No, I'm not anti-patriotic.
What irks me is that we almost never hear the words "Independence Day". We are not celebrating the fact that a specific day on the calendar happened to come up again. We are celebrating that on that day, 233 years ago, a certain event took place. The thirteen colonies, after a month of wrangling and delaying tactics, finally agreed to a resolution in favor of independence from Great Britain, and then to a statement of the reasons for taking that step.
Yet, in newspapers across the country, on radio and television, you see, read, or hear such things as "4th of July Events"; "Come early for the 4th of July parade"; "Sale on the 4th"; "Celebrations of the 4th"; ad nauseum. It seems we have barely remembered what we celebrate on this day and why.
Oh, I know that "4th of July" takes a whole lot less characters than "Independence Day" in a headline, and one less syllable when spoken. That allows print and broadcast media to have a smidgen more space or air time to print or write something else.
But doggone it, I don't celebrate the 4th of July. I celebrate Independence Day. I look forward to a time when our country does so again.
Oh, I wrote an article at Suite101.com about the debates leading up to the original Independence Day. Check it out here.
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2 comments:
Dave, as you know and fondly recall from time to time, Rhode Islanders were two months ahead of the Declaration with their own act of defiance - the burning of the British revenue cutter, Gaspee, and the shoot of its captain a posteriori (pun intended).
No debate; action instead.
Unfortunately, most of the latter day citizens do not celebrate it, although there is a little parade and a mock burning of a cardboard replica no bigger than an office desk on a Saturday in June (wrong month). The kids have fun, but have no understanding of what's going on.
And of course, my grandson was born on Rhode Island Independence Day.
I never fail to greet someone on May 4th with "Happy Rhode Island Independence Day." Most people think I'm nuts.
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