Patriotism is often presented as blind loyalty. We are told to wave flags, salute, and accept the stories we are given without question. But what happens when those stories are built on lies? What happens when truth is buried, and those who question it are labeled as dangerous?
I created a political illustration years ago titled Feeling Patriotic, America? Then Keep Drinking the Kool-Aid. It was designed to challenge the false comfort of blind belief. The picture showed Osama bin Laden and Christopher Dorner wrapped in the American flag, sitting side by side, with the Kool-Aid Man resting on piles of money. Behind them was a sign that read, Federal Terrorist Job Recruitment Unit.
The message was not about glorifying either man. It was about exposing how America manipulates the public with stories that benefit power and silence truth. Many people believe what they are told, even when it makes no sense. They drink the Kool-Aid and call it patriotism.
The Black community especially must be careful not to fall into this trap. We cannot afford to blindly follow the narratives of a system that has long proven itself untrustworthy toward us. Every generation, we are given stories that redirect our energy away from truth and toward loyalty to those who oppress us.
This illustration was meant to shock, but it was also meant to wake us up. It asked the question: How long will we allow ourselves to be fooled? How long will we keep drinking the Kool-Aid?
The Kool-Aid of Lies
The Kool-Aid represents deception. It is sweet, colorful, and easy to swallow. Yet inside, it is poison. Governments, corporations, and media serve this Kool-Aid daily. They tell us who the villains are, who the heroes are, and what events mean—yet rarely do we get the full truth.
For the Black community, this deception has been especially harmful. From slavery to mass incarceration, from false wars to false promises, we are told lies to keep us controlled. These lies are presented with flags, songs, and speeches. But beneath the surface, it is about money, power, and control.
Wrapping Lies in the Flag
In the illustration, Dorner and bin Laden were wrapped in the American flag. That was no accident. It symbolized how America hides its sins behind patriotism. Whenever truth gets too close, the system pulls out the flag. Those who dare to expose corruption are labeled enemies. Those who commit crimes in service of power are painted as patriots.
The flag becomes a mask, covering up hypocrisy. It protects those who profit while silencing those who speak out. For our community, this is a reminder: we must look past the symbols. We must study history and see the patterns for ourselves.
The Federal Terrorist Job Recruitment Unit
That sign in the background—Federal Terrorist Job Recruitment Unit—was a metaphor. It spoke to how America trains, funds, and supports violence when it benefits power. Wars are started under false reasons. Leaders are created, then destroyed, when they are no longer useful. And the people are left believing a story that was never real in the first place.
For Black people, this reality should teach us not to trust blindly. If entire wars and national tragedies can be staged or misrepresented, what else are we being told that is not true?
The Kool-Aid Man sitting on piles of money reveals the real motive: profit. Wars, prisons, weapons, surveillance—these are billion-dollar industries. The suffering of people becomes business. The illusion of patriotism keeps the machine running.
For our community, this means we must be careful not to become tools in someone else’s plan. We must recognize when we are being used for labor, votes, or distraction while the real wealth flows elsewhere.
My illustration was never meant to praise or excuse violence. It was meant to force people to think. It was meant to shake the illusion that everything we are told is the truth. Because if we keep drinking the Kool-Aid, we remain powerless.
The Black community must rise above deception. We must sharpen our awareness, question everything, and refuse to be manipulated by symbols and speeches. Our survival depends on it.
Patriotism without truth is slavery. It chains the mind even when the body is free. We cannot afford to love a system that does not love us back. We must build loyalty to truth, not lies.
The future of our people depends on seeing through illusions. The flag, the Kool-Aid, the stories—all of these are distractions if we do not examine them carefully. Our focus must remain on unity, strength, and independence.
So, I ask again: Feeling Patriotic, America? Then Keep Drinking the Kool-Aid. Or, for those who are awake, the question becomes: When will we put the cup down and finally see the truth?
LanceScurvX