Maybe it's a generational thing. I too had some cognitive dissonance. Chanting "USA!" always strikes me as saying "My country right or wrong" and "We're number one" -- which are both troubling sentiments associated, in my mind, with the right.
It was beautiful to see four of the exonerated five on this national stage. But why wasn't there more overt talk at the convention of our broken criminal justice system?
Agree it was problematic to not allow anyone to say much of anything about the war in Gaza.
On the whole, though, I was heartened to be in the presence (albeit virtually) of a whole arena full of people whose views and hopes I largely share. And so great to see Michelle Obama - no one can match her!
The Former Guy can never undo the damage he did to the lives of the Central Park Five, and he has NEVER apologized. Thank you for remembering their story.
I appreciate your ambivalence; I felt it too. No human is perfect, and neither is any group of humans calling themselves a country. What has caused me despair since 2016 has been the realization that so many Americans no longer affiliate with the effort to make America "live up to the true meaning of its creed."
So I'm clear. Those of us who've fought to make America be what it can be will keep on keeping on. We have no choice.
Wow, your clarity and honesty leave me breathless! I'm just an old lady living on a small pension who doesn't get out much, yet my brain got activated by your words, so deeply rooted in the experience of truth, that called to wake me up and see what you see, what you and so many others have experienced in the "USA!" Some of what you speak of is hinted at when printed and published in papers and magazines; but words cannot replace the true experience of such a large population of this place. Thank you for speaking so brilliantly about it all. I'm thrilled you're now on Substack and I can get a weekly inoculation of reality! "Take care. Be well." ~Maddy
Boy, does this ambivalence ring true for me. I'm white, but I'm a boomer who was part of the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-war protests against Vietnam. As a result I remain leery to this day of embracing words like patriotism, chanting "USA", and flying the flag. It all smacks just a bit too much of the jingoism of old. I understand the reasons behind the convention strategy, and I'm trying to adjust, but I'm thankful to know others are hesitant too.
Maybe it's a generational thing. I too had some cognitive dissonance. Chanting "USA!" always strikes me as saying "My country right or wrong" and "We're number one" -- which are both troubling sentiments associated, in my mind, with the right.
It was beautiful to see four of the exonerated five on this national stage. But why wasn't there more overt talk at the convention of our broken criminal justice system?
Agree it was problematic to not allow anyone to say much of anything about the war in Gaza.
On the whole, though, I was heartened to be in the presence (albeit virtually) of a whole arena full of people whose views and hopes I largely share. And so great to see Michelle Obama - no one can match her!
The Former Guy can never undo the damage he did to the lives of the Central Park Five, and he has NEVER apologized. Thank you for remembering their story.
I appreciate your ambivalence; I felt it too. No human is perfect, and neither is any group of humans calling themselves a country. What has caused me despair since 2016 has been the realization that so many Americans no longer affiliate with the effort to make America "live up to the true meaning of its creed."
So I'm clear. Those of us who've fought to make America be what it can be will keep on keeping on. We have no choice.
Wow, your clarity and honesty leave me breathless! I'm just an old lady living on a small pension who doesn't get out much, yet my brain got activated by your words, so deeply rooted in the experience of truth, that called to wake me up and see what you see, what you and so many others have experienced in the "USA!" Some of what you speak of is hinted at when printed and published in papers and magazines; but words cannot replace the true experience of such a large population of this place. Thank you for speaking so brilliantly about it all. I'm thrilled you're now on Substack and I can get a weekly inoculation of reality! "Take care. Be well." ~Maddy
Boy, does this ambivalence ring true for me. I'm white, but I'm a boomer who was part of the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-war protests against Vietnam. As a result I remain leery to this day of embracing words like patriotism, chanting "USA", and flying the flag. It all smacks just a bit too much of the jingoism of old. I understand the reasons behind the convention strategy, and I'm trying to adjust, but I'm thankful to know others are hesitant too.