Independence

On this Independence Day in the United States, I reflect on what "independence" means in today's America and in a crowded world. The independence which inspired the American Revolutionary War and secession from the British Empire was purely materialistic. It was based in commerce, taxes, profits. No wonder that today's Tea Party have enshrined the dumping of taxed tea into Boston Harbor as a sacred moment in U.S. history. It is notable that our neighbors to the north, who did not secede, are living a high quality of life with comparable freedoms to our own and a more civil society.

 

Independence is naturally pursued by healthy human adolescents. One measure of a developed society's general health is the ability of its young adults to separate from their families of origin and make it one their own. The most recent U.S. Census found 22 million adult children still living at home with parents.

 

Independent thought has been suffering blow after blow at the hands of nationalist conformity in the U.S.. The current Snowden fiasco illustrates. The torture of Bradley Manning by the military while he was in early custody is another example. The way the even Liberal members of government (Feinstein and Kerry) throw around the word "traitor" in reference to whistle-blowers indicates a lock-step mentality in the U.S. which cries enforced dependence, not independence of thought and position.

 

Social media have bred a form of social dependence. While some tread the line between being politically correct and conformist, the majority wallow in vapid superficiality on social media. Baby pictures and videos abound. Cutesy animal videos also are everywhere. There is nothing morally wrong with the occasional laugh at the expense of a goofy pet, otherwise pampered. But is this the most effective use of our social media in times of a crumbling environment and growing corporate control of all aspects of planetary life? 

 

Within my own (designated) LGBTQ minority, there is little room for independence of thought and action. There is a fascism of gay marriage and gay militarism among gay men and lesbian women. It is spurred by the control of gay organizations by gay/lesbian people from the white-collar middle class.  Pride festivals are now (on-paper non-profit) Profit festivals for boards, who run them as corporations with big-money sponsors from the alcohol industry and other corporate entities which pander to gay consumerism.

 

There is little independence to celebrate in America today. Nationalism, perhaps. Materialism, definitely. Militarism, of course. Conformity, absolutely. Fear, most unfortunately.