this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
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I was talking to one of my friends and he mentioned staying home on July 4, citing how there are a lot of really ugly things going on in the US.

After thinking about this myself, I'm starting to feel the same way. Instead of being proud of the country, I'm feeling like I'm just another wallet that companies and the government are trying to suck all the money out of.

The cost of living is going up, the housing market is a nightmare, I don't feel very confident in our government at all, the job market is a nightmare...

I think I'll be staying home this year too... anyone else?

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 6 points 7 hours ago

Call for independence from everything GOP and Trump on July 4th?

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 14 points 10 hours ago (3 children)

Patriotism leads to nationalism and racism. Fuck patriotism.

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[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 14 points 10 hours ago

What, exactly, should I be proud of?

A nation that is moving backwards on human rights, increasing wealth inequality, and got really “mask off” about supporting genocide. A nation that is inherently dysfunctional and wreathed in corruption.

[–] shark_phenomenon@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Unless a large protest is happening in my city, I'm not planning to be outside on July 4.

[–] reddit_sux@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago
[–] misteloct@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 8 hours ago

I still have hope, until I am forced to emigrate I won't be giving up on us. This country at one point saved my ancestors from doom, I believe it can again. It's actually the "America sucks" crowd we need the most. In the words of AOC: resist, make them make us.

[–] linrilang@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

Yeah… feels like the meaning behind the holiday has been completely lost. It’s hard to celebrate when so many people are struggling with basic things like housing and healthcare.

[–] SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 8 hours ago

I’ll be staying home this year. There is nothing to celebrate. At this point I’d rather watch it all burn down.

[–] RadioFreeArabia@lemmy.cafe 34 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Obama was the last president that made me believe the US was trending towards progress. He proved to be a let down on many issues but I was still hopeful that the next president will be better. On many issues the country seemed to be heading in the right direction, there was even a plan for a national high speed rail network.

[–] reddit_sux@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

He seems to be the pinnacle of US presidents. It has only been going down since him.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 38 points 15 hours ago

I haven't felt patriotic for July 4 since I was a teenager. And I grow more aliented every year.

[–] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 6 points 10 hours ago

I haven't been necessarily patriotic for a long time because why pledge allegiance to a single nation? The only reason I really care about July 4 is the fireworks. It's more tradition than anything that I see them.

Anyways, both of his terms make me feel vindicated in not being patriotic in a country.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

I'm kinda the opposite, but I have the same reasons. I love where I live, I just wish they'd do better and I do what I can to help. I don't need to wave a flag, people can see where I stand by what I do. If that's not patriotism I don't know what is.

[–] Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world 5 points 10 hours ago

Oh goodness no. America has fallen, what the fuck does July 4th mean.

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 32 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

What the fuck would I have to be proud of? The US has been on a downward trend for a long time and that's accelerating

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 9 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah but before, we could eat BBQ and blow off fireworks and pretend like America is going to fix itself.

Literally nobody I know is doing a cook out.

We have some scheduled on July 12th.

[–] Jmsnwbrd@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

What's July 12th?

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 13 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

I've never felt patriotic. It's not like I chose to be here and, frankly, the more I learned about the rest of the world, the more I dislike about my own home.

Also fireworks are boring af unless you're manipulating them to be more dangerous and blowing things up. Like hammering down a whistler and tossing it into a porta potty where an ICE agent is taking a shit.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 100 points 19 hours ago (17 children)

Not being American I always found the whole thing very creepy. Like, North Korean military parade-creepy.

For the record, we don't have anything like that where I'm from, but the closest things we do have are also very creepy. Patriotism in general is extremely not cool, honestly.

[–] t_berium@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

Patriotism is the little sibling of nationalism, and the boundaries are fluid. I will never understand why people are proud of other people's accomplishments and make them their own. Or is it because people were shat on somewhere else in the world than everyone else? Makes absolutely no sense.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 67 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I screencapped this many moons ago on Reddit, I feel that it's apropos

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[–] moonlight@fedia.io 25 points 18 hours ago (4 children)

As an American I never really liked the holiday, (I agree patriotism sucks) but I wouldn't say it's that it really feels creepy other than the few people who really go over the top with it. Most people just use it as an excuse to barbeque and watch / light off fireworks (which I'm just personally not into)

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.

[–] Jmsnwbrd@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Look up why the pledge was incorporated in the first place. It was a scheme to sell small American flags and the pledge was made up to go with the flags. Once it was implemented in the classroom - profits were staggering. There was a SCOTUS ruling years ago that the pledge does NOT have to be done in the classroom, but most still do. I do not partake in my classroom and do not tell kids that have to. I do however tell the kids to be respectfully quiet while others do (if they wish).

[–] amelia@feddit.org 0 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

I appreciate that you don't tell kids that they have to participate, but honestly, even telling the others to be "respectfully quiet" seems a bit odd to me.

A democratic state is something you pledge allegiance to by actively participating, by making use of your democratic rights and by putting energy into building and shaping the system we all live in. That's what democracy is meant to be, a system of all people working together and valuing the needs and opinions of others, working out the best solutions for everyone through discourse. It's not a religion or a god that you pray to in silence, that's a bit absurd, isn't it?

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 19 hours ago

It's rooted in all that "American Exceptionalism" propaganda crap, for sure.

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[–] DearMoogle@lemmy.today 16 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

I think that’s normal considering everything going on.

By the way, I live in the CA bay area. Interestingly I went grocery shopping today and no kidding -I felt like I was in a small town in the midwest or something. I looked around and it was mostly older white people shopping, like you couldn’t help but notice. I told my bf, wtf are we in Idaho or something lol this doesn’t feel like the bay area?

I think there’s a combination of people being tired of increasing inflation and burnt out by the barrage of shit going on in the news. I don’t imagine minorities, particularly immigrant families are feeling very patriotic right now. Or people are straight up worried about ICE kidnappings. Which by the way, I heard from a neighbor that ICE has been walking into the hospital she works at and waiting outside to snatch people. Terrible…

[–] grue@lemmy.world 13 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I'm surprised there aren't massive protests scheduled for July 4.

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 12 hours ago

I believe there are

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 14 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Going to be spending the 4th building guillotines in my garage

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 12 hours ago

Can I help?

[–] BassTurd@lemmy.world 44 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Celebrating America hasn't been something to be proud of since before 2001. We had a couple of high points during Obama, but nothing that tipped the scales.

I'm personally disgusted by this place, and anytime I see someone with an American flag anywhere on their person or property, I immediately assume they're a conservative and I think lesser of them. I know that this isn't a reality, but that is what the American flag means to me, and I assume quite a few others.

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 10 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

The people who complain the loudest about disrespecting the flag are the same people who ruined it in the first place.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 8 points 14 hours ago

Burning it in a discarded toilet next to a truck stop is less disrespectful than this.

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[–] HasturInYellow@lemmy.world 16 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

Absolutely like that for me. Or Christians. If I know you're a Christian within 15 min of meeting you, we are not going to be friends.

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[–] hperrin@lemmy.ca 4 points 12 hours ago

I’m very proud to be a Californian. I’m utterly embarrassed to be an American.

[–] zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

No. Though I'm not American which may impact that

[–] Doom@ttrpg.network 7 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

that's really unamerican of you

[–] zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 11 hours ago
[–] SpicyTaint@lemmy.world 48 points 20 hours ago (4 children)

It's been decades since I've cared about the 4th as an actual holiday. Now it's just a day that I don't have to work.

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[–] hardcoreufo@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago

It's been almost 20 years since I felt patriotic. I mostly just comfort the dog and hope the yahoos don't accidentally burn my house down.

[–] Doom@ttrpg.network 3 points 11 hours ago

I grew up with smart parents. We were never patriotic, this country has sucked for decades

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 11 points 16 hours ago

Same I will be working on the 4th so I’ll just be making good hoilday pay while most of my trump supporting coworkers will be celebrating the downfall of this country. Fuck this shit, fuck everyone who is onboard with the current situation of this country. Stay safe everyone.

[–] GrayBackgroundMusic@lemmy.zip 19 points 18 hours ago

Havent felt proud to be an American in a long while. I'm proud of loving thy neighbor as myself, not lining the pockets of billionaires. I hate that I'm powerless to do much. Representative democracy? My ass. No one represents me. They're all aristocrats. "it's one banana, Michael. What could it cost, $10?"

I'm not bitter about it at all. /s

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