Rein on All Front
By Charles Rein
What kind of American are you?
This now iconic line was used as a sort of hook for marketing materials for the 2024 film, Civil War. This line was also uttered in a scene from that movie. I remember watching it on the big screen, greedly munching away on my popcorn. "Lite butter please."
'Civil War' was produced by A24- an American independent entertainment company. The movie focused on a small group of journalists/photojournalists on a road trip of sorts. They want to document America while a hot civil war is transpiring.
If an enlisted soldier aimed a high powered weapon at you during a civil war and demanded an answer, "What kind of American are you?" how would you respond?
The query is a deep one because the question regards our national identity. Who is red, white and blue? Who gets to decide who are real Americans and is this right?
Is it someone who barbecues on the 4th of July and wears an Uncle Sam top hat? Or someone who knows the Bill of Rights and the Constitution? Or is it something else? Do you define 'an American' as someone who can trace their heritage back to the Mayflower? Or someone who had great, great grandparents who were here (before 1620). Part of the first nation - native American Indians?
Even if you're born in the 20th or 21st century, "do you have an alliance to this country?" Some may ask. And how do you prove this? And should you have to prove it?
Different countries treat guest workers differently. Look at a country like Saudi Arabia, for example. There, "guest workers are not permitted to vote in Saudi Arabia. Voting rights are restricted to Saudi citizens who meet specific eligibility criteria, such as age and residency, and are not members of the military," according to AI overview.
"Saudi Arabia operates as an absolute monarchy, and political participation, including elections, is limited even for citizens. Foreign nationals, who constitute a significant portion of the population, do not have political rights."
Is this fair? That's debatable. Someone might say, well it works for them. We can contemplate this complex question - Who is a real American?
I once had a professor who said that this country is the only one where you can come from any other country, and through hard work, you can "become an American." Every other country he said, "You'll still be considered an outsider; an foreigner."
I ask this question because a part of our population are out demonstrating, protesting, sharing their grievances.
According to their website:
Good Trouble Lives On
https://goodtroubleliveson.org/
"Today, is a day of nonviolent action to respond to the attacks posed on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration and to remind them that in America, the power lies with the people."
"On July 17, the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis's passing, we're taking action across the country to defend our democracy and carry forward his legacy of Good Trouble."
So maybe think about American identity, this weekend. Mark Twain once said: "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."
What do you think?
