The 4th of July is a cause for celebration for many Americans. We use this time as a much needed vacation, we bbq, we find reasons to hang out with friends, drink and enjoy the merriment and laughter of good company. The day's festivities culminate in a tremendous display of technical ingenuity in a Fireworks show.... and for what?
A day to celebrate the Nations Independence from the British. A day to reflect "the birth of a nation", outside of the domination of the British rule. But at what expense?
Comedian Chris Rock hit the Twittersphere on this 4th of July (for many a day to highlight our extreme Patriotism) with this lovely beauty:
"Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren't free but I'm sure they enjoyed fireworks." (via @HuffingtonPost http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/05/chris-rock-white-peoples-day-july-4th-tweet_n_1651833.html?utm_hp_ref=tw)
A tweet that sparked a lot of controversy. This statement received a lot of commentary, in both a comedic fashion and one of profound thought. Whether or not you believe Chris Rock's comments to be a joke, he hit something in you to feel the need to comment. Why?
Is it wrong for him to comment on how the "birth" of this country impacted his own heritage? What Independence day meant for white America was very different for the slaves at that time. And is what Chris Rock said any different than the message written by Frederick Douglass so long ago in his "The Meaning of 4th of July for the Negro," (via PBS) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2927t.html ? Douglass states, "But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us."
I think that many Americans like Douglass, have commented on what we chose to celebrate in this country, because we turn historical moments into another day to get drunk and have a day off from work--- Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day etc. Not that every holiday or important moment in history needs to be a dramatic reflection on how far or how little we have come, but we do need to sometimes look back and remember at what risk we achieved the "greatness" that is the United States of America.
Regardless of what you may think, because we are all apart of these UNITED States, we all have an obligation to our own opinions and values. We have an obligation to recognize, that why we may be United, the experiences which made us such are very different.
Personally I do not think Chris Rock meant to start this level of debate. I think he knew he was poking fun, but whatever the reasons I hope that some people learn some valuable lessons from this and at least strive to keep the conversation going.
