The Conservative 4th Of July
Conservatives love everything American.
They love the Belgium-owned Budweiser beer. They love their German hot dogs and hamburgers. They love their Chinese fireworks. They immensely enjoy their Egyptian cotton bedsheets. They joyously prepare for their daily workday using Indian-made towels. They proudly drive a Ford automobile created by a first-generation Irish-American. They will gladly use their Korean brand Samsung phone and electronic products. They will happily display photos on their iPhone, created by the child of Syrian refugees. Their takeout food for the week will likely include some combination of Italian, Greek, or Spanish delights. Their children learn Arabic numbers in schools. Their spouses finetune their appearance by utilizing the latest skincare techniques from Brazil. And, their evenings are greatly enhanced by vodka from Mother Russia.
The point here is that as much as conservatives claim to love America, what they love most is the idea that what makes America great is strictly American. After all, they even purchased merchandise proclaiming to Make America Great Again that was, in fact, made in China. But conservatives have never been ones to accurately understand American history. After all, the whole concept behind Make America Great Again was that there was this mythical time that America needed to return to. But when was this time exactly when life was great for everyone? Was life great for the LGBT community during the 1980s? Was life great for people of color prior to the 1950s? Were women content to be disenfranchised prior to 1920? Ask 10 conservatives when exactly America was great and they'll respond with 10 different answers. Because as much as they would deny it, America has become part of that gradual moral arc of the universe that has bent ever-so-slowly toward justice.
This is why conservatives believe what they do. Because to be the party of the status quo, you have to come up with some logical answer as to why you don't want to improve the lives of those who need it. Why you're content to continue systemic injustice. Why you don't want to see expanded rights for vulnerable communities. Why you refuse to address generational inequality. When Republicans are faced with these questions, they revert to their tried and true tactics of claiming fraud when none exists. That's why they're going all-in on voting restrictions because there could potentially be fraud there if they don't tighten up the reins. It's also why they're going all-in on critical race theory because even though it's not being taught in a single American K-12 school, there's the possibility that it could be taught. When you're losing the argument in a rational setting, you simply alter reality to make it fit your distorted worldview.
That's why the current Republican Party thrives off fear. They thrive off xenophobia and racism and bigotry. Cory Booker will take over the suburbs. Antifa attacked the Capitol. Barack Obama is a secret Muslim. All lies, obviously. But all lies rooted in a deep-seated fear of the other. All lies rooted in the idea that those who look different (read: non-White) are out to get us, and by us, they mean White people. There are millions of noncitizens voting. Our children are being taught to hate White people. That same thread of the other wanting a hostile takeover of America is as old as the country itself. It's why America has historically limited immigration for non-White populations. It's why Black Codes and Jim Crow prevented African-Americans from building social and political capital for a century after the end of the Civil War. And it's why small-town bakeries today deny service to the gay couple that simply wants to purchase a cake.
To a conservative, equal rights are not seen as equal but rather as a way to diminish their own rights. They fear that if the other has equal power then they might use that power for retribution. Seeing non-White populations occupy what has traditionally been White spaces unnerves them. That is why we've seen the police called on Black barbecuers, birdwatchers, and children attending pool parties. The idea that Black Americans can now share these public spaces is deeply unsettling to Republicans, who would like nothing better than to return to our segregationist past. They don't want to see people of color succeed, no matter what. After all, it was a verified strategy of the Republican Party to make Barack Obama a one-term president. Republicans would have rather seen the entire country fail than a strong Black man succeed. That alone should tell you how embedded their fear is of non-White power truly is.
While we all saw our conservative friends and neighbors celebrating America's birthday yesterday we need to keep this in mind: what they celebrate is not America. What they celebrate is hate and it is hate rooted in White supremacy. Tell your conservative neighbor that he's drinking a Belgium Budweiser and he would more than likely cuss you out. Complement your conservative uncle's Asian-brand phone and he'll stare you down. Point out to your conservative co-worker that he must be so proud that his son got an A in a class based on Arabic numerals and he would most likely go into a state of rage. Because conservatives are so wrapped up in their White supremacy that they can't see the forest through the trees. They can't see that America is part of a global economy. They can't see that our greatest contributions were made by immigrants, refugees, and people of color. They can't see that increased access to the polls benefits everyone in the community. And they can't see that teaching about America's flaws and its imperfect history is not unpatriotic but rather is the most patriotic thing you can do.
Because of all this, conservatives will never truly understand the true meaning of the Fourth of July.