Just as millions of Americans were preparing to Independence Day across the country, woke New Yorkers were insisting the country’s founding was not worth a celebration.
Patriotism among liberals is extremely low, with recent polling from Gallup showing just 34 percent of Democrats are extremely proud to be American.
Meanwhile, the FBI and Homeland Security issued a warning to those who do intend to celebrate the holiday of possible lone wolf ‘attacks’ by extremist groups, cautioning that large crowds are often seen as ‘attractive targets.’
On the eve of the holiday, DailyMail.com took to the streets of New York to ask young liberals how patriotic they are this 4th of July.
‘I saw a meme the other day that was like ‘America does not deserve a birthday party,’ and I feel like that kind of encapsulates how I feel a little bit about the 4th of July,’ said Denise Parker, 34, Wellness Director at a high school.
Denise Parker (pictured), 34, said America does not deserve a birthday party this Fourth of July
‘I think that America is a really inclusive place, especially New York. It feels like a welcoming melting pot. Obviously not without certain clashes.’
Anita Gitta, 25, said the ‘the American kind of mindset is not in the right place.’
‘Capitalism is just forcing people to have to work tirelessly just to survive, that’s what I hate about America,’ Gitta said.
Others expressed their concerns about the state of politics and Biden’s chances of winning following his disastrous debate performance.
‘I feel like whatever happens I have my passport ready and I am ready to go to Mexico,’ said Giselle Hernandez, 26.
‘What is the purpose of our government being there if they are not really helping us.’
Meanwhile, Jack Weerts, 23, visiting from California, said: ‘I just don’t feel like, the large portion of our politicians right now represent the general desires of America’.
‘I just don’t think our current President Biden has what it takes to really run the office the way he should be,’ Fredrick Schultz, 25, said.
Anita Gitta (pictured), 25, said she hates that capitalism is a driving force that makes Americans have to work tirelessly
Combat veteran Steven Johnson Jr. (pictured) said he thinks democracy is falling apart in front of us
Jack Weerts, 23, said it is hard to feel patriotic because of his concerns over the current state of politics
While it was mostly the young complaining about the state of the Union, a few older adults expressed similar sentiment.
‘I feel like America is going through difficulty right now, mainly because of the upcoming election,’ said 85-year-old retiree Gino Musso.
Steven Johnson Jr., 54, assistant Principal at elementary school in Charleston, North Carolina, and a combat veteran said he thought the world was ‘on fire’.
‘It’s almost watching our democracy unravel right before our eyes. It is very terrifying.’
Despite many feeling unpatriotic this Fourth of July, others said they are proud to be Americans.
‘I’m feeling patriotic, I’m actually feeling more patriotic than I expected,’ Alonso Mayorga, 22, said. ‘We need to focus on the core values and get back to those.’
‘I think America, one of the best things about it, there are lots of problems but everyone is free to speak their minds about them,’ said Sahil Sen, 21.
A Buddhist monk was also very positive about the U.S.
‘America is peaceful, and free for everybody,’ he said.
According to a new ranking from WalletHub, Virginia – home of America’s capital city Washington D.C. – is the most patriotic of all 50 states.
Despite many feeling unpatriotic this Fourth of July, others like Alonso Mayorga (pictured) said he is in the spirit of the holiday
Patriotism among liberals is extremely low, with recent polling from Gallup showing only 34 percent of Democrats claiming they are extremely proud to be American
Sahil Sen (pictured), 21, said the best part about American is the freedom to speak about issues you think are problems in the country
Alaska and Montana rounded out the podium – while Florida, New York and Arkansas fell to the bottom of the nationalist pack.
The rankings took into consideration a series of star-spangled factors, including military engagement, jury participation, voting rates, number of volunteers and history education in schools.
Speaking about the rankings to Fox News, analyst Cassandra Happe of WalletHub said: ‘The most patriotic states have a lot of residents who serve or have served in the armed forces, high voter turnouts during elections and a high share of the population volunteering with national and local organizations.’
‘Patriotism also isn’t concentrated in any one particular area. The top states are located in vastly different geographic regions,’ she added.