Pride is Destructive. The Bible Says So

 I’m the son of a preacher. Although we always say we live in a Judeo-Christian society, as a keen observer who has actually studied religion, I believe most Americans today (especially the most religious) are actually atheists and nihilists despite what comes out of their mouths. 

Today, July 4th, I’m hearing a lot of people talk about being proud to be an American. This is on the heels of Pride Month and Black History Month, all awash in people expressing pride with how they were born. 

Now in the Bible it says what? Pride cometh before the fall. Actually, it says “pride goeth before destruction”, which is an even stronger statement. I’m not a Bible thumper. I think its a fun quirky history book, that’s all. But I’m pointing out our society’s central characteristic: that we don’t really believe in jack shit except money, power, sex, basically selfishness. Most self-professed Christians have never read the WHOLE Bible. I’ve read it three times straight through. Perhaps a dozen times in parts. 

I’ve evolved in life. I used to fly an American flag on my car on Independence Day. I used to believe in American exceptionalism. That was before I traveled around the world a little bit, lived a little more life and got better educated.   My perspective changed. 

I am not proud to be an American. If you say love it or leave it, I’m ready to fucking go!  But moving to another country is tougher than you think, especially if this one has saddled you with a criminal record. 

I say I’m not proud to be an American, but I recognize that I’m LUCKY to have been born here. But I would be equally lucky, perhaps even more so, to have been born in Canada, England, France, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, basically any of the rich countries of the world. 

I was born poor in America. It would have been luckier to be born wealthy almost anywhere else. If you had traveled, you would know this. Rich people are spending more and more time outside the United States, and many are moving overseas. Rats leave a sinking ship. Smart people do also. The dumb people sit there saying “I’m better than a rat. I’m not leaving.”. And they drown. 

I think what a lot of people mean when they say they are proud to be an American is that they are lucky to be one. But consider this in another context. If someone wins a contest through pure luck, and then acts cocky and proud about it, what do we think of that person?  On July 4th, we should say, “I feel LUCKY to be an American.”.  That statement is less offensive. 

I am not proud to be Black, either. Being proud of your race is even dumber than being proud  of your country. Black people talk about Black Pride seemingly without realizing that White pride is what the Ku Klux Klan was founded on. White pride is what the slave traders were operating on. I guess you want to be just like them? Spoiler Alert: you are just like them—human and misguided. Black Pride is not the answer to White Pride. The answer is NO RACIAL PRIDE. Racial pride is DUMB.  

I’m not proud to be a straight man (I’m damn lucky to be one though—look at the world).  I’m zero percent homophobic. In fact, in many respects, I’m jealous of gay guys! They can be accepted as “one of the girls” and hang out with women 24/7 if they want (that’s what I want!). Women allow gay men to speak to them bluntly and honestly. They are (many of them) stylish and civilized. They never have a hard time getting sex.

What can I say for myself? I just love girls. I have no excuse. Maybe it’s a curse LOL (note to God: please do not take this joke the wrong way and reincarnate me as a gay man. I’ve been through enough being poor and Black, I don’t want to go through the shit those guys go through with their families and society. Even though the prospect of being a girl in this world is scary, I guess it would be okay if you bring me back as a gay woman…as long as I’m cute.).

But amongst these various expressions of pride, I can give the LGBTQ community a pass. Why? It’s not Pride in being born gay that I think is okay. But it is okay to feel proud of surviving everything this society puts gay people through. 

Some Black people will try to draw a parallel here, but its not even the same. Your Black mama would never say “You’re not my son cause you’re Black”.  But that is what a lot of gay people face at HOME, on top of similar police violence to that which afflicts Black men, similarly high (or I think perhaps even higher) incarceration rates, disadvantages in the job market, plus random violence from straight guys. Ain’t nary a one of you straight Black men that wants to switch places with a gay White guy. The only advantage they have in this comparison is the option to live in the closet, but what a terrible fucking option. Now being a gay Black man? Fuck, that would be tough. So I’m okay with LGBTQ pride. Surviving in this viciously homophobic world is an accomplishment, and TODAY, racism’s not nearly as bad. Gay people JUST got the right to get married (and the Supreme Court is going to kill that next term).

So basically, pride in non-accomplishments is all wrong. The idea of being proud of random, unchosen facts about yourself is one of the biggest problems in this world. It is one of the driving forces behind bigotry and racism, xenophobia and war, social strife and division. Be proud of the things you’ve ACCOMPLISHED!  If you haven’t accomplished enough to feel proud of, get fucking busy!