A lot of folks use the song as a patriotic banter - although the song itself deals with the working class person - and the working class soldier - and their view.
"I was Born in the USA - but this is the hand I was dealt. Should I be proud? Should I be ashamed?"
And 30+ years later the answer is YES YOU SHOULD BE PROUD, SON.
The United States is far from perfect. And the current political divide is magnified by technology - social media, etc If this song was written today - almost all the lyrics could be the same. The difference between now and then is that our country has endured the trials of time - and we are judged negatively by many others - if we do not openly support wars - and we do not give billions and billions of our tax payer dollars - (Ukraine) - we are "damned". If we take initiative and our brave men and women of the military perform surgical strikes against a nation who has been trying to eradicate US and our culture for decades - we are "damned".
We are quite literally - "Damned if we do - Damned if we don't".
And that's what makes this song so special 40 years later - we are STILL BORN IN THE USA and WE STILL DO WHAT IS RIGHT - and with that comes pain, sacrifice - a lot of questions - naysayers - and condemnation.
Yet the very same people that seek to condemn US and what we have done over the past century - are the very same people that will be begging for our help with the first signs of trouble. DON'T EVER FORGET THAT.
YES - WE ARE NOT PERFECT - BUT WE ARE BORN IN THE USA.
"I was Born in the USA - but this is the hand I was dealt. Should I be proud? Should I be ashamed?"
And 30+ years later the answer is YES YOU SHOULD BE PROUD, SON.
The United States is far from perfect. And the current political divide is magnified by technology - social media, etc If this song was written today - almost all the lyrics could be the same. The difference between now and then is that our country has endured the trials of time - and we are judged negatively by many others - if we do not openly support wars - and we do not give billions and billions of our tax payer dollars - (Ukraine) - we are "damned". If we take initiative and our brave men and women of the military perform surgical strikes against a nation who has been trying to eradicate US and our culture for decades - we are "damned".
We are quite literally - "Damned if we do - Damned if we don't".
And that's what makes this song so special 40 years later - we are STILL BORN IN THE USA and WE STILL DO WHAT IS RIGHT - and with that comes pain, sacrifice - a lot of questions - naysayers - and condemnation.
Yet the very same people that seek to condemn US and what we have done over the past century - are the very same people that will be begging for our help with the first signs of trouble. DON'T EVER FORGET THAT.
YES - WE ARE NOT PERFECT - BUT WE ARE BORN IN THE USA.
