BASIC Studios

American history is told from the perspective of valiant heroes who battled an impossible army and a king to win their independence.

 

Children are filled with tales of hope and greatness, and yet the ugliest parts of the nation’s history rarely see the light.

 

From slavery, the murder and desolation of the Indigenous Peoples, eugenics, segregation, and countless other atrocities committed by Americans, only a handful are explained in schools. Those that are taught are usually framed with a hint of positivity that belies the egregious crimes committed against others.

 

Few countries are provided a righteous start or squeaky-clean track record over the course of their histories. America is one of those countries. Yet, there is hope to be had for the ideals dreamed of by immigrants who craved freedom.

 

The American Dream has always been open to everyone who wanted to step foot on its soil, and even if there were hypocrisies over the years, the dream has stayed alive.  

 

According to Encyclopedia Britannica (1):

“American Dream, ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed.”

 

Even through the injustices and terrible atrocities committed, hope for opportunity, freedom, and equality traveled across the globe and brought more people to Lady Liberty’s shores.  

 

New generations brought forth new goals and dreams, but one has remained the same.  

 

America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is a land for everyone, and everyone has the right to live, love, and exist in equality with their fellow man.

 

In the year 2026, finding clarity through the trauma of a daunting regime seems impossible for some. For others, their fear overwhelms them, and they have fallen into despair, hoping their “orange god” delivers them from an evil that he has created. When will the country heal?

 

Perhaps it starts with us?  

 

Dear readers, this post is a reminder that you are not alone. Being an American is difficult at the moment, but BASIC Studios stands with you through the turmoil and confusion. Even though we struggle with what America is right now, the dream is not dead.

 

Our team has provided their thoughts and opinions on what being an American means. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the demand to be better than what we have been and who we are in this moment.

—————————————

 

River. 20—To me, an American and a patriot, feel different. An American would love all equally, regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, while a patriot would be less willing.

An American strives for community and a sense of peace, while a patriot would be less willing.

Americans nurture the ground below them, not caring about who it belongs to, knowing we do not own the earth, while a patriot would be less willing. An American tries every day to make the world better for everyone and hopes everyone is willing to do the same. A patriot is less willing.

 

Anonymous, 52—An American is a person who fights the good fight against all forms of oppression! As the daughter of immigrants, America is a place that welcomes all, regardless of their identities. 

 

Luna, 30—Though this notion reigns only in the most idealistic, ill-visited corners of my mind, I still firmly believe in the resilience and tenacity of the American spirit. This country, exploited as it was by European imperialist greed, was famously forged by the blood, sweat, and sheer grit of immigrants. In 2026, exactly 250 years after the United States’ founding, the spirit of those who burned with proud determination has seemingly dwindled in the face of a familiarly fanatical political power. Yet still, an ember of that spirit glows in those Americans willing to rekindle what those who rose in protest before us left as our legacy: an indomitable, unquenchable sense of hope to spark meaningful change.  

 

Lore, 34—Considering the United States was created by those trying to escape oppression, I worry that we’ve lost sight of our origins. This separation between political ideals is exactly what the government wants because, historically, when the people fight back, they lose. We the people need to stand up to the oppression of our government and remind them who they work for! 

 

Matt, 48—America has always been a country of contradictions. If you claim it is “the land of the free,” you are correct. But it is also a land of oppression and restrictions. What is American about that is the fight to obtain that freedom at all costs while protecting what you have secured. For every great endeavor this country has owned proudly, it has also demonstrated its capacity for destruction. Where we toe the line with that contradiction determines the direction in which this country is heading. 

 

Sharron, 22—As a child of immigrants, I can recognize what America has always been—a place where capitalist pigs can grow richer off the backs of minorities and the poor. Those I do consider to be truly American, though, from the lens of someone who loves their community, are the people who show up and live day by day, doing the best they can. “American” is not a nationality—it’s a set of ideals that someone strives for: “liberty, and justice for all.” It doesn’t matter whether or not you come from the United States. The opening song of In the Heights by Lin Manuel Miranda encapsulates that love for me. People who are hardworking, fair, and honest, who try their best every waking moment, are my American people.

 

Jeri, 35—To be an American is to be full of opposing ideals, even within yourself. We are so obsessed with sensationalism that we are numb to the simple, everyday things in life. We say we want simple, nonconflicting days, but then we fight over politics, religion, race, gender identity, and sexual identity. It is polarizing, and we find ourselves pulling further apart from each other further.

 

Jenna, 30s—To be an American is to tip at least twenty percent, regardless of your personal experience with state violence. It is your civil duty to visit every single combination Dunkin’-Donuts-mobile-gas-station-Chase-Bank off the highway, and spend at least twelve dollars in order to use their bathroom. God Bless. Yours in violence. USA, baby.

 

Tess, 35—To be an American is to be consistently aiming to improve the lives of the community and society around them. It means standing up for the oppressed in our society, even as those in power seek to crush them beneath their boot. It means fighting back against tyranny. It means No Kings. It means no one is above justice. It means everyone deserves liberty.

 

———————————-

 

Growing up, being an American meant being proud. Americans were the best of the best in any and all things. As age colored my beliefs and education filled me with knowledge I had not been given in youth, my belief in my country wavered.  Shame filled in the place where pride once rested, and, for a time, I was angry about the lies.

 

America’s ideals do not have to be a myth. They were never fully a myth, and we do not have to give them up to the past.  The dream lives within each of us.

 

Freedom is ours to take.

 

Hope is ours to claim.

 

Love and equality are ours to pass to the next generation.

 

For those of you clinging to hope that America can be better than it was and grow beyond what it is right at this moment, you are not alone.

 

BASIC Studios stands with you, supports you, and hopes right alongside you.

 

Dear readers, happy fourth of July. Never forget that the dream is not dead. It lives within those of us who want to see it realized. This dark time will soon be part of our history, and we will learn and grow from it.

 

 

————————————

1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Dream
2. Image From:  https://flagsusa.com/blogs/news/flags-blog-what-do-the-colors-mean-on-the-american-flag?srsltid=AfmBOorXJSvAxXq5Da0fpbtGyVugiUCDA6FLYz04YuDJIaxOQviDj2PS