Americans Are United by Our Love-Hate Relationship With America
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By DERON SNYDER (as published on Medium)
“You have to stand proudly for the national anthem, or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.” — Donald Trump
“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for that reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” — James Baldwin
Some of my fellow Americans have it twisted. They think pointing out the nation’s ills and demanding better is akin to hating America. They rudely invite dissenters to depart if the good ol’ U.S. of A. isn’t good enough.
It’s an age-old attitude that resurged during the Vietnam War era and was emphasized in a 1970 song by country singer Ernest Tubb.
