Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up here, but I really struggle to understand America’s infatuation with its own mythology. 1/

2/ This country has only been a land of “hope and opportunity” for a select few. Yet anyone who questions this is seen as unpatriotic.

3/ Admitting your society is rooted in systemic oppression of minorities and indigenous people doesn’t mean you hate your country. It means you understand that it’s a constant work in progress

4/ The level of cognitive dissonance it must take to still believe that America is the “greatest country in the world” - even as black and brown people are killed by police, and working class people have no security - is just staggering

5/ I have been wondering how much personal identity is tied to national mythology, since that would explain the obsession with the latter. Maybe people don’t want to admit their country is deeply flawed because this would trigger some kind of personal crisis? Really don’t know

6/ Yes, I know every country has its hang ups and problematic mythologies - this is really just me trying to understand the American case