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MJT's avatar

Counterpoint: no need to hate your country. It is flawed, like any other. It has done great good in the world as well as great harm. "What we did in Albania" gets marked in the ledger next to "what we did to defeat the Nazis in Germany in the first place". I don't think I disagree with any of your criticisms of the country and what has been done in its name, I just don't think it erases - or even outweighs - everything else.

This country is an amazing, fucked-up, beautiful, ugly, truly special and utterly solipsistic place that is worthy of celebration and also celebrates itself too damn much. It's us, in all our ragged glory. Can it be improved upon? I hope so. Could I in a million years bring myself to hate it? No.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Pass the stuffing.

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Carolyn A's avatar

As someone with dual citizenship who happily chooses every day to live in the US, I truly do not understand staying here when one feels this way: “It’s well-established that I’m not a fan of the United States.”

I understand acknowledging that the country -- like any -- has its problems and faults, and wanting to be a vocal part of addressing those. I don’t understand a statement that appears to say that on net, one isn’t a fan of the country they choose to call home. That’s easily remedied, as this is not the USSR or North Korea.

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