When a Nation’s Birthday Feels Like a Wake

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

- Cool Hand Luke (1967)

As originally announced, the artists booked for Trump's Freedom 250 festival seemed perfectly representative of where we stand as a country on our 250ᵗʰ birthday. Like the festival’s nostalgia‑heavy lineup, we are leaning hard on familiar hits to define who we are as we struggle to create something new. Our place in the world feels less like a chart‑topper and more like a legacy act struggling to stay relevant.

This raises the uncomfortable question: are our best days behind us, or could a new producer get us back on the charts?

What better symbolizes our current status under the Make America Great Again regime than the surviving member of a German duo, probably best known for having their Grammy Award rescinded after a lip-syncing scandal? Or a rapper whose biggest hit lifted its bass line from a Queen and David Bowie track without permission and whose career leaned on the long American tradition of repackaging Black musical innovation for mainstream white audiences?

Providing another burst of symbolism, the whole production fell apart. Of the nine artists originally announced, eight backed out. Just as the sole survivor, Vanilla Ice, was about to hit the stage, his performance was cancelled by organizers. They claimed the weather made continuing the event dangerous, though it’s hard not to wonder whether the real danger was the embarrassing optics of a nearly empty crowd.

Instead of a review of has-been entertainers, the crowds will be entertained by Trump himself, completing the conversion of the non-partisan America 250 celebration into the MAGA-centered Freedom 250. Any doubt about the real focus was laid to rest by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who said from the stage on opening night that the replacement lineup was "way better than those libtards that canceled on us."

Ignoring an opportunity to bring Americans together under the shared patriotism of our semiquincentennial, the nation’s 250ᵗʰ birthday is instead drifting toward yet another front in the ever‑expanding culture wars. Is it any wonder the holiday seems like it will land with a thud rather than be a memorable celebration?

I was only eight years old during the bicentennial, too young to understand how deep the divisions in our country were at the time. We were also a nation traumatized by current events. Two years removed from the only presidential resignation in history and just a year after the humiliating exit from Vietnam, confidence in our country and its institutions had been deeply shaken. This was especially true after the culture‑shaking effects of the Civil Rights Movement.

But we still found a way to celebrate.

I remember the planned celebrations being a big deal, with the country awash in red, white, and blue. In the lead-up to the big day, the U.S. Mint released Bicentennial quarters, and consumer products were rebranded to patriotic themes. Disneyland incorporated the party into its park, including a patriotic parade and a brand-new attraction, America Sings. CBS aired daily "Bicentennial Minutes,” short segments highlighting historic events.

On the big day, giant ships sailed into New York Harbor and communities gathered nationwide for a simultaneous ringing of bells. Large-scale concerts with major artists were held across the country.

Nothing of this scale is planned for this year's semiquincentennial. Perhaps it was never possible, given our national division and general sense of negativity. We are so entrenched in our silos that there is little appetite for celebrating anything that asks us to recognize the other side as fellow countrymen rather than opponents.

Trump could have used his massive bully pulpit to pull us toward a bipartisan celebration, but he seems more enamored with sowing division. Instead of guiding us toward a common purpose, he coined a new insult, "Dumocrat," and uses it to sow further division. Is it any wonder the Democratic half of the country seems to be rooting for the algae as the president struggles to keep the water clear in the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool?

The first Republican president said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Today, our divisions are without a doubt great and seem to grow with each passing day. Maybe that’s why this July 4ᵗʰ feels less like a party and more like a wake.

Carl Petersen is a former Green Party candidate for the Los Angeles School Board and a longtime advocate for public education and special needs families. Now based in Washington State, he writes about the intersection of politics, culture, and family at TheDifrntDrmr.