On Independence Day, you donned your red, white and blue bikini, dove head-first in the algae-infested beach water, and joined the world in old fashion BBQ celebration, unfettered under the summer sky on America's 240th birthday. Set to recreate 1791's Whiskey Rebellion with cheap beer, you sang the National Anthem from your gut, loudly belting those high notes ("and the rockets red glare"), without hesitation, because you are an American; you don't wait a beat to make an entrance. But then the moon gave way to the next day's sun, you got ready for work in the morning, and the pretty Fourth of July fireworks gave way to gunshots.
As your news feed took a dark twist, your Independence Day pride was beginning to decompose underneath the summer sun like a carcass. Smells, like July, doesn't it?
The red you're seeing now is accompanied by a different kind of white, wearing a different shade of blue, and suddenly you're seeing stars for a whole other reason.
Lately you've been noticing that some people are more "American" than others. You're noticing that certain citizens have to carry a qualifier in their nationalist identity. As the days go by, you are, once again, having trouble saying "land of the free" unsarcastically.
The Fourth of July nap time you gave yourself is over; you're still sleepy, but you are woke, once more, learning which one of your friends from middle-school is a bigot. You find it more and more difficult to keep blindly wearing that Old Navy flag shirt for the rest of the summer like you planned. Whether it was last semester's Africana Studies class or all that International CNN, it's been hard for you to be a social justice advocate and have an all-American, carefree summer. But, of course, I have the answer for you. In fact I have a few slightly patriotic practices that will allow you to enjoy the rest of your summer, and unabashedly block anyone who tweets #alllivesmatter! Avoiding hypocritical despair is what I am here for.
1. If you're at any public establishment, sincerely thank a veteran for their service.
This is easy enough. No matter what your political swing it, there is no position in the world that should be more celebrated than that of a soldier's. Veterans are your friends, your family, just don't dwell on the fact that they are also a good chunk of the homeless population. Try not to focus on the fact that there isn't enough mental health support for former combat soldiers. Don't think about how the government is so careless with war-making when there are so many lives at stake. Just recommend them to the nearest restaurants that offer them a discount and offer a genuine smile. Like I said, easy.
After all, they are government agents doing a thankless job, like police officers. Only, while the military is ravaged with their own institutional problems, the police force seems all too susceptible to institutionalized racism, as evidenced by capture methods and assumptions of violence. Only, while the military has social practices that divide, the police force is susceptible to media politicization of killings to polarize the mourning of deaths of police officers and of countless black civilians as incongruous, but I digress. Veterans. Focus on veterans.
2. Listen to Miley's "Party in the USA."
It's a more than decent alternative to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." Every since you learned about the disproportionate number of incarnated black and Hispanic youth compared to white counterparts (who commit the same crimes), the lyrics "where at least I know I'm free" is a bit of a trigger for you. "Nodding my head like yeah" is so much more poignant, amiright?
While you're driving through your town, music blaring, just try not to focus on the fact that Miley Cyrus and a myriad of white artists continue to capitalize on their stealing of black culture through appropriation, but don't actually value black people as valid contributors to their success. As your Pandora station plays that Bangerz album you love, try to not remember that time Miley wore her hair in a pathetic take on locs was called "edgy", while Zendaya's choice to wear her hair in locs to celebrate her heritage were viewed controversial and "smelled of weed." Just turn the song up a little louder. After all, you're trying to have a good time.
3. Go to the pool.
The beach is okay I suppose, but I hear the best way to drown out anti-American sentiments is to baptize yourself with with chlorine. There's nothing more "summer" than chilling in your neighborhood pool, and best of all it's not even triggering. As long as your friends don't get too loud or too "colored" so your neighbors won't report you too the authorities and have to break up your squad-gathering by throwing a teenaged girl to the ground, but don't worry about that. It's not like it's happened before... too many times.
4. Read the constitution.
There's nothing like some light reading to enjoy your day off from work. Especially a comedy. I mean, there's nothing more hilarious than the irony of men wanting independence from the imposed societal limitations of Britain imposing the same implicit caste system in this new country. Made for property-owning white men, by property-owning white men. Talk about a superiority complex.
But maybe thinking too much about how the American Creed is built on the concept of white supremacy is a bit too much for you. It might rile you up and ruin the carefree aura you've been constructing the entire afternoon. Better skip the Bill of Rights, after all, how important could the fourth amendment be if people break it all the time?
5. Look up pictures of presidents when they were young.
All I'm saying is that nothing can rekindle your appreciation for the presidency like seeing how hot (or not) they looked like in their prime. It'll give a newfound perspective on the executive branch. Your future president could be as cute as your failed Tinder date last week. After a promising Google search, you'll discover that JFK was enduringly adorable (more enduring than his proposed civil rights legislation that was only haphazardly carried out by LBJ). Gerald Ford had quite the backside (despite the fact that his insufficient leadership resulted in many dealings behind that backside) and Bill Clinton wore his hair super long (but not as long as the negative implications of 1994's Crime Bill on black and Hispanic youth's incarceration rates). Obama was always a looker (even though the stress of a record number of assassination attacks have given the term "black don't crack" a whole new meaning.)
Just don't try to think about the next president, or the alarming levels of xenophobia and racism the personal nature of this election cycle has brought to the surface, and definitely do not ponder if that is the true underbelly of American society. Don't think about it while you're trying to tan. You don't want to get too orange.
As you may have gathered through the sardonic nature of this piece, aiming to be proud of your country while trying to be educated on social realities is no easy feat. Blind nationalism is a funny, problematic thing, but it's even worse to willingly close your eyes when you can see. The flag has been in half-staff position too many times this year to be proud of where we are right now as a nation.
It takes a good dose of skepticism to serve your country, and you should aim to serve it the best way you can: readying it for further improvement. If there is one thing this nation loves, it is a good comeback story.
