When I see various states in the United States of America threatening to run their state like they are in their own country, I think of the film Glory. When I hear demeaning comments about any group of people in America, I think of the film Glory. When I hear about cities and states working like little beavers to disregard votes and voters, I think of the film Glory. When I see states telling their own people they don’t have the right to choose what’s best for their own body, I think of the film Glory. When I see or hear of outright racial prejudice across our country, I think of the film Glory.
I was born in Missouri, so I had relatives that fought on both sides of the Civil War. The war was ages ago and yet . . . the problems are still with us.
The total number of people killed in the Civil War was between 640,000 and 700,000. A drop in the bucket in today’s population count, but still a lot of people.
We fought the British to be free and we fought to keep people free around the world. and yet, here we are still fighting with ourselves. Please, grow up, shut up, and put up. Do what you can to unite our country, not tear it apart.
One of my favorite scenes in the film Glory, is a face to face encounter between our black troops and our white troops. Once the blacks fought side by side with the white troops; things changed.
If you have no idea about what I am talking about, please find and watch . . . and learn. Take a look at the sample of the film Glory by IMDB. – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097441/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
There are no doubt Americans who have ancestors who fought against our country in our Civil War and who still carry a hatred of the defeat and the results. In 2020, during the unrest over Black Lives Matter many monuments were damaged and defaced. One was the Boston African American National Historic Site, which honored those who volunteered and fought for freedom, and respect and honor in the film Glory. It has been restored.
To me America stands for freedom and all that is right in the world. Sometimes we miss the mark . . . hopefully we can move forward and towards a goal that all in our country can embrace.
As I live in this increasingly divided country; I want to listen, learn, and do my best to understand how different circumstances, policies, and procedures affect my neighbors. We all have different perspectives and experiences. I endeavor to see the humanity in every face I see and to treat each person with compassion, respect, and love. There are many things that divide us, I will keep looking for what unites us.
Thank you Don and Pat for sharing your perspective. I will definitely watch this recommended movie.
Alyce, as a teenager in the 1950s, I knew my southern ancestors fought for the south. As I grew up and learned the realities of the world and the horrendous hatred of the southerners at the thought of letting a small black girl attend classes along with white students I changed. I took down my Confederate flag off my bike. Later I was friends with Denny Flanagan who rode the busses in the South. People are just people. We are all related no matter what some people believe. As they say, we’re all in this together.
Don