I’m glad I’m here in Boston on the 4th of July. I’m glad I’m reminded of the Revolutionaries who fought against the status quo, however imperfect they were, who fought for equal rights for all. I think all the time about how our forefathers created an idea of American Identity that included a sense of humor. Samuel Adams Paid children to harass the British by following them around and tugging on their coats just to drive them nuts. Benjamin Franklin once said, “In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” He also said, “Fart Proudly.”
One of my all time idols is Kurt Vonnegut – typical, I know. After all, what modern English literature enthusiasist doesn’t worship his work? And for that I say, “Fuck You. I bet you haven’t read Kurt Vonnegut the way were are supposed to.”
Forgive me for saying that I love Vonnegut more than you but I myself can remember specifically where I was when I read certain writiings of his. I remember being on the PCC campus reading “Slaughterhouse Five.” I remember getting to the last page of “Breakfast of Champions” then flipping back to page one to read it all over again. I remember waiting in line for a Easter Ham at Honeybaked while reading “Welcome to the Monkey House.” And I remember being at home, after a long day of working at the office, reading more of his works, where Vonnegut wrote,
”Socialism” is no more an evil word than ‘Christianity.’ Socialism no more prescribed Joseph Stalin and his secret police and shuttered churches than Christianity prescribed the Spanish Inquisition. Christianity and socialism alike, in fact, prescribe a society dedicated to the proposition that all men, women, and children are created equal and shall not starve.”
AND
”I am a humanist, which means, in part, that I have tried to behave decently without any expectation of rewards or punishment after I’m dead.”
AND
”Humanists believe that human beings produced the progressive advance of human society and also the ills that plague it. They believe that if the ills are to be alleviated, it is humanity that will have to do the job. They disbelieve in the influence of the supernatural on either the good or the bad of society, on either its ills or the alleviation of those ills.”
I remember pondering these words and mulling them over and over…thinking about the broad stroked, effectively marketed feelings that have been attached to “socialism” in my lifetime, i.e., socialism = communism = anti-american. However, Vonnegut was one of the most American sons a-bitches I’ve ever known. I remember thinking to myself, “Well, he’s just a writer. He has the convenience of being a dreamer. He never thinks about the practical aspects of policy.”
But then I grew up. And labels don’t mean shit, anymore. Because ideas are what have always made my life better, not labels…
We live in a weird time. Many are predicting we have reached the apex of American dominance in the world and we are starting to trend downward. Frankly, I could give two shits about that, too – because there is so much more that America has yet to accomplish – and being the most dominant power in the world might not be the biggest priority for her…in a literal sense, anyway.
What I’ve always loved about this country – that no other country can provide – are the ideals it has mainly strived for since the beginning. BIG IDEAS. Ideas aren’t perfect. Aren’t automatically achieved. I firmly believe that our Constitution is more significant than the Bible – yet the civilization that we built on this contract of ideals isn’t even 300 hundred years old. We need to let it breath. We need to keep thinking on it, changing it. Let it evolve. It takes time, patience, vigilance, humor.
But during these times we live in right now, where every-men are prone to subscribe to cynical practicality merely because the limits of their imagination can’t frame anything better – I find myself thinking about the dreamers. The Revolutionaries. The Tavern Crawlers spreading their ideals. And I’ve concluded, ”Hey, I’m just a dumbshit screenwriter! Why the fuck do I have to figure out the ins and outs of solving the nation’s problems? Most of the chuckleheads out there espousing their opinions don’t really know jack-shit about what they’re talking about anyway! That’s for the politicians I elect to figure out…SHIT, I’M ALLOWED TO DREAM!”
A dream of mine: the “Boston Massacre” was how we as a nation describe the shooting deaths of merely five individuals. Five! FIVE! Therefore, according to historical parameters we’ve been fucking riddled with massacres for quite some time at the hands of our own people recently. In the spirit of American patriots throughout time, LET’S FIGHT BACK AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!” Let’s end the massacres. Let’s fix the problem. Let’s dream about something better and give it a try.
Listen, I don’t want to get into a laundry list of how I think this country can improve…but I don’t think it’s a secret that what separates the USA from any other country in the world are all the possibilities for freedom… I guess I just feel that there is a large contingent of people who feel like this country is already perfect – who also feel that if one points out and fights to change the imperfections then they aren’t patriots. To that I call bullshit. Think Samuel Adams. Think Boston Tea Party. Think Benjamin Franklin. They were all told that the status quo was best and they insisted that they were fundamentally wrong. This is a messy, crazy democracy. This is a land of dreamers and promise. And anyone who tells me how and when I should love this country can kiss my ass. There are too many people who put their hands on their hearts and harmonize the national anthem because they think it makes them better people, instead of actually reflecting – asking the themselves -about what it all means. What it ALL means. We don’t need any more blind patriotism – because it isn’t real. It’s not individualism, it’s mindless subscription.
I will relish the most sacred document ever created by mankind and express my loyalty how I deem fit. And this is what separates America from any other country in history – because Americans can do that without persecution. WITHOUT PERSECUTION. And because I choose to practice my affection for my country this way, I’m the most American Son of a Bitch you will ever know.
So while I’m in Boston during this 4th of July I will reflect on how much I completely love this fucking country. And how much better it could be. And how much sweeter it would be if my immigrant wife and inter-racial daughters didn’t feel threatened by over-simplified sentiments from over-simplied people. And I’ll ask myself what can I personally do to make it better. And who I can vote for to bring my dreams into reality.
I simply can’t think of a more American way to be.