One of my new friends and online collaborators, Carl Mason, made an observation this morning:
And, sadly, that sentiment, that feeling, rings true.
“Notice the absence of the 4th of July? It’s barely a conversation!“
This is the only year, since I’ve been alive, where a few people have confided in me… that they feel skittish, or anxious, about displaying their support of this holiday.
No flag, no fireworks, no gathering friends to watch Independence Day starring Will Smith, etc.
Just a sheepish hum in the background… ‘As if’ being USA-patriotic might offend somebody (0h heavens no. Donnnnn’t dooooo thaaaaat).
What’s happening, I think, is that a growing minority feel that being a flag-waving patriot is akin to making some kind of weird-ass “statement.”
Carl continues…
“They are replacing the national anthem at NFL games. There are talks of a new American flag. They have destroyed most symbols of the past. They have grabbed so many freedoms. It truly is as if we are to be ashamed, like we have been nothing but tormenting racists and we are too stupid to manage our own freedom.
“We’ve surrendered in a war we didn’t even have the smarts as a society to know we where fighting.”
I’m not here to dampen your day today. Just, instead, to cajole you to put some sincere consideration in what is being observed above, including what Mr. Stossel is saying about it in the linked video.
On a complete other note: If the mechanics of content-publishing online is holding you back from sharing your value to the world, even if that “world” means your close friends and your family, then you’re in luck.
I have a no-brainier solution for you to implement. Show ‘n tell here: