You might have noticed that in the title, I didn't say, "Happy Birthday, USA". That's because on July 4, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was commemorated, there were still the 13 Colonies; of which began the process of officially formulating what we now know as the United States of America. It began with Delaware on December 7, 1787 and has so far concluded with Hawaii on August 21, 1959. Therefore, while Wikipedia may infer the establishment of the USA on that date, that is not entirely accurate, as I have stipulated previously.
While this may be a happy time for some Americans, it wouldn't surprise me if it is also a somber reminder for many of us of the severe defrancising of Native Americans, that continued during the entire development of this country, and carries on to this day. This is not to trivialize the enslaved Africans, the migrant Latinos and the marginalized Asians, among many others who laboured here to the benefit and in the name of industry. One could argue that if it weren't for what happened, future immigrants seeking a better life wouldn't be able to realize and capitalize on a true system of enterprise. Valid as this point is, it doesn't change our country's dark past.
[Side note: The misnomer of Native Americans being called "Indians" as a common place term, to the point where even many have considered themselves as such, is the engineering of undercurrent hypnotism; designed to further psychologically oppress the conquered. This has nothing to do with being politically correct. Someone took a wrong turn, did not end up in India, and called the natives by the wrong name.]
I'm not saying don't enjoy the 4th of July. As long as it is done in a way that doesn't hurt others and our planet, I'm cool with that. How do I feel about this holiday? In the risk of sounding unpatriotic, this is one of my least favourite times of the year. Who wants to be woken up all night to the sound of fireworks, right? If anything, there should only be a spectacular fireworks show, conducted and organized by various cities across the country, thus keeping people safe and mitigating air and noise pollution. So far, it appears the only folks that are concerned are the fire department, the medical sector, the environmentalists, and people like me, who want to get a good night's sleep (along with, of course, concerns of our planet and our mental health). Just don't point fingers when Lunar New Year comes around; that would be an ethnocentric double standard.
AMOR FATI
Thank you and good night.
P.S. The photo to the right was the actual carefully selected model for the Statue of Liberty, of which the sculpture was dedicated to the USA from France on October 28, 1886; over a hundred years after the Declaration of Independence.
