This is how people in LA County responded last night when local governments asked residents NOT to attend/hold any fireworks displays.
It perfectly illustrates the growing lack of control governments have over Americans. Perhaps it's ironic (and/or appropriate) being expressed on the 4th of July.
Some will think this tenacity of LA residents is awesome.
Some will think this rebellion is reckless (during this pandemic).
The bottom line, though--and whether you like it or not--is that this a sign of America from now on, a society evolving beyond the reach of governments. Between these attempted pandemic shutdowns and the recent riots, 2020 has made this reality incredibly obvious.
But it's not all bad. We just need to learn how to reorder in this more decentralized future.
We see this decentralization or "fragmentation" in how we absorb media.
At first America had the Big 3 TV networks (CBS, ABC, and NBC). Then we got cable, which distributed viewers across many more channels, though most people still knew what "Duck Dynasty" was. Today, though, Americans subscribe to independent services. Or we enjoy a YouTube channel none of our friends or family have even heard of.
All these little channels of life disconnected from one another. It's a more fluid, actualized society. This is good. It is a big challenge for social order, though. So there'll be growing pains--seen in today's unrest--until we figure out how to reorder. This is especially so in large population areas.
Perhaps in these places, there will need to be more, smaller government bodies, each tailored to their residents' particular needs. Whatever it is, we'll need to adjust. Because as seen in this video, many, many LA County residents just displayed how little they cared about what their county/city officials had to say.