This is at... on the 4th of July...And it's at a Walmart in Texas.

San Francisco CA

Description

Sam Seder: This is at... on the 4th of July... Emma Vigeland: And it's at a Walmart in Texas. Sam Seder: At a Walmart in Texas... Brendan Finn: Excuse me, it's actually the Saturday. It was the day before. Sam Seder: Okay, all right, it's the four... it's the third. Well, at least you don't have people working on the holiday, even though i'm sure they had people working on the holiday. But here it is. July 3rd, Texas Walmart. Nomiki Konst: Oh my god. [Walmart shoppers singing] Emma Vigeland: Yeah, you know, nothing... there really is probably nothing more American than like singing this weird, creepy, cultish song about the U.S. to a bunch of minimum-wage, captive-audience employees who are working on a holiday weekend, right? Sam Seder: I love the fact that it happens in a place where incidentally probably none of those products are made in the United States, but in just sort of, like, the most sort of consumer-oriented... you know, you're at a picnic on July 4th weekend, I don't know that I would break into the national anthem, but I can understand that people do, and you know whatever floats your boat. But to do it because you saw one of the many flags that they're hawking that undoubtedly made in China, at the Walmart, and you start to belt out that song, and everybody stops. I am, uh, that that's something I hadn't seen before. But let me just — can you imagine if somebody didn't sing it? If somebody just walked right through that crowd of people... Emma Vigeland: That would have been me, and I would have stole a TV or something! Like that's what... I mean, right? Like get out of there! Sam Seder: But the the point being that if it were liberals doing this, let's say, right, or this was happening like if there was some version of this... Emma Vigeland: Like Chinese-American singing? Sam Seder: My point, no, my point is that this is what Conservatives would perceive as being oppressive. Like, you know, to us, we watch it, it's a little bit amusing. It is a little bit ironic that they're doing it surrounded by products that were not made in the United States. It's very performative. If people are really concerned with promoting the United States, they'd be walking around and boycotting half of that stuff and saying we're not going to do this until you raise wages for Americans and until you start, you know not buying all your stuff in China. I mean, but that type of performative thing becomes so oppressive to the Right. The idea that like you know if it was wokeism if they were in there even talking about you know, equality or that you should, you know, any type of protest becomes oppressive. Whereas this is just supposed to be like, you know, this is what REAL Americans do. Am I making sense here? I'm trying to like: The mirror image of this becomes an oppressive complaint for Conservatives. And I guarantee you, there will be some Conservative show that complains about how non-Texas americans are mocking this — that they're doing it in the Walmart. And that is the oppression that people are suffering from. Matt Lech: We're already at that point. That's right that's where the timeline got to already. Sam Seder: I'm sorry. I was slow on the prediction. Nomiki Konst: I thought it was gonna be the new Walmart commercial. Sam Seder: Who is complaining about the reaction to that already... is oppressive? Emma Vigeland: Well, the the person who uploaded it was saying that they were... it was incredibly cruel for, and totally typical of, libs to get triggered and make fun of this performative exercise. I think that's part of what it is that bothers me too, right, is like there's this sense that it's inherently authentic when really it's, one, brainwashing, and two, like look how American I am, I'm gonna stand here, tearfully put my hand over my heart and stand at attention and stop what I'm doing because i just have to have to show how devoted I am to the country.