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I'm frankly ecstatic that this year has seen such a widespread bubble bursting of the very idea of American exceptionalism, because for those who have seen past the veil of undeserved self-righteousness, we've been eagerly waiting for others to play catch-up.
It is no longer controversial to call out America for its flaws because we are SO far beyond the point where anyone with more than two brain cells could willingly defend the structural failings that plague the nation. There is simply no more being able to hide from the fact.
What we are seeing in real-time is a mainstream coming-to-consciousness, where we are directly reckoning with our own history. To look at the state of the nation and think we should get to celebrate with a birthday party is both tone deaf and delusional.
And thus I go back to my earlier thought from this year where I questioned how holidays come into being, and the inverse is true - just as we saw the rise in celebration of Juneteenth, we are seeing Independence Day begin to fall out of the favor of the public.
