Episode 30: Misplaced Patriotism

"Rise to the top of the world/America, America, don't you cry/lift me up/give me strength to press on."

                                         -Imagine Dragons, "America"

I. The Troops

   I will always honor troops and respect the sacrifices they made for our country. Thousands of people gave their lives so we can be free, and it pains me to see people disrespecting that. You're going to enjoy the benefits of free society and judge those who gave it to you?

    This is why I hate people kneeling for the national anthem. By doing that, you are telling thousands of people that the loss of their lives means nothing to you. You are telling veterans and current soldiers that their fight isn't worth your respect. Do I understand being angry about police and/or guns? Yes. Very much so. I will get into that soon. But there are so many better ways to do that. How about do something to actually advocate for and influence change? If you want things to change, you need to stand up. By kneeling, you are, literally, not standing up. You are just being a tool.

     Do I think they should be forbidden from kneeling? No, that is their right to free speech. They have a constitutional right to do that. But I don't like them doing it, and I don't think they should be doing it.

II. The Police

   Throughout all this civil unrest and protests on racial injustice, I have tried to maintain a positive image of the police. I have tried to not stop seeing them as defenders of our society who just have a few bad apples. It's a tricky subject, but with all that's been happening, all the crap I see again and again, it's hard to keep thinking positively about police.

     At the Uvalde shooting, the police went in when they got there, got shot at, and left. They proceeded to sit outside while the shooter continued to annihilate children. The shooter was only stopped when an off-duty border patrol agent had enough balls to run in and do it himself. Distressed parents tried to run in and save their babies, and the police blocked them and even handcuffed some of them. One lady broke free and ran in, saved her two kids from two different classrooms, and saved some faculty too. She then got a call from the police saying to stop telling her story or they would charge her with a crime! If you are not pissed off by this, how are you not?

    Not much later, I saw a video of a cop kneeling on a black woman, similar to what happened with George Floyd. She was pregnant. Not only was he kneeling on her, he was tasing her. On the stomach. The woman miscarried shortly after.

     Now, I'm not one of those people who spouts ACAB and hates the police. I understand there are good cops. But we can't keep ignoring serious racism and ineffectiveness in our police because "there are just a few bad apples."

III. Censoring The Right?

   In these days, even though I'm a registered Democrat, I sometimes find myself listening to right-wing commentators like Matt Walsh and Brett Cooper and agree with what they say. I may be more left-leaning, but there are plenty of ideas the right has that I agree with. I wish people weren't so one-sided and partisan, and that more would see that both sides have good ideas and should be listened to.

    However, a big thing going on these days is the right claiming that they are being censored. That social media giants like Twitter are censoring their voices so only leftist voices are heard. Elon Musk even wants to buy Twitter and ensure complete free speech, just to "own the libs".

    Are conservatives being censored? No. Misinformation is being censored. If you're a conservative and you're spouting misinformation, that's your own fault. If I tweet an article that says that JFK Jr. will come back from the dead and turn every Republican into a giant jellyfish, of course I'm not going to be upset if that gets censored. Because it's a lie. But if I tweet a simple conservative-minded opinion, that should not be censored. And conservative-minded opinions are not censored on Twitter. They are often even atop the trending. Just look at people like Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson. They are rattling off their very right-wing opinions all the time and Twitter does not censor them.

     I'm all for free speech. We should all be able to express our opinions on stuff in whatever forum we choose. But if outright lies are censored, I'm not going to bite my thumb.

IV. Masks, Vaccines, And Guns, Oh My!

     I know we're pretty much out of the pandemic at this point so I might seem a little late to talk about masks and vaccines. But I'm going to anyway. Throughout the mask guidelines, I was very pro-wearing a mask. I wanted the virus to be over. I wanted people to stop dying. So I was willing to deal with the slight inconvenience that is a mask. When the CDC came out and said if you get the vaccine you can stop wearing a mask, I got the vaccine and stopped wearing a mask, except for in places where it was required to. I don't wear a mask at all anymore. But if someone required me to, I would agree to without second thought. Also, please get vaccinated if you haven't already.

    Guns? Oh boy. Listen. I know several people, some of the best people I know, who like guns. I don't think these people, law-abiding citizens, should lose their guns. But some guns should be banned and all guns in general should be made harder to get. There is no reason whatsoever, on God's green earth, that an 18 year-old who is obviously mentally ill should be able to purchase an assault rifle. 

    I know a lot of people, probably even some who will read this blog, might not like me saying this, but it needs to be said: guns are the problem. Well maybe not the problem, but they are without a doubt a problem. Other countries have banned guns or implemented strict gun controls, and mass shooting are a rarity for them, if they even ever happen. I'm sick of seeing other countries fear and mock America for our rate of shootings. I'm tired of seeing memes that compare American schools to battlefields, or saying that American graduates should celebrate by throwing off bulletproof vests instead of caps. We need to ban assault weapons and make getting a gun in general harder to do. Implement more background checks and red flag laws.

V. Misplaced Patriotism

    Hey look, it's the title! Now for the soul of this blog. Today, patriotism is a controversial topic. It seems like everyone either loves America or hates it. But listen: real patriotism is not blindly loving your country and thinking it flawless. Real patriotism is recognizing your country's flaws, and loving it enough to want it to be better. Loving it enough to speak out on its flaws and advocate for change. 

    I love America. I always have and I always will. I still get emotional when I hear "Proud To Be An American". But some of the things America is doing break my heart. It hurts. I want change, and I demand that we be better. For all the flaws America has, think about this:

-You wake up in a bed and have access to entertainment, electricity, plumbing, etc..

-You most likely either go to work or school.

-You are guaranteed the right to express your opinions. Some countries arrest people for speaking their mind, or worse.

-You are guaranteed the freedom to practice whichever religion you choose. Countries in the middle east enforce Islam and punish those who practice a different religion.

-You live in a hub of culture and business, and are clicks away from access to whatever you want.

-You have the right to peacefully protest.

-You live in a beautiful land. Have you seen the mountains? The big cities? The forests? Even the deserts and small towns are beautiful and charming.

-I could go on.

   America is not a bad country. Far from it. So please don't say it is. Please don't live in America and say that you hate it. There are millions of people around the world who would love to be living the life you are.

See you next week!