July 4th
We don’t. We don’t July 4th. Not much anymore. I have mixed feeling, since living in Saudi and having gone thru the Trump years. For us the flag is now associated with the conservative “big lie” Republicans. Sure enough, we ran into a bunch in our conservative town on this day back years ago. Frankly, it’s sickening. Rah rah. Democracy is demonized and the flag never felt more like the connotation of “love it or leave it.” I don’t feel much like a part of that “gang.” When did America stop opening its arms to the “tired, poor, and huddled masses? It’s just so hard to cling to any hope. Colleen is an optimist. She will never give up believing in “good.” I will do so because she is my hope.
photobackstory 
I totally relate.
For most of my life I was intensely patriotic and would shed a tear or two anytime the national anthem was sung. I used to always have an American flag hanging outside or on display inside. The fireworks on the Fourth were as deeply anticipated as Christmas for me.
But then many years ago – long before the last administration – so many symbols that I loved and identified with as a moderate American began to be hijacked by extremist groups on both sides that I was horrified and repulsed by.
And now? I’ve put away my flags. I avoid listening to the national anthem (well, except for Whitney Houston’s version of The Star-Spangled Banner). And we also stay home on the Fourth these days.
Both of us still dearly love our country, but we’re both disturbed and deeply concerned about the extreme divisive directions everything is going.
July 4, 2021 at 11:26 am
The New York Times did an article apropos to this very subject. I was born in the USA and grew up on John Wayne heroic WW II movies. I love this country. There is nowhere better despite Colleen’s wish to move to Scotland. Nowhere else, period. And, I feel uncomfortable standing next to someone waving the flag nowadays. I am indeed sad that we have come to this. We are not destined to find sanity when so many embrace the big lie and will continue to do so for a very long time to come. Despite all of this, all the best to you, Happy 4th.
July 4, 2021 at 1:12 pm