# Freedom 250 - The Great American State Fair **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 29, 2026, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470 "2026-05-29T03:08:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 44
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/861 "2026-07-09T19:56:41Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > And there’s no reason to contemplate a fast food joint with wonder or to think somebody is some effete snob if it’s not at the forefront of their mind as some pinnacle of American culture that must be shared with others. It’s just some place to go eat and pretty good for the price if they’re budget conscious. People (maybe not you) often want to try or visit things that they have heard about, but not ever had a chance to try, for the novelty, if nothing else…even if that place is “just a fast food joint” or convenience store. It’s how Sonic Drive-In had huge lines for months when they finally started opening restaurants in the midwestern U.S., it’s why In-N-Out Burger and Buc-ee’s are tourist attractions, and it’s why foreign soccer fans who have come to the U.S. for the World Cup have been making a point of going to try fast food that the rest of us think is very ordinary. You may not see or understand the appeal. Clearly, your mileage varies. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/862 "2026-07-09T19:58:04Z")
Yeah, and that’s fine. But one of the points of the article is that people aren’t “real” Americans if we’re not thinking of them like that. Well, of course we don’t. Those are ordinary places to us. There are a lot of ordinary things I wouldn’t think were special but a foreign visitor might be curious about. And vice-versa. That doesn’t make anybody some white tower libtard for not thinking of them ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/863 "2026-07-09T20:14:10Z")
I know nothing of cornstarch in their batter. My point is the breading tastes actively affirmatively sweet to me. Like Krispy Kreme levels of sweet. It did not develop that flavor from flour nor from cornstarch. I like a savory hunk of deep-fried chicken as much as the next guy. But not a sweet one. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/864 "2026-07-09T20:18:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I know nothing of cornstarch in their batter. My point is the breading tastes actively affirmatively sweet to me. Like Krispy Kreme levels of sweet. Uh, wow. It isn’t even close to that. Krispy Kreme?! That’s crazy. The entire sandwich has 6g of sugar, and at least half of that is probably in the bun. And some of it would probably be in the pickles. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > It did not develop that flavor from flour nor from cornstarch. Or at all. By comparison, a Big Mac has 9g of sugar. How sweet is that to you? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/865 "2026-07-09T21:00:41Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > My point is the breading tastes actively affirmatively sweet to me. Because the cornstarch becomes sugar in your saliva. The sugar is, therefore, your fault. 🤯 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/866 "2026-07-09T21:10:14Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I don’t like any of their sides Especially the side of bigotry. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/867 "2026-07-09T21:15:04Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Because the cornstarch becomes sugar in your saliva. That’s not an exaggeration. Starches are extremely glysemic. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/868 "2026-07-09T22:35:32Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > but it’s hard to screw up a milkshake Have ever had a McDonalds milkshake? They manage to screw them up. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/869 "2026-07-09T22:42:44Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > Have ever had a McDonalds milkshake? I never have. I’ve had a McDonald’s “shake”, but they don’t call them “milkshakes” to comply with dairy laws that vary from state to state (at least in the US, they may label them differently in other countries). > **[Why McDonald’s Won’t Call Its Shakes “Milkshakes”](https://www.rd.com/article/mcdonalds-wont-call-shakes-milkshakes/)** > > Seeing "shake" on the menu has fast-food lovers wondering what happened to McDonald’s milkshakes—and asking if they really have milk. Now, that’s a legal/semantic difference, but regardless, McDonald’s shakes have more of a watered-down and artificial flavor than a milkshake at a place like Chick-Fil-A. (Not that Chick-Fil-A shakes are anything special, they’re just creamier than McDonald’s, closer to what I’d consider a “normal” milkshake.) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/870 "2026-07-10T00:14:25Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Chick-Fil-A serves quality food for a reasonable price and provides a good experience for their customers with speedy, friendly service. My intention was not to start a debate over the relative merits of one particular type of fast food place. My point is that the “American first” writer of that article believes that America is somehow far superior to other countries because it has big stores and a few fast food restaurants that don’t suck as much as others. Japanese are used to good service. They aren’t going to be in awe of any fast food restaurant. I really have no idea what the author intended other than to demonstrate his ignorance of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/871 "2026-07-10T00:24:19Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > My point is that the “American first” writer of that article believes that America is somehow far superior to other countries because it has big stores and a few fast food restaurants that don’t suck as much as others. …a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire salons, automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see. My God, it’ll be beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/872 "2026-07-10T02:22:25Z")
Who knew _Snowcrash_ was accurate future history? ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/873 "2026-07-10T02:28:35Z")
I always suspected you were a 'toon. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/874 "2026-07-10T09:39:40Z")
The whole premise of the article is completely fucked up: > This Saturday marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The semiquincentennial deserves more than the usual barbecues and neighborhood fireworks. It calls for a spectacle worthy of a quarter-millennium of American history. > > In any such celebration, one ingredient is essential: a public face with an unmatched talent for promotion, crowd-drawing power, and sheer scale. In our timeline, that description fits Donald Trump perfectly. He is a master showman who knows how to make things big, loud, and unforgettable. And then: > But imagine a different universe. One where Donald Trump is still larger-than-life, still talks like a born salesman, and still loves everything “YUGE.” He retains his flair for showmanship and his instinct for spectacle. Yet he is not polarizing. In this timeline, he avoids name-calling in public, steers clear of relitigating the 2020 election, and on January 6, 2021, firmly tells the protesters to go home peacefully. The following is NOT to Godwinize the debate. Make no mistake, please. I’m not comparing Trump to a particular German dictator. In alternative history scenarios, people suggest that the outcome could have a different if only X didn’t happen. No problem. The problem is when X runs fundamentally against the nature of the party doing the action. The classic example is (to bore you with the details), people argue could have won WWII if only they didn’t invade Russia. The problem is that Hitler was Hitler. He couldn’t help himself. The very nature that sent him down the path to invade Poland propelled him into the Soviet Union. Trump is no evil genius, he’s a wannabe banana republic dictator and kleptocrat. But just like Hitler’s personality was so extreme, Trump is fundamentally incapable of not making it all about himself. There is no alternative universe where Trump is YUGE about anyone but himself because it’s impossible for him. He has no agenda but self promotion and enrichment. He’s incapable of acting in the greater good. His “showmanship” and instinct for spectacle cannot exist outside of his polarization and attacking others. It’s who he is. Why the fuck have sycophants like this author drank the Kool-Aid is beyond me, but they overlook the blatant lies and love him. The rest of us are turned off by the lies, so it would never have been a good 250th anniversary. I don’t know how America recovers, if it does. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/875 "2026-07-10T19:10:27Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > What in the hell was that about a Belgian woman giving Francis Scott Key a homemade flag? I see from [Newsweek’s transcript](https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-july-4-speech-read-full-salute-to-250-remarks-12151781) that the Liar-in-Chief was referring to a _direct descendant_ of FSK. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/876 "2026-07-10T22:17:22Z")
Big finale for the fest tonight, right? Anything good lined up? Kool and the gang? Something? ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/877 "2026-07-10T23:03:43Z")
The Kool Aid Guy maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/878 "2026-07-11T00:23:04Z")
> **[Trump's struggling fair evacuated again in another setback on its final day](https://www.rawstory.com/trump-state-fair-postponed/)** > > Trump's Great American State Fair suffered another evacuation on its closing day, according to an announcement.In a post on X, Freedom 250, the Trump-backed organization that put together the fair, announced, "The Great American State Fair has been... ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/879 "2026-07-14T19:19:18Z")
So much winning. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freedom-250-the-great-american-state-fair/1030470/880 "2026-07-14T19:24:45Z")
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