what to do on the 4th of july when the usa is an embarrassing, grievous mess and you kinda want to give up on it
(some suggestions)
Well well well, if it isn’t the 4th of July.
If you’re not feeling terribly patriotic this year, you’re not alone: results of a Gallup poll taken in June (even before the bombing of Iran) indicate that the majority of U.S. citizens are less proud to be American now than at any time in the past 20 years.
This leaves a lot of us wondering what to do with ourselves on Friday. Is it betrayal of conscience to cheer for fireworks when the children of Gaza would be terrorized by the sound? Should we be ashamed to don a flag t-shirt when moms on SNAP will have to choose between buying clothing or food? Are we immoral if we line up along the road for a parade while migrants are surrounded by pythons and alligators?
It’s the kind of predicament that we will come to different conclusions on, and there’s room for that. Celebration can be an act of resistance, too. You eating a hot dog on the fourth isn’t going to make this country any better or worse, so do it if it feels right and abstain if it doesn’t. But whatever you do, do it like you mean it. Do it fully awake, fully examined, fully alive. Now is not the time to half-ass your place in the world. Know what you stand for and know what you’re doing about it.
If you’re stumped about where to start when you wake up on Friday, here’s a list of ideas:
(Don’t let it overwhelm you — pick just ONE, for crying out loud. Quit trying to be a hero.)
Make a donation to The Trevor Project to support vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth.
Invite an immigrant or refugee over for a meal. If you don’t know any, find out where in your community you can start changing that.
Talk to a child or young person about politics. Share your concerns, and ask them for their thoughts and solutions.
Use this simple tool to learn about the Indigenous history of the land you live on.
Connect with a single mom in your church, office, or community. Offer free childcare once a week, or barter it for something she can give in return.
Make sure your neighbors and loved ones are registered to vote. If they aren’t, help them do it.
Find out what your local food bank needs, and get to shopping.
Read A People’s History of the United States — or, even better, read an excerpt aloud before your barbeque.
Give a preteen or teenager in your life a copy of A Young People’s History of the United States.
Spend a few hours pulling weeds in a community garden. If you have your own garden, put some veggies by the road to share with passersby.
What would you add? Tell us in the comments. (Apologies to the thousand or so of you who read this when I accidentally had the comments turned off!)
American Pie by Don MacClean came on the radio last night, and it seemed fitting.
I loooooove that image of dorothy day