The more ostentatiously people display devotion or virtue, the less I am convinced. That applies to any popular fervor, from religious revivals to political demonstrations. A casserole, quietly carried to a sick neighbor, conveys far more Christian spirit than any wailing confession of sins on Sunday morning. Invisible trustees who maintain their village cemeteries, without pay or thanks, reveal a community fidelity that no politician can simulate by decorating veterans’ graves for a photo opportunity.
Ostentation has brought me to hate the Fourth of July. It’s the insincere commercialization that offends me, rather than the parades. My beef is not with the American Legion, where my father and I were both members, but more with the Chamber of Commerce: Chamber proxies drove a hefty increase in town funding for “patriotic purposes,” for the obvious ulterior motive of luring business patrons. Only a few years ago, every veteran on the budget committee voted against that appropriation, only to have our patriotism impugned by a transient huckster at town meeting.
Hahaha, this is the most "You kids get off my lawn!" missive I've read in a while.
The writer presumes to define the only proper and appropriate way to celebrate patriotism and the Fourth (in case you missed it, it's HIS way). The truth is, celebrations of Independence Day have, since 1777, included gun and artillery salutes, fireworks, parades, speeches, and music. They have NEVER been "quiet and invisible" as his first paragraph rhapsodizes.
The author might also be tone-deaf vis-a-vis tone-deafness. A common plight of isolated, older, pseudo-intellectuals. Disapproving of paths the country has taken, systems the country has established, and advocating for their change is as much the pinnacle of patriotism as loud boisterous Fourth celebrations. The absolute definition of love of country. LIterally embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It's right in there. Time for a re-read, perhaps.
I don't imagine anyone, at this point could get someone this confused to think more deeply about things like conflating tearing down (any) statues with erasing history and destroying the republic (American revolutionaries tore down a statue of King George, and somehow, miraculously we still remember England, the Revolution, and George himself. Miraculous!). I guess we can take comfort in the fact that people have been saying the end is near, since the beginning. So it's pretty unlikely that Bill's dire diagnosis and implied prognosis is any more accurate than any of his predecessors.
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Hahaha, this is the most "You kids get off my lawn!" missive I've read in a while.
The writer presumes to define the only proper and appropriate way to celebrate patriotism and the Fourth (in case you missed it, it's HIS way). The truth is, celebrations of Independence Day have, since 1777, included gun and artillery salutes, fireworks, parades, speeches, and music. They have NEVER been "quiet and invisible" as his first paragraph rhapsodizes.
The author might also be tone-deaf vis-a-vis tone-deafness. A common plight of isolated, older, pseudo-intellectuals. Disapproving of paths the country has taken, systems the country has established, and advocating for their change is as much the pinnacle of patriotism as loud boisterous Fourth celebrations. The absolute definition of love of country. LIterally embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It's right in there. Time for a re-read, perhaps.
I don't imagine anyone, at this point could get someone this confused to think more deeply about things like conflating tearing down (any) statues with erasing history and destroying the republic (American revolutionaries tore down a statue of King George, and somehow, miraculously we still remember England, the Revolution, and George himself. Miraculous!). I guess we can take comfort in the fact that people have been saying the end is near, since the beginning. So it's pretty unlikely that Bill's dire diagnosis and implied prognosis is any more accurate than any of his predecessors.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.