Unwarranted patriotism
I’m unsure if I’ll go to HB’s Fourth of July parade down Main Street tomorrow.
This morning I took a long walk along the beach and PCH. The marine layer was beginning to burn off, revealing the handful of oil derricks off the coast between here and Catalina. It was 10 am and the pier was already lined with fishermen and crowded with tourists; the beach was beginning to fill with sunbathers, and surfers lounged on their boards in the waves, all of them looking west toward the incoming swells. To the north I could barely make out the tall buildings in Long Beach through the haze. The highway was lined with cars and SUVs from Nevada and Arizona; families were unloading their towels, coolers, and beach essentials on the sidewalk, preparing for a day on the Pacific. (Sometimes I forget I live a few blocks from an ocean.) It was a calm, peaceful, and relaxing stroll.
I turned down 17th Street. As I was crossing Orange when I saw a beat-up Chevy Blazer speeding toward the intersection. It honked and people screamed at a group of bicyclists. The Blazer reached the stop sign just as I was walking across the lane. The horn sounded a couple times and the people inside screamed at me.
“Yeah! US of A!” “AMERICA!” “USA!”
My thoughtful trance was shattered.
I had the urge to kick out the Blazer’s headlights. I wanted to give those assholes the finger. Fuck them! But I didn’t do anything. I just kept walking.
I hate it when people yell at me as they drive by. Teenagers in Orange County — and even some immature adults — love targeting pedestrians; they can belittle and harass them and get away quickly. It gives them great power to taunt me, call me names, then drive away. It really pisses me off.
As odd as it sounds, I realized once that these infantile acts are almost a perfect analogy for US militarism and the anti-American sentiments of terrorists. The yelling and taunting is arrogant and disrespectful behavior. The cocksuckers who target pedestrians exhibit a superior and egoistic disregard for others; they don’t care what they do to others as long as it’s entertaining. And their targets? Some may blow it off as harmless antics, but people like me develop a deep hatred and bitterness. My anger builds each time I’m targeted. I want revenge.
Needless to say, the encounter with the Blazer pissed me off. It got me thinking, too: can someone tell me why this country is worth screaming and cheering about, other than the fact that it’s ours? Every nation in the world has its own nationalist sentiments, but why should I believe the good ol’ “US of A” is better than any of the others? The advantages over living in China, North Korea, or Afghanistan are obvious; we don’t need to talk about that. But what about other democracies? Canada? Sweden? Norway? France? Belgium? Denmark? The Netherlands? Germany? Switzerland? Austria? Australia? New Zealand? The UK? Japan? Ireland? Basically, the life and liberty we enjoy in the US are no better than those in many other nations, and even in most states. Why should I wave Old Glory and not the Flag of the State of Iowa, which features the words “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.” Old Glory doesn’t say shit about liberty or rights.
So will I go tomorrow? Might as well. It’ll be my last Fourth in HB, so I should just to see it. Everyone else can yell and scream. I’ll just sit back and watch, silent, knowing there’s nothing to be that excited about. It’s my country, and it could be better.
This morning I took a long walk along the beach and PCH. The marine layer was beginning to burn off, revealing the handful of oil derricks off the coast between here and Catalina. It was 10 am and the pier was already lined with fishermen and crowded with tourists; the beach was beginning to fill with sunbathers, and surfers lounged on their boards in the waves, all of them looking west toward the incoming swells. To the north I could barely make out the tall buildings in Long Beach through the haze. The highway was lined with cars and SUVs from Nevada and Arizona; families were unloading their towels, coolers, and beach essentials on the sidewalk, preparing for a day on the Pacific. (Sometimes I forget I live a few blocks from an ocean.) It was a calm, peaceful, and relaxing stroll.
I turned down 17th Street. As I was crossing Orange when I saw a beat-up Chevy Blazer speeding toward the intersection. It honked and people screamed at a group of bicyclists. The Blazer reached the stop sign just as I was walking across the lane. The horn sounded a couple times and the people inside screamed at me.
“Yeah! US of A!” “AMERICA!” “USA!”
My thoughtful trance was shattered.
I had the urge to kick out the Blazer’s headlights. I wanted to give those assholes the finger. Fuck them! But I didn’t do anything. I just kept walking.
I hate it when people yell at me as they drive by. Teenagers in Orange County — and even some immature adults — love targeting pedestrians; they can belittle and harass them and get away quickly. It gives them great power to taunt me, call me names, then drive away. It really pisses me off.
As odd as it sounds, I realized once that these infantile acts are almost a perfect analogy for US militarism and the anti-American sentiments of terrorists. The yelling and taunting is arrogant and disrespectful behavior. The cocksuckers who target pedestrians exhibit a superior and egoistic disregard for others; they don’t care what they do to others as long as it’s entertaining. And their targets? Some may blow it off as harmless antics, but people like me develop a deep hatred and bitterness. My anger builds each time I’m targeted. I want revenge.
Needless to say, the encounter with the Blazer pissed me off. It got me thinking, too: can someone tell me why this country is worth screaming and cheering about, other than the fact that it’s ours? Every nation in the world has its own nationalist sentiments, but why should I believe the good ol’ “US of A” is better than any of the others? The advantages over living in China, North Korea, or Afghanistan are obvious; we don’t need to talk about that. But what about other democracies? Canada? Sweden? Norway? France? Belgium? Denmark? The Netherlands? Germany? Switzerland? Austria? Australia? New Zealand? The UK? Japan? Ireland? Basically, the life and liberty we enjoy in the US are no better than those in many other nations, and even in most states. Why should I wave Old Glory and not the Flag of the State of Iowa, which features the words “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.” Old Glory doesn’t say shit about liberty or rights.
So will I go tomorrow? Might as well. It’ll be my last Fourth in HB, so I should just to see it. Everyone else can yell and scream. I’ll just sit back and watch, silent, knowing there’s nothing to be that excited about. It’s my country, and it could be better.
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