Last July 4, I told a neighbor I was on the fence about whether I should play patriotic music that day. I decided to play my usual July 4 rotation of music; I thought, "Regardless of what I think about the state of things, the country is larger and the concept of America is bigger than any individual who holds the highest office. Besides, a beautiful piece of music is still a beautiful piece of music."
This year, especially in light of recent shameful events, I'm wondering if it might be more appropriate to just play Paul Simon's "American Tune" repeatedly. Sadly, Simon's lyrics about wondering what has gone wrong are even more applicable today than when Simon wrote them. Midnight Oil's "My Country" would be an appropriate choice, as well.
I suspect others are having this same debate with themselves.
