I love the fourth of July! Between the hot dogs, fireworks, parades and bbq’s, this holiday represents everything that is amazing about America. In honor of our great country, I’ve created a list of MY top 10 reasons why being an American rocks (in no particular order).
1. We root for the underdog. Sit with a group of American’s during the NCAA tournament and you’ll likely find 75% are rooting for that no-name college team who is on a hot streak beating top ranked dynasties.
2. We get to live in an absolutely beautiful country. A drive across the US will show you dry desert, rocky mountains, flat plains, sky scrapers and beaches. Just in Tahoe alone we have lake, forest, desert and mountains.
Source: http://www.annexation.ca
3. We dominate in sports. Let me rephrase. We dominate “real” sports. I’m sorry, but it’s true. My British friend once tried to argue that England beats us in rugby. My response was – “well if you took all our Football players and had them play Rugby, you wouldn’t stand a chance.” He didn’t have much to say. :)
4. We believe in “The American Dream” Even in tough economic times, the American Dream still lives on. Personally, I love that I live in a place where the opportunity to “make it big” isn’t perceived as impossible.
5. We have pride in ourselves. From New York City to small midwest towns, people in America have so much pride for their communities. It’s amazing. Just watch this video the city of Grand Rapids, MI made after being named “a dying city” by Newsweek. 3.4 million views on YouTube later, I think Newsweek may have to reconsider!
6. We’re allowed to say what we want. While I completely disagree with the actions of groups like the Westboro Baptist Church, I am happy that we live in a country where freedom of speech is respected and protected to ensure we never stifle public debate.
7. We like beautiful things. Okay, so this one is a little shallow, but you have to admit American’s like to look at beautiful people doing beautiful things, and I think that’s just fine. There might be one thing we enjoy more, and that’s beautiful people doing something ridiculous. Oh Britney…
8. We stand up for what we believe in. If we feel in our hearts that something is right, we’ll go to great lengths to defend our beliefs. We don’t always agree with each other, but you have to admire people’s dedication to their principles.
Source: gretchendrewphotography.com
9. We aren’t perfect, but we’re forgiving. We’ve seen our fair share of mess ups from people who are supposed to be leading our country, but we always find a way to give them a shot at redemption and ultimately forgiveness. I guess I like that about us. :)
Source: Washington Post
10. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. There certainly is no shortage of slightly embarassing American stereotypes, but we don’t let that get us down. In true patriotic form, we take those stereotypes, have fun with them and end up starting international fads. The Situation loves him some America!
Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com
So in honor of all that is great in America, I hope you eat too many brats, crack a cold one and celebrate decked out in red, white and blue with the people you love the most.
What do you love about Americans?