This weekend the US is celebrating it's independence and the UK is celebrating the reopening of certain pubs, cinemas, theme parks and restaurants (with social distancing rules in place).
Domestic violence cases have gone up in the UK during lockdown and now with the pubs reopening it seems like there's only a matter of time before everywhere else is open. The Brits need their freedom from boredom. I never realised before how many people drink nor how much social drinking/ peer pressure drinking is a part of the culture in both the US and the UK.
While in the US, July the 4th always meant to me, pool parties, barbecues, July the 4th sales in every store imaginable and fireworks. It also meant a land of a lot of broken dreams and I wondered if the forefathers of democracy would all be turning in their graves if they were to see the state of America now. The whole point of the birth of the US political system was for people (at that time, free Christian white men) to have a voice, and to show that they didn't need a monarchy to function and that they were going to make America greater than Britain. 244 years later and it looks as if America is regressing.
Without getting into the whole sexist, racist political history that the US has endured so far it looks to me, from across the pond, as if there are still millions of people in the US who's voices are still not being heard. Throughout it's political history anyone not white, not male, and not educated has had to fight for a vote and even then there's a chance their vote won't be counted.
Stop and think about that: Native Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans (or any other racial minorities) women (who still aren't seen as equal or important) have all had to sacrifice something, be it their heritage, cultural identity or dignity just for the opportunity to be seen as valuable human beings.
Being in the UK (which is preparing for it's final breakup with Europe in five months) and watching the US get torn apart, yet again, by racism, police brutality and zero gun control is disappointing and heartbreaking for me. Brexit is still a tender topic (which means conversations are being turned towards the weather at the moment). The voting in of the Tories has also left a lot of people disappointed (the same way a lot of people were disappointed by Trump's election), and being a British citizen means that I'll be able to vote in the next election (after I've done my research that is) and I'm really excited about that (although I strongly believe all politicians are liars I'll just have to pick the one who's lies I actually believe as well as looking at the candidates' data to see who's kept the promises they've made).
The US has been through a lot and it's struggling but I know it's going to get through this and be better and stronger in the long run. I'm not naive enough to think that means there won't be more lives lost before that happens.
This independence day for me, means that no matter how dire things are, no matter how much we, as a civilisation, regress, we can move forward, because there is a future and everyone is doing their very best to make the most of it. Celebrate the victories, big or small, celebrate the people who love you, celebrate the people who raised their voices when you couldn't find yours. I'll be enjoying my weekend laughing at the typical English weather (yes, it is raining cats and dogs) while thinking of how, this weekend there are going to be a lot of people waking up with a really bad hangover on Monday, and I'm not just talking about my American cousins.
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