On July 4, the day in which Americans celebrate its independence from England, a celebration of freedom for most, I decided to test said freedoms against those who defend it the loudest.
I tweeted a photo of a person holding a burning flag with the caption, "Happy Fourth," and then awaited the results.
What I found was not all that shocking but instead shows the deep contrast between those who talk about freedom and those who actually advocate for it.
Democrats and liberals either ignored the post or condemned flag burning while defending a person’s right to do it. Some found the post childish and felt the need to point that out but by and large left it at that and moved on. No death threats, no asking me to leave the country, and no calling for my arrest.
Republicans, or conservatives, on the other hand, had a different response. As of this moment, the post has more than 1,200 replies, most of which are from this group.
As you can see from the sampling, I am told to leave the country, kill myself, or people want to come visit me to for what I can imagine is cause me physical harm.
At the same time, many keep pointing out that soldiers died for my right to post such an image, or for someone to burn the flag.
So which is it? Did they die for my right to do so, or do I have to leave the country? It can't be both. Either you support the freedoms you believe I have been given by these soldiers or you do not.
It is also important these are the same individuals who are upset over the left's use of protest to shut down speeches from neo-Nazis and pro-fascist movements on college campuses. So what this says is they are okay with speech condoning the genocide of human lives, but the burning of fabric is too far.
Conservative hypocrisy is often astounding, and they often see no sense of irony in their statements. "Love it or leave it," they say, all the while, during eight years of President Obama ran succession efforts in states such as Texas.
It should also be noted that we don't see this level of outrage over the rise of racial profiling and race-related murders, the potential loss of more than 22 million American's insurance plans, or the ever growing wealth disparity in the Nation.
Instead of getting outraged and organized against these atrocities, they right are flipping out over a photo on Twitter and using it as a broader war against the so-called "left."
So what is July 4 about then if not celebrating the freedoms Americans have if you don't allow them to use said freedoms? Are African-Americans free in this country if they can't legally carry firearms, or walk home from the corner store? Are the working poor free if they can't afford to see a doctor when they are sick? Is anyone free if they exercise their right to freedom of expression while causing no harm to others and are met with threats of death?
What July 4 is to the modern conservative are authoritarianism and absolute nationalism. You're free to celebrate the freedoms they have approved for you. These freedoms are conditional dependent on the color of your skin or your political ideologies.
July 4 to these conservatives is a celebration of oppression and dictatorship, and we must continue to fight tooth and nail against this form of white nationalism, disguising itself as patriotism because it has wrapped itself in an American flag.