3 June 2019 - "Proud to be an American"

East Bridgewater, Massachusetts

The decals read, left to right: "US Navy Seals" (US naval special forces), "Proud to be an American", and "POW-MIA: You are not forgotten" (Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action: You are not forgotten).

I certainly respect those who have served in the Navy Seals for the hard work and sacrifice they had to put in. I also certainly agree that we should never forget the warriors, dead or alive, stranded behind the enemy lines. But I am not sure why being an American - or a being Black, or Jewish, or whatever belonging to any other ethnic group - is something to be proud of. Most Americans are native born - which means it is nothing those Americans had to do with, just an accident of being born to American parents in America.

All such "proud to be a member of X ethnic or national group" pronouncements sound laughable to me.