Journalist Jonathan Cho spent the Fourth of July weekend walking through one of the roughest neighborhoods in America, and the people he met had some things to say that would make your uncle at the barbecue stand up and salute his beer.
As Trending Views reported, Cho conducted video interviews on LA's Skid Row for Frontlines, Turning Point USA, and the Discovery Institute, asking residents how they feel about the country as it hits its 250th birthday. The answers were about as subtle as a bald eagle landing on a monster truck.
Skid Row is defined by homelessness, poverty, and addiction. These are people dealing with real, visible struggles every single day. And yet, not one person Cho talked to was interested in trashing the country. Cho noted several residents rocking patriotic clothing, including one man wearing a Charlie Kirk shirt, which led to a candid conversation about what makes the United States worth celebrating.
"This is the only country where you can say and do whatever you want with freedom. Freedom of speech, you know what I mean?" one resident told Cho.
When asked what he would say to people who identify as communists and regularly criticize the United States, another resident kept it beautifully concise. "Go to hell, man," he said. "They built a nation where the future ain't dead. We march for rights."
Somewhere, a political science professor just choked on his latte.
Another resident pushed back on the growing wave of American criticism with equal fire. "I don't know. Ain't nobody like us. We got everything. Everything we want. It's the spirit of rebels who turned into owners," he said. Asked point blank whether he would still choose America over anywhere else, the man did not flinch. "Ain't nobody can run us off," he said, later calling the United States "one of the best, greatest countries."
That is more patriotic energy than most politicians manage to summon while literally standing in front of a flag.
The conversations also touched on material wealth, with one resident acknowledging that many Americans are still grinding for financial stability. But he made clear that money is not what defines the country's greatness. Which is a perspective that carries a little more weight when it comes from someone who is not saying it from a mansion.
The interviews wrapped up with a moment honoring veterans. Cho asked whether Americans should take time to remember those who served during the holiday. "All day. Right," came the reply.
Look, there are people living in comfortable homes with nice cars and good jobs who spend every waking moment online explaining why America is the worst place on earth. Meanwhile, folks on Skid Row, who have every reason to be bitter and cynical, are out here wearing patriotic gear and telling communists where to go. Sometimes the clearest perspective on what you have comes from the people who have the least of it.
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