Chapter Seven - Imported Fireworks, Processed Meat, and Performative Patriotism

CHAPTER SEVEN

Imported Fireworks, Processed Meat, and Performative Patriotism

YOU WAKE UP sweating.
It’s July. Flags are everywhere. The air smells like lighter fluid and burnt meat.
And for one day, the country agrees: “We’re the best.”

But ask anyone why they're celebrating,
and you’ll usually get one of three answers:

1. “Uh… independence?”
2. “America, baby.”
3. “Hot dogs and fireworks.”

That’s not patriotism.
That’s programmed nostalgia with a side of diabetes.

The Fourth of July commemorates the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence — a powerful moment, sure.

But most Americans have never read it.
They don’t know that:

• Slavery wasn’t abolished — it was baked into the original Constitution.
• “All men are created equal” only meant white, landowning males.
• The war that followed wasn’t just about freedom — it was also about taxes, land, and power.

So what do we actually celebrate?

Not independence.

Just the idea of it.

Modern Independence Day is less about history and more about:

• Fireworks sales (over $1 billion annually)
• Meat industry profits (the 4th is the #1 hot dog consumption day in the U.S.)
• Flag-themed everything — paper plates, swimsuits, beer cans, disposable trash
• Car dealerships running “Freedom Sales Events” for no reason

You’re not commemorating freedom.
You’re participating in a commercial simulation of it.

If you really love your country, they say,
prove it by buying something.

The 4th is when nationalism gets a free pass.

• American flags on every porch
• Country music blasting about trucks and troops
• Politicians who hate the poor waving flags and quoting founding fathers they’ve never studied

But how do we define “freedom” while:

• Prisons are full
• Schools are defunded
• Healthcare bankrupts people
• Surveillance is constant
• And independence is only real if you can afford it?

This isn’t freedom.
It’s a red, white, and blue distraction.

The Fourth of July works not because it unites us — but because it comforts us.

It gives the illusion that we all agree on something.
That we’re all proud.
That we’re all in this together.

And if you don’t celebrate it?
You’re “ungrateful.”
You “hate America.”
You don’t “respect the troops.”

Because nothing protects the illusion better than forced enthusiasm.

Take a complex national identity →
Reduce it to color-coded slogans →
Distract with spectacle →
Sell the illusion →
Silence the dissent.

The Fourth of July isn’t about freedom.
It’s about optics. Obedience. And optional thinking.
A backyard barbecue with fireworks… brought to you by the Department of Commerce.