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Thank you for calling out such possession. As soon as he starts with the phrase, I skip his comment.

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If you have literacy, Emily, you'll see "our" does not denote only possession.

Take "This land is your land, this land is my land," by Woody Guthrie. The pronouns, as the rest of the song amply shows, celebrate participation, engagement. Nothing at all of possession.

Or, "This is my country, land that I love" -- again celebrates community, joining in, heartfelt delight in others.

Or, "My Country, Tis of Thee"? Again, any literacy in humanities recognizes the pronoun as expansive, democratically widening to others.

Literacy matters, Emily -- our humanities richly suggest solidarity as in equality, deference to wider community.

We need our enveloping, generous humanities, Emily, lest those ignorant of them narrow, distort, pervert needed community, literacy.

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