still moving

This scene from The Newsroom about America not being the greatest country in the world is popping up again. Understandable, considering the way things are going; it's emotionally relevant.

In case you're new here, I was born on Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. After our military was pulled out of Vietnam, my dad got out of the Air Force and moved us back to where he grew up, a small town on the California-Oregon border.

We were raised to believe our country was “great" while we said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning at school for years, but I don't think I ever felt we were the greatest.

My mom cried a lot. America wasn't what she thought it would be. As a Filipina, she thought it would be friendlier, happier--like an Elvis movie. Knowing that some people in town called me and my brother “Dave's half-breed kids" didn't give us the warm fuzzies. She stopped speaking Vasayan and Cebuano with us because my parents didn't want us to have a weird accent. They thought that would be helpful.

But this is my country, you know? I was born an American. I believe we have so many strengths when we are curious and compassionate, when we look at the rest of the world through a broad lens, when we aren't afraid to apologize when we're wrong, when we work hard for equity and equality.

Our politicians are imperfect and have been since the beginning, but most decades showed progress. They were able to figure out ways for struggling farmers to get paid while contributing to programs like USAID. They knew infrastructure is important for every American and especially for those hired to maintain it. Veterans found jobs at the VA that helped them continue to serve long past putting on the uniform, and politicians knew to thank them them for their service.

These things are no longer true. In trying to create a world in which citizens are rewarded for pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, our current administration somehow managed to take away both the boots and socks.

So, yeah, that scene about how we used to be the greatest country in the world is worth sharing again. And so is this song by Sara Bareilles.