F#!K The Four4th

So half rebel me, decided to play's devil's advocate, pero it's still my truth. I wanted to express a perspective that goes tucked away and unheard. Or perhaps, unconsidered. Truthfully, I wanted to speak for the unspoken- because I celebrate Fourth of July, despite this "woke" narrative. And yes, I too know and understand my cultural roots, but disrespectful- I am NOT! I So I wrote a Facebook status about it, to open up a perspective- and potential discussion.

The following purple text is all of what was wrtitten on Facebook. It was a moment of release and speaking my mind freely. A foreign feeling actually, given my previous career paths. To have a voice now, as raw and pure is truly the greatest feeling of all. So here, enjoy. Black markups are #aFrankieTale addons.

As much as I understand and can empathize with the ideology behind "f*** Fourth of July", I could never be a part of that mindset and I'll tell you why.

Yes- I live in a country that is racist; yes- I live in a country where little black boys and little black girls have to work twice as hard to become successful; Yes- I live in a country where our leader is separating families at the border; yes- I live in a country where foreigners are legally labelled "aliens" because they were born in a different part of the world and speak another language; yes- I live in a country where the majority of police officers shoot to kill rather than serve and protect, yes I live in a country where gang violence is a way of life...I know. I get it. We're pretty f***ed up!

But I also live in a Non-third world country, a country that gives me the right to vote, provides me with opportunities for growth and professional development, allows me to open up my own business, allows me travel to any part of the world with a passport, allows me to say "f*** Trump" without getting shot or imprisoned, allows me to wake up and go to work everyday, allows me to have a voice in a room full of men, has both public and private schools, gives me the option of seeking a higher education, allows me to dress whatever way I want, does not have a shortage on water or resources... I can go on and on about why I believe in "God Bless America".

It goes without mentioning, I believe in God. So if this offends you in anyway, consider this: does it offend you that "In God we Trust: is placed on our money? Are we subliminally valuing money as if it God? Should we boycott dollars, banks, and the overall economy over it?

If this sounds like sarcasm, you betcha! There is no denying it. But the reality here is, we have truly gotten here as a society. And by here-- I am referring to being quick to "riot" and boycott at the drop of a dime. What's the plan? How will we get your message across? Who is our target demogarphic or audience? DO we even care, or are we just all about the "HYPE"?

Sure our country was built on cruel, jacked up and unfair terms, we literally stole this land and killed everyone off it and claimed it as ours; in a nutshell. But every country has their history of corruption and series of war stories. Sure our forefathers were dicks, but they made this land the land of opportunity for us to grow and thrive. Did they include "minorities" in their plan? Of course not! But somewhere along the lines God Blessed us with heroes who changed the narrative of slavery and later on- segregation. Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass, Nat Turner, MLK Jr, Malcom X, Rosa Parks...just to name a few.

To say "F*** Fourth of July" is to tell my family in the Dominican Republic there's no point in you fighting to come here. To say f*** Fourth of July is to be ungrateful to my parents for coming to America for a better life. To say f*** Fourth of July is to tell my family that their sacrifice went unnoticed and unappreciated. To say f*** Fourth of July is to believe that I can't achieve the American dream. To say f*** Fourth of July is to allow our country's cons to outweigh it's pros. To say f*** Fourth of July is to tell my father that his citizenship is gone in vain. To say f*** Fourth of July is un-American. You can't be proud to rep your city and/ or state, if you can't be proud to rep your country of birth. You can't say "F*** The Fourth of July and not celebrate "Juneteenth." Some of y'all so quick to be so dam woke, you lose sight of all the reasons to be grateful.

Aha! Now if you've gotten this far, and you know exactly what Juneteenth is, then you wouldn't be offended nor phased by this, because you're knowledgeable. So it goes without mention, this is NOT directed to you. But for those of you who had to look it up, shame on you. You cannot follow the hype behind boycotting an entire holiday, without knowing your history to actually have a stance. Some folk are just too quick to bandwagon, then when their backs are put up against the wall- they have no idea what's going on except that they have joined in on this contemporary- rebellious trend.

Look, I'm not saying the USA is the best. It's without question we have got some ways to go. I'm not saying we are the promise land. But what I Am saying is we are WAYYYYY above and doing WAYYYYY better than so many other countries. My generation is so dam "woke", they're sleeping on holidays meant to commemorate moments in history; disregarding the sacrifices many of our families underwent in order to strive for a better life. Those who came here to escape war, starvation, poverty, & violence from their respective countries. Though we got a lot of bad s*** going on here, other parts of the world (which is a pretty big ass place) have it way worse than we can ever imagine. It's our job to make the difference and impact in the world we wish to see.

We are quick to complain, but how many of us are actually making an impact? Not saying if you do agree with this "f*** the Fourth" ideology, you're not impactful. But truly ask yourself that. There are those that are true heroes, paving the way and staying true true to their rebel nature. If you're not "THAT", chill out! (Look, there are plenty of other ways to prove to absolutely no one that you are "WOKE AF!" We get it, you woke up one day desiring to be a wee bit more vocal and supportive member of your community and are mad with this holiday--but still celebrate the holiday in your "own way." Righ right...)

All I'm saying is- Is it really necessary to take these measures; where we are completely disregarding the message to others perspectives? Ever consider the War Veterans and their take on such a message? Those whose ancestors fought for our freedoms, those who shed blood and sacrificed their lives for our liberties. Don't get me wrong, this is not a sole argument in defense of NOT saying or promoting "F**k the Fourth!", this is yet another perspective of a different collective of people who may be offended. Granted, there ARE other American holidays that honor Veterans, but Fourth of July goes right in along within the theme of Memorial and Veteran's Day.

I may be "woke" and for the people, but I never surpass an opportunity to celebrate and fellowship with my friends and family. Their sacrifice is what drives my success, and I will be remissed if I overlooked that and hopped on the "F*** The Fourth" bandwagon. To put things in perspective, I'll leave you with this final thought: To simply be Americana is deemed as an accomplishment, in my country of origin.