An Independent View on the 4th of July

Celebrating the freedom of constructive criticism.

(Source: piqsels)

I was born in the USA, though I hate that song, and that’s a good metaphor for my thinking and feeling about the United States. I was born there, but I emigrated to Europe in 2012, and though I don’t hate the U.S., I find its brash jingoism distasteful, especially when put to music. I have had a much better life here in Europe, and that becomes more the reality as each year passes by.

I wrote about my evolving attitude toward the land of my birth here:

I Left the U.S. 10 Years Ago. I’ve Never Regretted It.

I don’t subscribe to the ideology that America is evil, but I also don’t subscribe to the ideology that America is the greatest country on Earth. As I wrote last Memorial Day, everyone has a reason and the right to be proud of the country of their birth, but there is a fine line between patriotism and jingoism.