July 4th should be Grand Theft Auto Day

I know, this may be a controversial stance, but if you really think about it, it does sort of make sense.

Looking at it through a long lens, the Grand Theft Auto series celebrates the major freedoms protected by the constitution and the grand entrepreneurial spirit that defined the country through war, drought and Detente, granted it does so with a little more ethics than what we are probably used to seeing from our corporate societies. The drive to succeed, the push to be #1 and strengthen one's position at another expense, is that not American at heart?

And like the heroes of these games, America, when pushed, pushes right back... hard. Even from the very beginning when survival is the first priority, fighting a war against more powerful factions for self-determination is usually how it begins, and in both the games and the national story line, manifest destiny is the next logical step.

Grand Theft Auto represents America's cultural legacy as a whole as well... in a distorted way sure, but it makes quite the statement. The obsession with cars and the Second Amendment, conspicuous consumption and mass appeal to the lowest common denominator, no matter how base... is that not what modern media has aspired to do for oh so long?

And considering how many times GTA has been talked about in Congress, and in the courtrooms across the country, it is becoming part of the legislative and judicial lexicon of the nation, because sometimes violent satire hits a little too close to the bone.

So as celebrations begin in New York, Miami and the Los Angeles/Las Vegas/San Francisco triangle tonight and all across the United States, Rockstar has painted a portrait of your country that is just as patriotism-inspiring as any other work on American culture... but not everyone likes the fireworks.

Tags: independence day, grand theft auto, GTA, rockstar, america, usa, congress, courts, jack thompson, new york, miami, los angeles, san francisco, las vegas, vice city, liberty city, san andreas, conspicuous consumption, second amendment, culture, war, fireworks