You know what nobody had on their bingo card for America's 250th birthday? Residents of Los Angeles' Skid Row delivering a more compelling defense of the United States than most politicians manage on their best day. And yet here we are.
As Trending Politics reported, journalist Jonathan Cho from Frontlines, Turning Point USA, and the Discovery Institute spent time interviewing residents of one of the nation's most impoverished neighborhoods over the Independence Day weekend. The people he talked to, many dealing with homelessness, poverty, and addiction, had zero interest in trashing the country. In fact, they were proudly decked out in patriotic gear, with one man rocking a Charlie Kirk shirt.
When asked what makes America special, one resident put it about as simply and perfectly as you can: "This is the only country where you can say and do whatever you want with freedom. Freedom of speech, you know what I mean?" That is a better civics lesson than most college freshmen get these days, and it cost zero dollars in tuition.
Cho then brought up the topic of Americans who identify as communists and criticize the country. The response was, shall we say, direct. "Go to hell, man," one resident replied. "They built a nation where the future ain't dead. We march for rights." Not exactly a nuanced policy discussion, but sometimes brevity is the soul of patriotism.
Another resident offered what might be the most poetic description of the American founding you will hear this year: "Ain't nobody like us. We got everything. Everything we want. It's the spirit of rebels who turned into owners." Somebody put that on a coin.
When Cho asked whether he would still rather live in America than anywhere else, the man did not hesitate. "Ain't nobody can run us off," he said, later calling the United States "one of the best, greatest countries." He acknowledged that many Americans are still working toward financial success, saying "We're still chasing that paper," but suggested that material wealth is not really the point of the whole American experiment.
The interviews wrapped up with a moment honoring veterans. "So we've got to remember our veterans today, right?" Cho asked. "All day. Right," the resident responded.
There is something genuinely striking about people who are facing some of the toughest circumstances this country has to offer and still choosing gratitude over grievance. Meanwhile, plenty of folks with six figure salaries and ergonomic desk chairs spend their days writing essays about how America is irredeemable. Maybe the next time someone with a trust fund wants to lecture the rest of us about how terrible this country is, they should take a walk through Skid Row first. They might learn something.
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