I am probably using the word "manifesto" incorrectly, but nonetheless....
It's independence day, which is in its most simplest form, the day we celebrate that time way back when those old rich white guys who wore wigs and whose name most 12th graders in prestigious high schools don't know signed this bill and pretty much told another old rich English white guy wearing a wig to go fuck himself and that we were going to form our own country without his stupid tea, taxes, and with more kick ass things like fireworks and snowblowers. America, FUCK YEA!
And okay, maybe now it's more like a country that destroyed its Native Population, systematically destroyed it's non-white population, is run by an oligarchy of very very rich old white guys, is in currently in two semi-failing wars, with a giant oil spill, infiltrated with crappy pop music, reality shows that create heros and heroines outta steroid injecting alcoholics, and a population that is either wildly apathetic and cynical or completely crazy, unrealistic, and every sort of 'ist and 'ic you can think of (homophobic, racist, agist, sexist, fill in with your own ____ism).
But let's take a step back here......back to those guys in wigs and that bill they signed and all that nonsense and what it really means....
America, in a sense, is kind of like it's evil enemy Communism. It sounds good on paper, but often the execution of it becomes rather sloppy and piss poor and you end up having a lot of pissed off and disappointed citizens. Imagine if you will a country in which every man/woman equally has the right to pursue their own ideals of happiness however they see fit to do so regardless of minor differences like the color of their skin and the neighborhood they grew up in. I can't lie...that sounds pretty badass. And sure, capitalism may have definitely has set us back a while in making this an absolute reality, but even within this screwed up system there is still room for the fight towards making it better, something that not many other systems allow for. And yeah sometimes that fight gets digested into the 'ist and 'ic ideology, but it's still there! Some even argue that the goal of capitalism is to create a society in which the rich and those with the most work hard to help give back to those with least, in order to enrich society and the working class which will ultimately lead to an overall efficient country. We just haven't done a great job of doing that yet....
Look, I have every reason to hate this country. I'm a queer woman of color. My sister is somewhere in the middle east dodging mortars and bombs for a cause I nor she really understands. My college education is gonna set me back close to 40,000 dollas in debt, and despite all the smartness and privilege I do enjoy, I still have to assure the white men and women I encounter in my hometown that my name is not Sha'qwana and I don't wear weave.
But despite all that, I have a lot of faith in this place. I mean, I definitely know it's going to shit. But I do know that despite all the nasty things out there and the terrible effects greed and a lack of understanding of universal humanism is having on this country, that we as the little guys still have so much power to change it all. if we only realized it.
So I say to you, YOU, out there. You dissenters and cynics...follow a few steps to have a happier 4th of july.
1- If you are really upset about this oil spill and how much damage it's causing the entire ecosystem and environment of the golf coast---shut the fuck up, stop driving, stop using plastic, and stop buying half of the clothes, food, home items, and electronics that you buy.
Not gonna do that? That's okay, I didn't think so. Just stop whining and embrace the Armageddon you have willingly participated in.
2- If you do want to do something about huge energy companies destroying the Earth and in particular our own country, check out the film 'Gas land'. Find some more information about it by reading my write up on it and watching the trailer here.
3- We can't stop the wars or the massive amounts of money going into them, but we can do something to help those that our government is failing to help. If you're concerned about deficits in spending on education, the environment, and the arts, find a way to get connected to organizations that are trying to improve these areas within your own community. We can't always rely on a rockstar President to fix everything. Nor can we think that just because we got off of our sofas and put 'Jersey Shore' on pause for an hour to go flip a yellow switch and vote that we did all our civil duties. And citizens of this utopia gone bad, we have to take an active part in healing and helping each other. That's the room and freedom that has been granted to us by those old wigs, let's use it.
4- Finally, stop turning your brain into mush. Don't let your kids live off a diet of McDonalds. Do some exercising. Take a walk in your local park with your family. Support local artists and independent musicians. The internet is the miracle tool that has come to give you CHOICES people. And educated ones at that! We don't have to be stuck with the banal and mindnumbing anymore! Fight for your rights to not become the apathetic vegetables this country needs in order for nothing to get better.
5- Finally, go watch some fireworks. Or blow something up. At least you'll feel a little better.
Happy Fourth of July!
Cheers to a country that sucks at soccer and gay rights!
That much more to look/work towards....or something like that.
