A Brief Message From Awards Radar on the Fourth of July as America Celebrates Its 250th Birthday

Friends and faithful readers, today is the Fourth of July, as well as America’s 250th birthday. In more normal times, which seem like a lifetime ago, I’d simply be wishing you all a happy holiday from everyone at Awards Radar. Now, or at least for the past few years, I obviously still hope everybody has fun and is safe, but there’s a lot more on my mind today. It’s once again America’s birthday, in a manner of speaking, and a notable one at that. It’s our Independence Day, and much like the past couple of times I’ve written this post, I’m not sure that the United States deserves a party this year, even during this historic one. Four years ago, it was in the shadow of the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, with the years since bringing new backtracks from the court. Frankly, the country seems as broken and headed to a regressive place as ever before. Plus, now we’re still in the aftermath of the election in 2024, as well as all of the issues that are still on the horizon due to that particular outcome. No matter the day, there’s almost always a fresh hell to navigate. So, while it’s a holiday, sure, there seems to be less to celebrate this year than usual. And yet, there’s a sense, be it through the United States advancing in the World Cup, or that America 250 shouldn’t be a partisan celebration, that some rejoicing should be in order. I’m obviously of two minds about all of that. So, let’s just say, while I love the country, I have notes, especially in terms of our current government and leadership.

At the same time, I’m sure plenty of you are just barbecuing or headed to the movies. It’s a Fourth of July tradition, of course, and it’s also a good distraction. So, I don’t begrudge anyone who takes that route, especially since it’s falling on a Friday this year. Cinema has that power, even if someone like me is has recently gravitated more towards Never Rarely Sometimes Always, as evidenced by my Sunday Scaries articles a while back on the subject (found here), or Red State from three years ago (here). That’s just how I roll. For others? It might just be baseball and soccer, and frankly, that’s okay too.

If you did go see something new, let us know what you saw. Was it a recent release like Disclosure Day or Toy Story 5? Did you take my advice and seek out something like The Invite? If so, hopefully you enjoyed. Whatever you’re doing or seeing, be safe, and here’s hoping that better days are ahead for America. I still believe, even when it’s hard. Remember the words of James Baldwin, who said “There may not be as much humanity in the world as one would like to see. But there is some. There’s more than one would think”, or Theodore Parker (and made famous by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), who said “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Here’s to those better days…

Best wishes from Awards Radar!