One of the things that bothers me about Trump's Fourth of July airshow was that it rewrote the holiday exclusively as a celebration of military power rather than as a celebration of the country that power protects. It's fine to honor the sacrifices and accomplishments of our military, but that's not all there is for us to be proud of (or to critique and reflect on).
Even Soviet patriotic parades featured the occasional tractor.
Replying to @mattblaze@federate.social
Of course, if you treat July 4th as being about the country rather than just its military, you're ultimately forced to confront the fact that America is complicated, messy, and diverse.
Replying to @mattblaze@federate.social
Alternatively, one might take an "originalist" approach to the holiday and focus on the birth of American independence. But then you risk engaging with uncomfortable ideas like separation of powers, checks and balances, the rule of law, accountability of leaders, and other such woke distractions.