It has become a minor Linneman tradition to spend the morning of July 4 on Liberty Island, taking part in the 5k around the statue.
With all the ways that American iconography has been co-opted to represent division, opposition to "outsiders," and denying others the benefits we enjoy simply for being born in the right place at the right time (and if some folks get their way, to the right people), I love that the Statue of Liberty has been a tough symbol to peel away from its representation of a promise made to anyone who sincerely wants to take part in the American DreamTM.
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| On the ferry, with Ellis Island in the background |
Laura's mom has a true-to-archetype immigrant story, arriving in the United States by way of New York Harbor, being greeted by Lady Liberty and processed through Ellis Island. I hope we...and future generations...can maintain sight of this as representative of a foundational American value. The American ExperimentTM has obviously had some pathways in need of course correction, but I thought this was one most of us could agree on. Unfortunately, I don't hear many self-proclaimed patriots saying "Give me your tired, your poor..." anymore.
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But I can save some of that fretting for another day. As it pertains to the usual fare of this blog, I should also celebrate the Statue of Liberty's role in this masterpiece of animation...
And here are Mutt and Junkyard enjoying a photo op on her massive left foot:
(I'll let you in on a secret, though. That isn't really the foot of the Statue of Liberty.
It's a replica in the museum on the island. I've had my picture taken with it too...)
I'm sure any scaling issues are...a perspective thing...
Hmm.
Anyway, happy Fourth, everyone! I think I'll bring more Mutt and Junkyard to the blog this upcoming week. Enjoy your weekend!
Congratulations on your run. Hope you had a lovely 4th of July.
ReplyDeleteThank you sir! (Although..."run" is a strong term for how we spent most of the event... ;)
DeleteAnd absolutely the same to you! (Of course, I can only imagine that in the UK, most of July 4 is spent wallowing in regret and reflecting on what could have been. Please don't tell me otherwise and spoil it for me.)
I'm sure I've shown you our version of that animated masterpiece before, but if not:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2f2kXMbW_4
Oh man, thanks for sharing that! Y'know, I THOUGHT I had seen it before, but I definitely didn't remember it being so...relatively understated(?)...
DeleteIt's definitely missing the oomph of the American version, with the dissonant cries of "Cobra!" and the major-key resolution when the Joes enter the narrative...but there's something I really like about it. It's like the end-credits counterpart to the original intended to start the movie. And the unironic(?) exclamation of "Action Force!" to cap it off...love it...!