Happy 4th or Whatever...
I hate fireworks.
That's right, I said it. Take all the time you need to process. I feel like that’s somehow become a hot take and I don't understand it one bit. Fifty years from now, I firmly believe we're going to look back at fireworks the way we do now with smoking on airplanes and lead paint on our walls.
“Back when I was your age, we used to launch fireballs out of cardboard tubes at each other! Then when it got dark, your great uncle Rodney would finish his ninth beer of the day and light the wick on an explosive device while the whole family sat way too close and watched it explode in the sky!”
“Wow, that sounds crazy grandpa! Did you need special training or buy them from some kind of expert?”
“Hell no! You bought ‘em from shady roadside pop-up shops that disappeared the next day. You just had to be 18.”
I lost interest in 4th of July celebrations years ago. I will always enjoy a good backyard cookout. But other than that, I could very much do without sitting outside for hours in 90-degree heat waiting until it's dark to watch the same fireworks you've seen since you were five while mosquitoes drain your blood. I know I sound like a grumpy old man shaking his fist at the sky, but it's the truth.
And as Independence Day and the Semiquincentennial approach, I'm not exactly feeling patriotic. Truth be told, I've never been the patriotic type. Don't get me wrong, I respect the hell out of our veterans and everything they do for our nation and always will, but that's about as far as my patriotism extends. I'm sure this'll piss off some folks who read this, but I don't feel as if there's much to be proud of as an American nowadays. Sure, looking back to the bicentennial, we've made some progress. But I feel like we've remained the same in many ways and are actually going backwards as a country in others. Here’s a few unfortunate examples of similarities that we have fifty years later:
Unnecessary Wars
When the Bicentennial occurred, we were fresh out of the Vietnam War. As the 250th rolls around, we find ourselves (allegedly) at the tail-end of the war in Iran. There's obviously no comparison in the way of casualties between today's conflict and the war in Vietnam, but we've once again found ourselves fighting a largely pointless battle that is overwhelmingly opposed by most Americans.
Political Division and Scandal
In 1976, the country was emerging from Richard Nixon’s resignation over The Watergate scandal. In 2026, we have Donald Trump and his involvement in the largely unresolved Epstein files debacle. Both events left Americans with lowered trust in government and our so-called justice system, though there was at least some sense of justice in Nixon’s case.
High Inflation and Rising Costs
The mid-70s were marked by high inflation, rising energy costs and economic uncertainty. Needless to say, the situation is eerily similar today. The cause of today's rising energy costs are largely due to AI data centers and the refusal to embrace modern energy sources, but the similarities remain otherwise. We're also seeing an unprecedented widening of the income gap, just recently witnessing the creation of the world's first trillionaire, which is about as absurd as it gets. No one person should ever possess that much money, as it's just downright unnecessary and the epitome of greed.
On the flip side, here are a few things that differ greatly a half-century later:
A Desire for National Unity
There was a strong push for togetherness in the 70s. That couldn't be further from the truth today. You'd be hard-pressed to think of a more divisive time in America over the last 75 years or so, led by the most divisive president in modern-day history. A man who regularly states his hatred and disgust with the roughly half of Americans who don't agree with his every word, instead of embracing differing stances and opinions like the many respectable presidents that preceded him.
Interest in American History (the real history)
Many Americans claim that they love this country and everything that it stands for, only to turn around and want to erase any mentions of the darker periods in American history. It's not that the rest of us want to walk around with our heads hung low, feeling sorry for ourselves and our past transgressions. It's simply the concept of “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Instead, there's been a push to only remember the happy bits, lift up individuals who fought against equal rights and diminish the accomplishments of minorities. We used to celebrate the fact that we're a nation of immigrants, and now some people view that as a dirty word and want them out of “their” country.
Protests
Coming together and protesting things that you disagree with used to be viewed as one of the most American things one could do, embracing their first amendment right. People turned out in droves to protest against the Vietnam War and in favor of women’s rights, civil rights, Native American rights, LGBTQ rights and the environmental movement. Doing those things today can get you labeled as a traitor and accused of being a paid actor. Thankfully, those reactions haven't stopped people from protesting and voicing their opinions, but it's extremely disheartening to see it nonetheless.
This is a subject that I could go on and on about, but that's enough for today. I'm sure some people will be displeased with this piece, and that's fine. I have absolute confidence that I'm on the right side of history and have no interest in lowering my standards for what should be expected from our president and this country we call home. Maybe I'll be around for the 275th anniversary. Here's hoping we make some progress by then.