Candy Corn Sports… What Happened to Baseball?

by with 9 Comments FeaturedSports

Possibly the most popular, unpopular thing in America is Baseball.

Every year around Halloween, polls are conducted on what’s America’s favorite candy to eat. Oddly, a frequent top choice is candy corn. Candy corn, in my anecdotal experience, is eaten only during Halloween, and after which, mysteriously is absent from the stores and consumption from people. Candy corn is also not a candy in which the masses draw too or crave. It’s not a very popular candy, yet during Halloween, it’s everywhere. You will never see a kid skipping down the street eating candy corn in July, not a chance. So how is it so popular? The same way baseball is popular, it’s ingrained into Americana, but not by choice, by circumstance. I’ll explain.

Circumstance.

Baseball by and large is played without much interruption from other sports. Baseball is synonymous with summer, which is the time of vacations and overall group activities. From work outings to student five dollar night, baseball is an excellent option for group outings on the cheap. For most, that’s about as good as it gets. Unless you’re 55 and a White male, which is the current average demographic for baseball. Football average age demographic is 47, and basketball… 37, basketball is also the second most popular sport in the world, but that’s for later.

Though baseball is still very much popular, it’s not very much liked. The Major League Baseball All-Star game is this week, and more news and attention has been dedicated to Lebron joining the Lakers and where disgruntled San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard might get traded. The sport has become candy corn. Something only good for the special moment – the more enjoyable venture takes precedence once the moment is gone. Just like candy corn is taken off shelves as soon as November 1st hits, baseball is put on the backburner to football as soon as the calendar hits September. The patriotic sport with the most history has largely taken a back seat to the more popular sports of football and basketball.

How did this happen?

  1. Baseball has not embraced the Latin culture of its Latin players.
  2. The pace and the length of the game is the slowest and longest ever in baseball history, aka boring.
  3. The biggest stars of baseball are virtual unknowns outside their respective markets.
  4. Baseball doesn’t even generate funny internet memes.
  5. Baseball is largely absent from talks on social media to the workplace water cooler.

But unlike candy corn, which is relevant for only its “once a year” glory, baseball still has the distinction of being the most successfully solely Black run enterprise in America… the Negro Leagues. Baseball is also a much safer sport than football, and as previously stated a much more cost appropriate sport than basketball to see live.

But with all that being said, baseball has a decision to make… either be candy corn and marked 3 bags for five dollars and liked only as a niche market, or become relevant again and be embraced. If not, all it will be is a place for sales professionals to have “team building” ventures, and while there, only buy expensive beer and talk about if Lebron can lead the Lakers to a championship.

America’s changing… is baseball in fear of being left behind?

Similar Read: A Peak Inside American Sports: Cheers & Protests

What Does LGBT Inclusion Look Like?

by with No Comment FeaturedGen Z

Just a few weeks ago the popular TV show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, hit an all-time high in ratings with its latest season 10 finale. As a member of the LGBT community, it is absolutely amazing to see a show all about drag queens performing so well in mainstream media.

Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race are so important to have in our society today. When a show is centered entirely on an LGBT experience, it gives LGBT youth something to look up to. They can see people like them being portrayed routinely on TV, which has not been a common trend in the past. Not to mention the inclusive nature of the show, in which RuPaul accepts queens of all kinds and encourages them to be unique in order to succeed in the competition.

Representation is so important, especially for children because it helps reassure them of their identity as well as showing them what they can do. For me it is always exciting to see LGBT representation in the media because every instance of it means we’re one step closer to normalizing LGBT culture and communities in our society. 

This most recent season (10) of RuPaul’s Drag Race was particularly exciting for me to watch because the winner actually grew up in my hometown. It was so inspiring to see someone who came from the same place, not only win such a huge competition, but also to be celebrated for his identity and his sexuality. 

This is why representation is so important. To see someone who comes from the same place as you rise to do great things, especially as a member of the LGBT community, is absolutely inspiring. It also gives LGBT youth a positive role model to look up to and shows them that they can be successful in embracing who they truly are.

Representation in media is also helpful because it gives people who may not know or understand the LGBT community an inside look at what it’s really like, and it’s one step closer to normalizing diversity and inclusion in our society. When straight people see LGBT people on TV or in movies, they gain a different perspective, which allows many of them to warm up to the idea of LGBT people. 

With the recent wave of queer representation in mainstream media, shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race and Queer Eye, as well as movies such as Love, Simon and Call Me By Your Name, more and more straight people are getting an inside look at what being LGBT truly means and have become more accepting because of it. I hope LGBT representation continues to grow in mainstream media until it’s completely normalized in our society. 

Turning Blind Eye to Corruption in Criminal Justice System

by with No Comment FeaturedGen Z

“Corrupt cop” seems less like an oxymoron and more like the average American law enforcement officer nowadays. Despite 2018 being the year of exposés of sexual predators in Hollywood, music production, and government, it is unlikely for normal people who hold positions of authority to have their unethical behavior exposed, let alone be fired. Sexual offenders are being exposed and condemned left and right, but criminal justice offenders are being given empty warnings and paychecks.

In the criminal justice system, spotlight cases like those of Meek Mill help shine a light on the injustices that can occur when the traditional power structure hasn’t been or isn’t able to be challenged. Meek was arrested by Philadelphia police officer Reginald Graham in 2007 who then testified against him during trial in 2008 convicting the rapper of drug charges. Despite Meek’s arrest and conviction, the credibility of Graham was questioned during the case as he is a resident on a District Attorney’s Office list of “police officers with clouded credibility.” Not only was Graham’s credibility questioned; but two officers, Walker and Gibson, who were operating under Graham at the time of the arrest, were arrested in 2014 for federal corruption charges and in 2015 for robbing a suspect, respectively. 

Whether or not this clouded credibility affected Meek’s arrest leading to his conviction is unclear, but the fact that the District Attorney keeps a list of corrupt cops is insulting to the freedom and fairness that Philadelphians and Americans across the country deserve. Why do we allow incompetent evil people to run our country by their own accord with no repercussions or push back? Acknowledging the unethical behavior of an officer who carries a gun designed to kill anyone who doesn’t comply and can decide the fate of citizen’s lives is shocking. 

Even more shocking, there are hundreds of cases like these that occur under the radar of the media. Infamous tales of those like Chicago cop Ronald Watts have been widely known in small communities where everyone is familiar with the injustice of the criminal justice system as well as the person who brings the injustice. Notwithstanding the common knowledge of corruption in this community in Chicago, it took until 2018 when Watts had already retired for 32 of his convictions to be thrown out. Although this seems like a well-deserved victory for those working on the Exoneration Project, there is still a need for the examination of approximately 500 convictions Watts made from 2004-2012 alone.

Similar to fairy tales and folklore there are always warnings of the bad men to stay away from, but you never hear about betrayal by someone who is supposed to protect and help grow the community they are a part of. Many Americans are fighting back and not letting this be the story that future generations will grow up listening to. There are many opportunities to right the wrongs done in this world by injustice, and it can start with holding people in positions of power accountable for their actions.

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References:

Gonnerman, Jennifer. (2018). How One Woman’s Fight to Save Her Family Helped Lead to a Mass Exoneration. The New Yorker, May 28, 2018 issue.

Mitchell, Max. (2018). Stakes Rise for Meek Mill as Post-Conviction Hearing Is Set to Open. The Legal Intelligencer, June 15, 2018. 

Was Michelle Obama Wrong?

by with 6 Comments CultureFeatured

In 2016, Michelle Obama left attendees at the Democratic National Convention in awe after finishing her speech in support of Hillary Clinton’s bid for President. A speech that will surely be remembered for decades was highlighted by her now famous moto that has probably been echoed and repeated more than a billion times since…

“When they go low, we go high!” 

In reference to not stooping to the level of a figurative bully, how could anyone regardless of their socioeconomic background or political beliefs disagree? It’s a perfect example to set for our children and followers alike. It’s also a courageous and impressive thing to say regarding an opposition who has taken shots at the legitimacy of your husband’s citizenship and faith, who’s been accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women, and who’s incited violence at his protests… to say the least. I don’t think anyone on the left would’ve faulted Michelle for stooping low. But she didn’t, she stayed high just as she informed and directed millions of people do to that evening in Philadelphia, PA.

Except, there’s one problem.

In reference to the 2016 election, she was wrong… dead wrong. Candidate and soon to be President Donald Trump went low, extremely low… and won. Hillary and Democrats tried to go high, much higher than Trump and his surrogates, and they lost. How did this happen?

Did Hillary run a bad campaign? Maybe

Did FBI Director Comey’s announcement about her emails hurt her campaign? Maybe

We could go on and on about who and what potentially impacted the election. But in the game of politics, can Democrats continue to go high when their opposition is willing to do whatever it takes to win?

Regarding our moral compass, the ramifications of going high have and will continue to cost Dems and their constituents a lot. Countless criminal justice reforms have been rolled back, LGBT protections have been reversed, environmental regulations have been cut, we’ve imposed tariffs on our allies, the Courts upheld his travel ban which could last for decades, he’ll get to nominate another Supreme Court Justice (Kennedy’s resigned – 6/27/18), and Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling which legalized abortion, will likely be on the table in the near future. It hasn’t even been 2 years, and that’s just a few of the going high costs that will hurt Dems for years to come.

So looking back, and looking forward, was going high worth it… when going so low paid off?

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KANYE EXPOSED US

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He had me at Jesus Walks.

Having grown up in an evangelical church, I began exploring my own musical palate outside of gospel music in the late 90s. Like most adolescents growing up in Brooklyn at that time, my ears immediately gravitated to the sweet sounds of hip-hop. So listening to this collision of flavors in gospel and hip-hop music almost instantaneously turned me into a massive Kanye Omari West fan. Two years later I was able to briefly work with Kanye and meet his mother, Donda, on one special evening early in my career.

Over the last fifteen years, I have defended Kanye’s contributions to American culture and interpreted his infamous rants with much aplomb. Most of the time I felt that Kanye and I were kindred spirits and I had the ability to articulate the beauty in his messages. In doing so, I felt connected to one of history’s musical geniuses. Often, I would end my defense of Kanye with a prophetic word saying, “history will view Kanye’s contribution to music more favorably than his contemporaries.”

Having closely followed his career, I know that Kanye mostly engages on social media when he is looking to push a product. So it came as no shock to me that Kanye returned to Twitter with content that would spice things up. However, before spicing things up he was tweeting overwhelmingly positive messages before folks began to pay attention. But in this climate, positivity doesn’t sell.

As is my modus operandi, I put on the full armor of Kanye defenses and prepared for battle. In full regalia I defended Kanye, that is until the salute to Candace Owens knocked off my helmet. But I pressed on, explaining that he merely said that he liked how she thinks. That is until the signed Make America Great Again hat penetrated my shield. Only left with a sword to defend myself, I battled on evangelizing to any left-leaning person that would listen about the framework of our American Democracy. That is until the sword was knocked out of my hand when Kanye basically insinuated that American slavery was a choice that our ancestors made for themselves. Defenseless and fallen to my knees in defeat, I began asking folks, “Why they thought American slavery wasn’t a choice?” The various answers that I received not only invigorated me but exposed the bedsores riddled all over America’s already brittle skin.

The response to the question, “Why wasn’t American slavery a choice?” begins with the fact that slavery was rooted in the Founding Documents of America and backed by the full power of the American legal system and military. Specifically, the iconic Supreme Court Dred Scott v. Sandford case where Chief Justice Taney basically informed Mr. Scott to leave his courtroom as he was property and therefore property had no right to adjudicate the case. American slavery was an American government-sponsored genocide and exploitations of my ancestors. Continue to research and follow that line of thinking and let me know how you feel.

There were more white people in the South than the slaves? NO

The slaves were not educated and therefore weren’t smart? NO

The slaves didn’t have the will because their master repeatedly broke their will? NO

The slaves didn’t… NO

Even when the slaves decided against slavery for themselves, like Dred Scott, it was the Rule of Law that returned them to their slave masters at best or to their deaths at worst. Remember that Amistad and 12 Years A Slave were both award-winning films where the Law is the main protagonist. Our ancestors were intellectual, intentional, and strong-willed people who would not have chosen slavery for themselves had it not been for the Law of the land that they were captured too. Any explanation that is not first rooted in a discussion around American Law is shrouded in racism and victim blaming.

As responses to my question poured in what I realized is that Kanye is uninformed and a majority of the public are also uninformed. So in effect, it was the uninformed shouting down the uninformed. This lack of understanding is a glaring indictment against the education system of one of the wealthiest empires in the history of the world. In the end, it’s imperative that we continue in a relentless pursuit of knowledge.

Thanks for exposing us Ye.

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The Veiled Epidemic of Suicide

by with 5 Comments CultureFeaturedGen Z

On Tuesday, June 5th at approximately 10:10am Kate Spade, a world-renowned fashion designer known for her timeless creations, was found dead in her New York home. Spade’s death was ruled a suicide by both the coroner and law enforcement. Many are speculating as to why Spade decided to take her own life. The discussion gravitated towards both her bipolar disorder and her recent separation from her husband. Others reserved themselves to sending love and prayers to her family and friends in wake of this tragedy.

Not three days after Spade’s untimely death, Anthony Bourdain, a beloved television personality, author and chef, passed under very similar circumstances. There is a phenomenon that exists, dating back to the 16th century, from Johann Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther known as “copycat suicide.” Copycat suicide refers to the replication of a suicide that has been publicized in mass, resulting in what is called a “suicide contagion.” After Goethe’s novel became a success there were reports of young men dressing as Werther and using the same weapon used in the novel as well. These patterns show themselves true as this epidemic grows.

Suicide remains a difficult and complicated topic to discuss let alone recognize or prevent. According to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. While it is obvious that the suicide epidemic only continues to amplify with time there is hope in education and activism. Organizations like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offer a multitude of services for individuals dealing with suicidal ideation. Additionally, there is statistical information on suicide and educational resources on the warning signs and preventative care in regard to suicide.

It is difficult to pinpoint why death by suicide has been steadily rising since the 90’s. Nell Greenfieldboyce, a science correspondent for NPR reports, “Suicide rates have increased in nearly every state over the past two decades, and half of the states have seen suicide rates go up more than 30 percent.” With this exponential rise in deaths by suicide, the research done thus far reflects interesting and unexpected conclusions. One of the most striking being the fact that over half of the people who died by suicide did not have a diagnosed mental illness and that over half of the deaths are attributed to firearms.

The research and methods on how to minimize suicide and suicidal ideation are coming to fruition. Now it is time to implement the facts in our approach to fighting the suicide epidemic which affects the world at large and continues to take lives in mass. The stigma attached to suicide leads to romanticizing and sensationalizing death by suicide and tends to shift blame and burden to the victim. On top of that, suicide is much too often conflated with mental illness.

The data published by the CDC named stressors like physical, economic, and relationship problems as some of the highest contributors to suicide deaths. The CDC also noted housing stability, outreach to high-risk groups such as the mentally and physically ill, military veterans, and people struggling with substance misuse as well as teaching coping skills from a young age as possible ways to combat death by suicide. All in all, this fatal issue will only be exacerbated by exploitation and regret until humankind, as a collective, can talk candidly and apply not only scientific but empathetic solutions to these complex societal plagues.

If you or someone you know is considering attempting suicide or struggling with suicidal thoughts please contact emergency services or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1(800)-273-8255.

The Spirit and the Letter

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics

The Trump Administration’s policy to separate children from the undocumented adults they accompany has created outrage among Republicans and Democrats alike. We all know that the administration is taking a hard line on immigration. It appeals to their base. Attorney General Jeff Sessions invoked the Bible (Romans 13) in an effort to justify the new policy. This statement alone is concerning, coming from the mouth of a public servant. The First Amendment is in place to prevent religion from influencing policy or law.

So, what is policy? Policy is the plan that describes what the government intends to do, and the path to get there. Law is the end result of this plan. This means that the policy of arresting undocumented adults on federal charges and taking away the children they bring over the border may soon become law. 

There is a difference between law and policy, and the law says nothing about separating children from their parents. The law, in the most basic terms, describes apprehending undocumented aliens, charging the adults with a misdemeanor, determining if there are family ties with the children, and treating them according to an established process. The policy of the Trump Administration turns this process on its ear, not only by charging adults with federal felony charges, but with taking all children into custody. 

The Trump Administration lays blame on the Democrats, who it says put the law on the books. It appears to be referring to the “catch and release” policy (not a law) of releasing parents with children into society while awaiting their day in court. The Administration considers this policy a loophole and wants to close it. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen claims further that the vast majority of children who cross the border are sent alone, or with an adult who is not a parent. I’m not going to dig deep here; my intent is to frame the situation. 

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website reports an alarming increase in the last few years in the number of family units and unaccompanied children crossing the Mexican border into the US illegally. This may be why the GOP is reluctant to condemn the new policy. 

However, there is nothing beyond this policy that outlines what to do with the people once they are apprehended. This is why we have a repurposed Walmart in Texas and the federal detention system will soon become overwhelmed.

Laws are subject to interpretation, even the ones that appear to be very clear-cut. The letter of the law is being enforced here. However, the spirit of the law is being ignored. The Trump Administration seems to interpret the law as giving no quarter (and using the Bible to justify it).

The laws are written in a way that removes the element of emotion, or at least tries to. However, humans are emotional creatures. Emotion drives interpretation and enforcement. Claiming adherence to the letter of the law while adding a cruel spin to it reveals a dark side of the Administration. One that is not very different from certain authoritarian regimes in the past and today. No compassion, no consideration of the human condition, and justifying it as a commandment from God. This is the worst sort of interpretation and hypocrisy. 

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Jeff Sessions And The Religious Right Are Ruining Christianity

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Christians need to shame those who use their faith to justify actions and policies that are anything but Christ-like.

Remember the movie “Saving Private Ryan?” For those who haven’t seen it, not sure if that person even exists, but if you haven’t seen it here’s the gist. Captain Miller, played by Tom Hanks, and his platoon are assigned to find a soldier whose three other brothers have died in combat before he possibly faces the same fate.

The soldier, Private Ryan, is just another soldier; however, Army leadership found it purposeful to save the Ryan household another loss to their family, thus the mission to find Private Ryan and bring him home.  

During the mission, several of Captain Miller’s troops, including Captain Miller, die attempting to save Private Ryan; yet the mission of rescuing Private Ryan is fulfilled and he safely returns home. 

Related: Alabama Republicans, Politics Over Everything…

The movie came to mind when I saw yet another ridiculous religious reference by a political official. This time it was Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Side note, speaking of Hollywood movies, if there was ever the perfect man who had both the look and voice of the Jim Crow segregationist, it would be Jeff Sessions. 

Sessions stated the Bible justified immigration enforcement to purposely separate families in the effort of enforcement because “it’s the law of the land.” Which is true. The law of the land includes immigration protocols. The Bible does state to obey the law of the land. But… is that the Christian way? To intentionally separate families for violation of a nonviolent crime? Would he use the good Christian book if the immigration issue was focused against… say… Polish immigrants versus immigrants from Mexico and Latin America?

However, Sessions isn’t the real problem. It’s his fellow Christian worshipers who stay silent when the “Christian Right” continually use the Christian faith as a launching pad for their political policies.

To the non-affiliated type, the “Christian Right” has become nothing but a harbinger for bigotry, xenophobia, and homophobic views and policies. This type of practice has gone on for too long and now more than ever Christians need to go on a mission and save their faith.

The “Christian Right” has become so ridiculous that white evangelicals voted to the tune of 95 percent for Trump. Trump: a lifelong party going, illicit drug using, several wives having, amongst other things self, was voted for based on religious beliefs. Huh????

So what gives? 

Simply put, the “Christian Right” use religion as makeup to cover their true bigotry filled desires. And only rightfully minded Christians have the makeup removing kits to wipe it away. Yes, I know most of the “Christian Right” are southern White people, but it doesn’t matter. If you practice the Christian faith, what’s supposed to supersede any demographic box is wanting to be Christ-like. Therefore, that includes ensuring your faith is not being misused.

Lastly, in “Saving Private Ryan,” Captain Miller calmed his troops questioning the purpose of their mission for the expense of their own possible death; for he stated if bringing Ryan home is a way to get them all home, then so be it. Other Christians not on board with the hypocrisy of the “Christian Right” might fear backlash or know they too have their own faults. However, justifying these actions by stating it’s the “biblical thing to do” creates a mark on the Christian faith that’s becoming harder and harder to erase.

After listening to such justification and watching it play out, refusing to speak up is even worse. 

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“American Democracy: A Paradox”

by with One Comment FeaturedPolitics

[In response to I Still Believe In My Country And My Party]

Thank you for your service. 

For the Games of the XXX Olympiad (i.e. 2012 London Summer Olympics), I found myself standing in my living room in Sydney, Australia. I had only been living in the land down under for a few weeks and a strong sense of emotion came over me when I heard the announcers say to cheers, “And here come the Americans!” As I watched this multiethnic delegation process into London Stadium, a tear rolled down my face as I noticed that the Aussie announcer made no mention of a hyphen. There was no mention of the hyphen by which we Americans divide one another on a daily basis. There was no mention of African-Americans, no mention of Hispanic-Americans, no mention of Asian-Americans, no mention of Caucasian-Americans; just Americans. For the first time in my life, I was not African-American or Hispanic-American, I was solely an American; a patriot on foreign soil.     

Over the last six years, I’ve studied to gain a deeper understanding – beyond what I was already taught in school – of American history. I’ve lost myself in various books and documentaries on how we have arrived at this place in history. I too, arrived at the conclusion that the founding documents of this Democratic experiment, known as the United States of America, was truly brilliant as you put it. 

However, as I began to place myself throughout brilliant moments in American history I began to wonder what life would’ve been like then. I wondered what would life be like as a New Yorker in 1776, what would life be like to experience a young nation expand its territory in the early 1800s, what would life be like to see the first photographs in the 1850s, what would life be like to experience a nation take up arms against itself in 1861, what would life be like to witness her began to heal her wounds during the Reconstruction in 1865, what would life be like to hear about human beings taking flight for the first time at Kitty Hawk in 1903, what would life be like to experience this young nation embrace globalism and join its Allies in fighting the first World War in 1914, what would life be like to experience Americans flocking to cinemas to watch the nation’s first blockbuster film, Birth of a Nation in 1915, what would life be like to hear FDR announce the New Deal in the 1930s, what would life be like to experience Pearl Harbor and subsequently increase our participation in World War II in 1941, what would life be like to see my hero, Jackie Robinson, break MLBs color barrier at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn in 1947, what would life be like to see that New Deal become the engine of American prosperity in the 1950s post WWII, what would life be like to experience human beings landing on the moon and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s…

Sadly as I placed myself throughout American history, racism quickly ended my moments of wonderment.

Fast forward to the present and the meteor sized crater of income inequality between blacks and whites, the value of public education in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, law enforcements disproportionate violence against black bodies, Flint Michigan still not having clean water, 4,645 Puerto Ricans dying in the absence of federal leadership, and the immense pressure that the current President is placing on the cornerstones of this Democratic experiment.

I can’t help but vacillate between being in awe of the brilliance of her ideological words and ashamed of her deeds.

As a black American, I can not bring myself to fully align and endorse Conservative approaches to the antiquated Documents by which we are governed. And with that being said, given that we are still governed by this paradoxical Document, I cannot accept America’s misconception that her values are morally superior to any other nation until she exemplifies those values in not only her words but in her deeds to all her citizens; specifically her citizens of color.    

While this nation has had brilliant moments in its 242-year history, the backdrop has always been and will always be racism and the relentless preservation of white supremacy. So while I wish I could live my daily life in that tearful patriotic moment I had in Sydney; the consciousness of our collective experience impacts my ability to do so. In fact, immediately upon my return from Sydney in 2013, America found George Zimmerman not guilty in the murder of Trayvon Martin. So in a way, I am envious of your privilege to still believe in country and party but I, unfortunately, am unable to join you on that perch.

My patriotism lives in the steely resolve of my community and the soaring indelible impact that we have had on American history and culture. 

How do you define your patriotism?

“I Still Believe In My Country And Party”

by with 4 Comments CultureFeatured

[Last year we published several articles under the category “Define Your Patriotism.” In light of the NFL controversy and other major issues, such as proposed tariffs and the upcoming North Korea Summit, we felt that revisiting several articles in this category would be helpful at a time when many of us might be questioning our patriotism.] 

My first association of patriotism with myself comes from my family history of military service. All of my brothers, my sister, my uncles and aunts, grandparents and great aunts were in the Army. The vast majority served in wartime, and so did I. How I was raised undoubtedly framed how I’ve thought about my country, and I’m not afraid at all to say that I’m very, very inclined to side with my own country over the World. However, I do feel that our position gives us a responsibility to have an impact in the World. American values – freedom of expression and religion, human rights, property rights, self-determination, and the idea that those rights are worth dying for – for all people – frame how I think about my country and the World.

Related: “Patriotism Is A Dirty Word”

The last few years of politics in the street have been hard to watch, but I still believe our core ideals (though we may not always follow them) are the best in human history, and our system will ultimately bring us back to our ideals. Populism has its place in the center of a democracy, but the Bill of Rights is there to keep the majority from oppressing the minorities. An electoral college makes sure our leadership reflects both the will of all people and the importance of consensus of the different ways of life across our many states and districts. The three branches of government are there to keep any one branch of government from dominating the others, and the Bill of Rights contains the elements that keep all branches of government from ever wrestling power from our citizens. That’s the brilliance of American democracy.

I believe in promoting our values overseas, and the idea of our ideals making possible again Reagan’s idea of the “Shining City upon a Hill”. We are still the country that brought down the Soviet Union with a steady and orchestrated combination of military and economic might, and I believe the US still has a leadership role to play in the World that we should not surrender to Europe, China or a global coalition.

The daily politics of the past few years has bothered me a lot. It feels like a bulk of the country thinks about either “I want this, or I need this, so I have a right”, or “mine is mine”, or at least each side frames the other that way- very successfully. Natural rights aren’t things people have to do for you, they are things they can’t do for you. Citizens have the right to be treated equally before the courts, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Whether they catch happiness or fail is up to their desire, determination and ability, and failure is part of life. Collective healthcare may or may not be a good idea, but it’s a privilege and not a right that one person (regardless of their means) provides that care for another.

By the same token, far too many with means focus only on “what’s mine is mine”. The free markets of the US, the roads we drive on and the infrastructure of safety and order that predicate the wealth-creation of our country require that everyone in the US must have an opportunity to succeed and a place in society. Without that, the environment of order that makes our economy great doesn’t work. Furthermore, whether inside or outside of government, our duty to our fellow man isn’t one we can forget by pushing others away. It may be that’s not the job of the government, but if it’s not, it’s because we private citizens instead make the active effort to create that opportunity for others on our own. If you say it’s the private market’s job because the private market is more efficient (as I do believe), you are placing that responsibility for your fellow citizens holistically on your church, your private organization or on yourself. You can’t say “I already pay my taxes so I’m good” and then just fight for lower taxes.

Conservatism didn’t use to be just about saying “no.” It used to be a vision for the US that our founders’ ideals were superior – that America has a dominant place in the World- and a vision with a place for all people.   We were the ‘Party of Lincoln’ when we were the first to foster the idea that “all men were created equal” really meant all men- and then all humans. We were the ‘Party of Reagan’ when we believed in our special role with a duty to defend the World and promote democracy globally. I still believe in my country and my party, and it’s my hope that in the coming years, my patriotism will help me guide those I care about in making sure that our next evolution in conservatism is not simply the ‘Party of Me.’

How do you define your patriotism?

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This article was originally published on 3 July 2017.