The United States celebrates its 250th birthday, but Philip Gully feels deeply disheartened.

More than three-quarters of Americans believe the Founding Fathers would be disappointed in the nation's current state.

CNN reported a story on July 2nd.

When the U.S. marked its 200th anniversary, Philip Gully was only 15 years old.

His parents hosted a grand neighborhood party at their home in central Indiana, bringing together neighbors from both the Republican and Democratic parties to celebrate the occasion.

He remembers everyone seemed exhilarated, and the celebration went on well into the night.

Now, as the U.S. reaches its 250th anniversary, the 65-year-old Gully no longer wishes to celebrate.

He says he is so disillusioned with the current state of the country that he doesn’t even want to attend his traditional family event—watching fireworks at the local school on July 4th.

When asked how he plans to spend this 250th-anniversary day, his response was brief: “Nothing at all.”

According to surveys, nearly 70% of Americans say they are dissatisfied with the current state of the country, and about 60% believe the nation’s best days are behind it.

Pew Research Center and Gallup polling show that only about half of Americans say they feel “extremely proud” or “very proud” to be American—a new low in 25 years.

Moreover, another survey reveals that over three-quarters of Americans believe the Founding Fathers would be disappointed by today’s national condition.

President Donald Trump has taken control of the 250th-anniversary celebrations in Washington, D.C., a move unpopular in history due to his role in dragging the country into war, causing oil prices to surge, and further exacerbating the persistent cost-of-living crisis.

According to the latest report from the "State of the Nation" project, no state has shown improvement across indicators such as income inequality, long-term unemployment, and hourly wage growth.

This is the backdrop against which the U.S. is celebrating its 250th anniversary.

Preparations have been underway for eight years without much fanfare, featuring student essay contests, a nationwide oral history project, and traveling science expos.

Subsequently, after re-election, Trump—who had previously expressed a desire to host a grand 250th-anniversary celebration during his campaign—once again took office.

Initially, Trump and the U.S. 250th Anniversary Commission appeared poised to collaborate.

But due to competitive disagreements over vision, personnel, and congressional funding, Trump ultimately launched a new organization called “Freedom 250,” which has since undermined the long-standing plans for the nation’s capital and redirected funds originally allocated to the bipartisan U.S. 250th Anniversary Commission toward its own operations.

The result is a series of confusing, competing 250th-anniversary events.

“Now I feel it’s more like a political party celebration,” said Eddie, a 66-year-old resident of Las Vegas. “I don’t want to perform those insincere gestures, because they completely ignore what our country has become under Donald Trump’s leadership.”

Josh Lavra, a 37-year-old designer with a Brooklyn mental health organization, isn’t particularly interested in commemorating the 250th anniversary either: “To be honest, it just feels a bit out of place.”

Reuters says Americans may not be in the mood to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.

What if the 250th-anniversary celebration goes wrong?

What about the 300th anniversary?

“I just hope by the time we reach the 300th anniversary in 2076, the country will be in better shape,” said Edie. “I hope the celebration will resemble the 1976 one more than it does today.”

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869653999702276/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.