This year’s Independence Day looks less like a celebration and more like a clearance sale on national patience. Across the country, Americans traded their hotdogs for hand-painted protest signs reading: “Freedom Ain’t Free—Especially at $5 a Gallon,” “Grill Burgers, Not Countries,” and “Independence? I Still Live with My Parents Because of Rent!”
Parades were either canceled or quietly turned into “Walking Frustration Festivals.” Even the usual brass bands joined the movement. “Blowing protest whistles is more satisfying than playing ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’ on a loop,” said one tuba player from the Dallas Marching Patriots.
The protests stem from rising discontent over endless wars in the Middle East, skyrocketing gas prices, and an economy so shaky even Wall Street’s bull looks nervous. Americans, it turns out, can only handle so much ‘freedom’ when paired with food insecurity and a looming recession.
In lieu of fireworks, some towns held “symbolic bonfires” where people burned military recruitment flyers, credit card bills, and unused picnic napkins. “It’s cheaper than therapy,” said a protester in Detroit.
The stars and stripes still flew high. But this time, they were waving in the winds of nationwide exasperation.