The Fourth of July fireworks came a little early this year, but not just in the sky. Social media lit up like a festive celebration as a video of Zoran Mendami, the new arrival from Uganda, made its rounds. Sitting at what is allegedly George Washington’s desk—though more like using it as a prop for a modern-day lecture—Mendami managed to cause a scene, or perhaps more accurately, a meme. From the moment he started to bemoan America and make a pitch for what sounded like Sharia law in America, folks couldn’t decide what was more bewildering: his complaints or his apparent lack of desk etiquette. He sat at the desk as if he’d just been called to the principal’s office, not like someone who claims to know what American values should be.

Now, let’s talk about a real show of patriotism: Donald Trump taking charge of the Independence Day weekend in a sky-high manner. Fighter jets soaring over New York City caught everyone’s attention and made for a spectacle that was hard to ignore. It was like a scene plucked straight out of one of those feel-good movies about American strength and unity. Meanwhile, the voices of reason seemed to be coming from unexpected places. Enter Spencer Pratt, who delivered a rebuke to Mendami in classic fashion, drawing parallels between demolishing history—the Communist way—and fixing your house up only to realize it’s just a pile of bricks without memories.

In this clash of narratives, one thing is sure: nobody asked for a lecture on Americanism from someone fresh off the plane. Pratt spun an almost poetic tale about the importance of history. The way he put it, it’s nothing short of a love letter to the past, messy and violent as it may be. Nostalgia, he suggested, isn’t just about feeling warm and fuzzy—it’s about remembering where we’ve come from, every stumble included. So when Mendami went for America’s historical jugular, claiming a spot at Washington’s desk, folks understandably did a double-take.

This Independence Day, people didn’t just hang out flags; they waved them proudly, fueled by a sentiment captured in Pratt’s call to cherish America’s narrative. Forget the glossy vinyl of reimagined history. America’s got scars, and they’re the kind you share over campfires and at family gatherings. If history makes a house a home, then tearing it down brick by brick means more than a change of floors. It means losing what anchors us.

While Mendami and his hijab-clad entourage might have thought they were handing out lessons, what they really did was ignite a renewed sense of patriotism. In the game of political chess, there’s wisdom in Pratt’s words: let the opponents play themselves, especially if they get their desks backward. On this Independence Day, remember that history is what makes America, well, America. It’s loud, it’s proud, and it sure isn’t quieting down for misguided narratives. So while Mendami might have misjudged his role at the desk, no one needs a reminder of what it means to be American, especially not during this season of pyrotechnic pageantry.