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The fourth of July, 1776 was a day that the United States of America and all its people stood proud of its victory in a struggle for
independence. It has been over 200 years since, and how are people today celebrating the independence of this country? After interviewing a small group of about 50 people, mostly teens, rich to poor, educated to uneducated, rural to urban, several trends appear that not only
vividly define how our Independence Day is looked upon now, but also how
our culture is not being shaped by society, and how a commercial culture
pushed upon us in this age is changing American culture. Well, so what do Americans spend their 4th of July on? Well, who are Americans? With
such a diverse population, many "Americans" have not known the customs
of this day, and to celebrate it with meaning is out of the question. So what do the people say?
When asked how they celebrated this holiday, all but several people
responded with one or more of the following activities: a good BBQ, a
picnic, a party, watching fireworks, or simply, nothing. How is all
this a way to celebrate this special occasion? When asked this,
everyone's first response was "I don't know." Is this a bad thing?
Does it matter at all? In fact, more than one out of ten participants
answered with "What? Independence Day the movie?". However, one of the
participants of this poll, Emily Sheskin followed up her answer stating, "We are independent enough to play with fireworks.". So if everyone is
so clueless about how these activities mean anything, how come they are
still used today? There are probably countless factors, but one can't
help but to look at the picture perfect American family celebrating the
4th of July on a hot sunny summer day, and say, why? You can't really
blame society for the watering down of what used to be such a day of
pride for all the people in this country. After all, life in 1999
barely resembles life in 1989, so can you expect a celebration of
independence in 1999 to resemble anything like a celebration held in the
late 18th century? This lack of passion leads this author to think of
this - Americans are the busiest people in the world. We live in a
world of productivity. We need to reach that financial goal, that
scientific goal, that musical goal. We have left religious, ethnic, and
other forms of group pride for the pride of the individual. As Caffery
Garff puts it, "People are getting so caught up in modern life, the 4th
of July is getting to be just some stupid excuse to get out and party."
Is this holiday and its ways of celebration another shadow like many
other things, to hide the faults and shortcomings of a large and
constantly changing society? The answer to the question "How do
Americans Spend Their 4th of July" is quite simple. The reasoning and
impact of these celebrations on people, though, is much tougher. Is it
easy to be patriotic in these times? Maybe. Do you look forward to
celebrating this year's Independence Day? Probably. Do most people
care? No. As a teen, it is tough to actually care. Our freedoms are
taken for granted all the time, and how important this holiday is, is
completely up to you.
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