I’ve known this for a long time but I continue to do my best to operate honorably. I may never be rich or powerful, but I sleep very well at night.

Elon has alienated so many people it’s not clear he would be able to form a consortium of voters big enough to matter.

To break the two-party system we have in the USA, you’d need to have overwhelming numbers, because both the Democrats and GOP have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo regarding the balance of power.

It’s not that easy to get so many traitors to the Union all in one photo. I hope they all have a really crummy time.

My first mouse driver was smaller than the picture you attached to this post

Come to think of it, i guess the US made a perfect system to quell protests; Just make it impossible for people to take time off work, nobody will be able to protest even your most sadistic fascist laws

Correct. Bread, circuses and riot police (optional).

Now for some real North Korea shit, look up videos of the “pledge of allegiance“ in schools. I was always the only one not doing it, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized how fucked up it is. Creepy as hell.

America and North Korea aren’t alone in some kind of pledge for the country, are we? I have a memory of Chinese students doing the same type of thing, but I’m not entirely sure.

I don’t know, it’s kind of like how people like to support their local football team. I think tribalism is somewhat ingrained in our brains. I can’t say it’s entirely logical, but it seems kind of baked-in to people at some level, like a leftover from pre-history.

I hear you and I agree

Not much of a social safety net. Take that much time off work and things are going to get uncomfortable pretty fast. Last I heard, it’s like 1/3 of America that is two paychecks away from losing their housing. It’s sad.

I would like MANA (Make America Nice Again)

I could substitute some other examples but the two most recent events I had attended were those two nationalities / heritage. In the past, it’s been Portuguese, Polish, French, Irish and probably a few more I’ve forgotten.

I think if you want to understand the American view on patriotism, just have a giant crowd of people who rarely, if ever, leave their country, speak only English, are fed propaganda that their country is the best in all areas, has massive problems with education, and then you have the American public.

If you are told your country is the best, are very incurious and are fed propaganda, you will love your country unconditionally. I don’t want to give you the impression that everyone in the country is brainwashed, I’m just trying to convey that at least a percentage of our population honestly believes they live in the best country in the world.

Don’t get me wrong, the USA is still highly developed and has its strengths, but if you look at some (what I believe to be) important statistics like, life expectancy, literacy rate, happiness index, internet speed, press freedom, we sure as hell aren’t #1, but we aren’t in last place either.

It’s been sad to watch science come under increasing criticism instead of developing positively. Just today, a new budget was proposed for the federal government that makes sweeping cuts to quite a few organizations, like the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA (our space agency), and most importantly, the National Science Foundation.

The one thing that I feel good about is even if we drop the ball here in the USA, other countries won’t stand still and will continue to fund and pursue science, technology and education.

The reasons above is why I find it hard to be excited and wave an American flag around on the 4th. Things could be worse but they could be a hell of a lot better too.

To be honest: Sounds like some nazi stuff, at least that would be my first impression if someone did it here.

WTF?? I went to one of these parties with my neighbor and he shared his favorite bratwurst recipe and prepared delicious cabbage dishes for us. How does that relate to Nazis?!? You do realize not every German is a Nazi, right?

If you feel you are just a.cog in a capitalist machine and not a citizen of a country, why would you celebrate?

I do feel like a cog. I don’t feel like a valued citizen – I just feel like some schmuck the administration and/or multinational corporations can siphon money from. The attitude of the USA doesn’t feel like “Let’s work together to make a great place!” Lately, it feels more to me like “Fuck everyone else, I want to get paid!”

It feels almost abusive.

One of the craziest things to me is it’s 100% demonstrable the USA spends some of the most money per person on health care and does not get anywhere close to the top outcomes in health care, but if you ask people on the street, many of them will say USA is #1 in healthcare.

That’s the point where patriotism turns the corner into delusion.

This is just such an odd post for me. I know people that have Nordic or Germanic ancestors and love to celebrate and love that part of their heritage with yearly parties or festivals. Isn’t it a normal human reaction to feel proud of your “tribe”?

I’m not claiming to have invented the USA, and sure, I was just born here. I didn’t land on the moon myself, but I feel proud of the USA when I think about Neil Armstrong doing it.

The USA isn’t all bad, and my life would have had a different track if I was born somewhere else. I think you might be reading too much into it? July 4 isn’t some kind of cult meeting over here where we all chant over the flag and run around in robes. For most people, there’s maybe a parade, a cookout or two, and a day off.

Of all the problems in the USA, people celebrating July 4 or feeling some national pride is way down on my list, and I’d say somewhat typical of people to feel proud about their home.

I don’t fucking care if you’re not into it. Just do it.

What’s the point in doing it if I’m not into it? Who am I doing it for at that point?

I thought about this too. In the past I used to go to protests because I felt that if our leaders saw the protest that they might change their mind about something.

Now, so many of our citizens are so insane, they think you won’t actually protest unless George Soros pays you. I also can’t picture Trump seeing a protest and saying “I think I’ll reconsider…” It feels more futile than ever.

I mean, I’d think of it as like being proud of your home and the accomplishments of the country. That doesn’t seem very odd to me. It’s just that lately, I feel like as a nation we are just making so many mistakes and I feel ashamed, not proud of the country.

I have no enthusiasm to raise the US flag this July 4th, excepting maybe showing it upside down as a sign of distress.

When I think about the US and its future, I just get a sinking feeling and I don’t feel very happy about it. I’m ashamed how far this country has fallen in the past two decades.

Thanks, that works now

This link is broken

I’m ahead of the game – I’ve been alarmed and depressed for months now.