He ain't prejudiced, he's just, made in America.
On this date in 1916, my father was born. In his life experience, he was completely different from the dad Toby Keith describes in his hit song Made in America.
My father was a city boy. As far as I know, he never once sat on a tractor. He didn't have a tattoo, and he certainly wasn't handy with tools (Mom did better with those). One of his lifelong regrets was his rejection from the military, specifically US Navy Officer Training school, due to an issue with his eyesight. A devoted Roman Catholic, his book was the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible, not the King James version.
Despite these significant contrasts to the heartland farmer portrayed in Made in America's lyrics, "my old man" and Toby's were similar in more significant ways.
Both men were dedicated family men who loved God and the USA. Once in my teens I was watching a WWII movie with my father. In one battle scene, the American flag bearer falls to the ground. Dad literally yelled at the television set, "Somebody pick up the flag!" I remember that moment because it was so uncharacteristic of my father to react so forcefully.
Dad was ahead of his time in his political views. He considered Franklin D. Roosevelt "the worst president ever" because he had "socialized the country." With the ongoing explosion of the American welfare state, I believe time has proven him right. Dad was a staunch Republican who was convinced the Vietnam conflict was an enormous error. At the time, that was a shocking stand for a conservative.
Sixty years ago, I also remember him objecting to the United States "still paying Europe's bills." In 1965, 20 years post-war, he felt those countries should be making more of an effort to be self-sufficient. I can't imagine what he would say today on that topic.
Good fathers within the USA can come from many different worlds. Their daily life, opinions, traditions and customs can vary widely, but they share the same deeply rooted values that built our country. As it states on our national currency, E pluribus unum; out of many, one. And all of them, made in America.
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| From the YouTube video |
