Whether you call it July 4th or Independence Day, the most American holiday is a vitally important part of American culture. I mean, this was the day that we truly became America and declared that we were determined to break free of England (and looking at Brexit, we definitely made the right move). I'm not here to give you a history lesson, but if your US history is rusty, you can get all patriotic and revel in our grandeur by reading here.
Lately, US news has been nothing short of horrifying. Massacres, political extremists, and social unease are changing the face of our country rapidly, and it can be hard to remember how much we have to be thankful for in this crazy, funny, scary, messed up country of ours. In honor of the fourth and the inception of our beloved USA, here are 5 reasons to celebrate America, other than getting utterly smashed while watching fireworks.
1. Peanut Butter
America is one of the only places in the world where peanut butter is eaten copiously-- more than 700 million pounds a year for all of us! I mean, what would we do without PB&Js in elementary school?
2. So Many Sports
Believe it or not, baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, softball, water skiing, and kickball are just some of the many sports which were invented in the U.S. You're welcome world, for without American ingenuity, you would never be blessed with endless fields and arenas full of beautiful, sweaty athletes in tight pants.
3. The Hollywood College Experience
America's movie and tv portrayal of college includes a bunch of stereotypes and tropes - greek life, raucous sporting events, wild parties, acapella groups, weird classes, crazy tuition - you know the movies and you know the stereotypes. And while we know that they may not all be accurate, around the world, college life has become a romanticized version of a Hollywood film and most everyone seems to agree we are doing it right. Raise your solo cups.
4. Speaking of Hollywood...
Hollywood's influence reaches much farther than just college movies; Hollywood's influence extends so far that now some of its largest consumers aren't even American. With such a large hold on the visual media propagated to the world, our onscreen culture impacts viewers all over and makes simple daily life into an idealization and our celebrities into global superstars.
5. Social Media
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and so many more of the social media sites we use every day came from the minds of American tech developers. Thanks to the U.S., we can overshare everything and let the world know our every move...or just craft a feed that is utter #goals.
I could list more, but we know that our chocolate is sweeter, our land is more varied in biodiversity, and our mascot is unarguably majestic. So, this weekend, while you are pulling out your star-spangled clothing, decorating cakes with red, white, and blue fruit, layering drinks like a perfect flag, and waving sparklers all around, remember that its the little things that make our country great. We may not have everything together, but who does? Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans, may your day be full of freedom and all the light beer you can drink.
