What Makes Me Truly Proud To Be An America (And What Makes Me Ashamed)

Last night I was at a bar in Manhattan, when a cute guy working in finance hit on me. In the beginning of our encounter he asked what I did for a living. I told him I was an engineer working in green materials. He said, “the concept of green is bullshit but you’re really beautiful,” and then he proceeded to grab my hip.

I gently took his hand off my hip and asked him, “Do you believe in global warming.” His response: “For the sake of moving away from this conversation, sure.” I replied, “Well the definitive answer is yes, I could explain to you how it works in detail, otherwise this conversation is over.”

I am not proud we live in a country where it is commonplace that men, including the Republican presidential candidate — a man who could potentially be the face of our country — are sexist pigs. I am not proud we live in a country where it is many times frowned upon by men and women alike to be a woman who is strong, confident, intelligent, and also willing to stand up for her opinions. I am not proud to live in a country where all humans are not created equal, where realities beyond a person’s control will define many aspects of their life.

I am proud to be apart of a country that has anti-discrimination laws. But I am not proud to be apart of a country where a presidential nominee denies people have the ability to be able to do their job based upon sex, race, religion, nationality, or level of attractiveness. And, I am not proud to be apart of a country where the presidential nominee wants to segregate a large population by making them where special tags.

I am not proud to be apart of a country that has a presidential nominee that is praised for his ego. I would be proud to be apart of a country where humility was exalted.

I am not proud to be apart of a country where the presidential nominee is hypocritical when it comes one of the biggest epidemics crippling in America right now, addiction. Trump has capitalized on Las Vegas and Miami, two cities that thrive from drugs. He also owns casinos, where many people who struggle with addiction lose money they don’t have making him rich and adding to our national debt.

I am not proud to be apart of a country where a presidential nominee promotes and campaigns to protect against violence in his name.

I am not proud to be apart of a country that falsely believes we lost our greatness. I am not proud to be apart of a country that buys this undefined concept from a businessman who has no direction or qualifications.

I am not proud to be apart of a country that will call each other idiots for having different political views. I am not proud to be apart of a country where people are not receptive to ideas or concepts before completely dismissing them.

I am not proud to be apart of a country that holds so close to an amendment and has no attachment to the value and democratic premise of tranquility within the document and the progressive nature of the constitution being a living document.

I am proud of the 13^th amendment, the abolition of slavery. I am grateful for the 19^th amendment giving me my right to vote. And, especially with a bigot GOP candidate, I am thankful for the 21^st amendment; the abolition of prohibition.

I am thankful to be an American. I am thankful for the government, the police, the army, navy, military, air force and any protective force used to ensure national security. I am thankful and grateful for the lives devoted to ensure my safety as a citizen but also pay respect to the people in the world who suffered and continue to suffer from American dominance. I am thankful to be an American where I am established in a first world bubble that that holds life to the utmost value. I am thankful to be an American, where liberty is not a delusion but is dynamic and democratically defined. But as a female millennial in today’s day and age, I may be thankful but I am not proud to be an American.

So yes, I can wake up, smell the roses, drink my coffee, and enjoy the American life I was afforded. But no, in terms of the 2016 presidential race I am not proud of the state of my country.