It seems that many of you feel that all it takes to be an American or “patriot” is if you do certain things.
Gestures, even.
You said that anyone who spoke against our last president was “Un-American.” It’s okay for you to berate Joe Biden or Barack Obama, who came before. But with our last president, telling the truth about him was “disrespectful” and “traitorous.” (Yes, some of you actually said this).
Owning guns. Yes, many of you believe that owning guns makes one a “true” American. One cannot be in favor of gun control. Wanting people to be responsible gun owners? Nah. You’re not a patriot unless you feel that everyone, no matter the mental state, should have any gun he or she chooses, no matter how they plan to use them. And I say “them,” because we’re not talking about a single gun. You have to love the idea that people have a stockpile of guns and billions of rounds of ammunition. ‘Merica.
And then there’s “Thank you for your service.”
“Respecting” veterans is on this list because I have seen it way too many times when you would berate and disrespect someone, calling them just about everything in the book. But then, upon either the person mentioning being a veteran or the “mature” person finding out on his or her own, you throw in “Thank you for your service” at the end of it.
I took this picture shortly before I retired from the Army back in 2018. I served for 21 years.
What I mentioned above has not only happened to others, but to me as well. Way too many times.
The last president has made certain people, way too many, comfortable with being openly racist. There are all kinds of videos where a white person is harassing a black man or woman for simply…existing where many believe they should not, such as a public pool, gated apartment community and Starbucks. There are other instances where a white person or group harasses Latinos, yelling at them to “speak English,” along with telling them to “go back to” whatever country they think they’re from.
Yes, even Puerto Rico. I know this because of the videos, but my wife is Puerto Rican as well. Born in New York. Just the fact that some of you are so stuck in the mid-20th century to where you don’t know that we have many Americans here who are of foreign descent is laughable to me. It’s as if your minds cannot fathom that anyone other than themselves could have been born in the United States, even though their ancestors were not. Even your descendants are foreigners, but now I’m just talking crazy.
Anyway, the last one actually called White Supremacists “very fine people” shortly after a White Supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Another aspect caught in a lot of these videos is these people saying that the last president “wants to send people back to their country” and so on.
Not that I’m revealing something huge here, but along with those of you who have the boldness to do this in person, racism on social media is at an all-time high. Out of control to say the least.
I wish I saved screenshots of some of what I’ve received, because on many occasions, I’ve been called racist names, been told that I need to “go back to Africa,” that you “hope I meet the same fate as George Floyd” and a bunch of other nonsense. Again, either followed by “Thank you for your service” or you’ll say it in the beginning, adding a “but…” afterward.
Do me a favor: Don’t thank me for my service.
First off, “Thank you for your service” has absolutely no meaning when you’re berating me or making racist comments. It means nothing. You’re not showing appreciation for me, but what I’ve done. Millions of people have served, and they have for their own reasons. Repeating “thank you for your service” is not genuine, especially after wishing someone dead or being okay with them being marginalized.
Empty gestures are not patriotic. “Thank you for service” before or after a bunch of nonsense comes across as being more thankful that I was “used” for my services and now that I’m not needed anymore, I can go back to being whatever “garbage” you see me as.
You’re more thankful at the existence of a veteran than you are of who actually does or did the job. That does not show that you’re appreciative of me at all. And because I don’t look like a certain group of people, the “thanks” holds far less meaning. It is one more out of obligation.
It’s as if your mindset is this: “As long as I thank him for his service, that will nullify everything else.” It’s like those people who will cuss you out and then say “God Bless you.”
I appreciate the appreciation when it is for me and my contributions. But if you’re thanking me for my service just so you can get patriotic “points,” you can save it for someone who doesn’t know any better.
I am proud to have fought for my country. But I’m one of the very few who understands that not everyone appreciates someone who looks like me, and my specific service ultimately means nothing.
It is also demeaning to fight for many of you, as you’re the same ones who would say that I don’t deserve a good life, that I should “go back to Africa” if I speak up, that I cannot speak up without repercussions, that if a police officer murders me, I must deserve it in some way, and everything else you were taught, including that things should go back to where they were before the Civil Rights era.
It is interesting how one could give 21 years of his life to something that, by your definition and admission, would make one a patriot, only to find out that even two decades of doing a job viewed as more patriotic than most, is still is not good enough to not be viewed as just another nigger.
So you can save the fake appreciation for my service. You appreciate the service, but not mine or anyone who looks like me.
People's Court 