Happy 4th of July weekend from Grodence Paquado!

The 4th of July this year is very special, since it marks 250 years since Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, declaring our separation from England and proclaiming ourselves the United States of America. Unfortunately, there isn’t universal harmony and joy in this country on this significant day. Numerous events and actions by our government over the past few years have angered wide swaths of Americans and have made them think that our country is changing for the worse. In fact, a recent Gallup Survey showed the percentage of people that are proud to be American has been declining in recent years, especially amongst Democrats.

While I am a Democrat myself, I am not ashamed to be American. Part of this is due to me significantly cutting back on national news consumption, which I said I would do in the first post I wrote after the 2024 elections. This means that while I am aware of different policies enacted by the current administration and elected Republican officials across the country, I purposely do not fully read the details about those actions¹. Perhaps if I looked under the hood, as the expression goes, I would be more apprehensive. Knowing full well that I am sort of above it all, I will explain why I am proud to be an American Citizen.
 

I am proud because I know that the character of the United States of America is more than any of its public officials.  For starters, it is the vast beauty and variety of our landscape.  America’s natural terrain includes well known features like the Rocky Mountains, the Great Lakes, and the Everglades.  The terrain also includes lesser known, but equally distinct features like the Hill Country in central Texas, the barren landscape where the 36^th President Lyndon Johnson grew up and lived and Lake Placid in upstate New York.  Unlike the Netherlands for example, which is mostly farmland, or Switzerland, which is all mountainous, the United States has deserts, vast areas for farming, tundra’s, forests, and picturesque ocean coastlines. 

The character of this country is also its sports.  In American Football, The Super Bowl has become an almost unofficial American holiday, as millions of people get revved up for, talk about, and watch that game.  Our professional Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Golf, and other sports league feature athletes that entertain and impress us with their talent.  It is notable that international athletes in all kinds of sports come to United States to compete professionally or even on the collegiate level, because a lot of the best sports programs in the world are in America.

The character of this country is also the quirkiness and unique features of our municipalities, like suburban Windsor Connecticut where I live, big cities like New York and Chicago, and small rural towns like Stratton, Vermont.  In addition, despite the current administration’s aversion to this term, the character of the United States is defined in the diversity of it’s citizens.  American citizens are Caucasian, African American, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, various sects of Christianity like Catholic’s and Presbyterian, Sikh’s, and many other religions, identities, and creeds (even Satanists!)  Perhaps it is my own biased view as an American, but I can’t easily image the citizens of Australia, Germany, or Spain for example as being as diverse as those of America².

I am also proud to be an American, because what we do on the world stage, for better and for worse matters.  In news media around the world, there is plenty of talk and coverage of the policies of this Administration, something that is not the case for Brazil or India for example.  Leading up to the 2024 election, everyone was anxiously awaiting who would be elected President, because whatever policies an American government enacts affect everyone in the world.  I certainly oppose most foreign policy decisions by this Administration, but the fact of that everyone care’s about America’s decisions fills me with some pride.

Finally, I am proud to be an American because even with all its virtues and flaws, it is my home.  Happy 4^th of July weekend everyone!

1. This probably makes me MORE proud to be an American. ↩︎
2. I know that there is diversity in every country, it’s that me personally, it’s just easier to image American’s being all shape’s and sizes. ↩︎