With the ongoing political climate, some people wonder if it is okay to display feelings of patriotism in America. The left and the right may have differences in how a country should be run, but are both groups proud to be an American? One bar owner, located in the City of Brotherly Love, decided to display a sign of patriotism in order to increase business. In the front of his business, the bar owner displayed a sign stating, “If you’re not proud to be an American, do not bother to come in.” This sign attracted a man named Victor Fiorillo to step in and buy a drink.
Victor Fiorillo saw the sign and it prompted him to go in to show his support for the American people. He purchased a beer and around the same time another patron decided to speak up. The patron was a former firefighter who is of Mexican descent. He wanted to show that it is okay to be patriotic so he played “God Bless the USA” on the nearby jukebox. As Lee Greenwood’s song played, it sparked other patrons to chime in and sing along.
The bar owner stands by his value and has been serving drinks for many decades in this are of Philadelphia. He wants people to know that they will be treated with cheers of joy if they walked inside. The bar owner himself has kept cheap pints of beers and advertises sales during sporting events to urge patrons to come inside. The owner believes that hipsters are ruining the neighborhood and making people feel bad for showing acts of patriotism. Social media got a hold of controversy surrounding the bar’s sign and caused some outrage amongst liberals.
One of the reviewers on Google stated that they were glad this bar existed because they were tired of seeing Philadelphia bars being run by “hipster douchebags.” Some reviewers were glad that the folks who oppose to bar’s values were at least keeping it to themselves. Later on however, somebody walked past to bar and took a picture to upload it on Philly’s facebook group.
This sparked even more outrage due to the increase in exposure. Some locals expressed fear that if they are not a white man, they can’t go inside. One woman, who lives in Fairmount, stated that there was another bar named “Old Philly” that shared similar values. She would tell others to avoid going into that bar because it may not be too welcoming. The Philadelphia bar owner stil doesn’t understand why there is so much controversy surrounding his sign. Victor Fiorillo was proud to be an American and the bartender even agreed that anyone who lives in this country should be proud.
