I really shouldn't expect much better from leftists who are a hair away from being communists themselves, but it's still been discouraging to read my way through discussions and see that many Americans legitimately were pulling for China to beat us in the (gold) medal tally.
Say what you will about the Cold War, at least everyone- even most of those highly critical of the United States- realized that the US was far better than the USSR.
Now, it's impossible not to notice the millions of voices characterizing the US as the evil, imperialistic hive of capitalistic exploitation and systemic racism compared to the scrappy, humanitarian Marxists in China who dare to push back.
Though we should be ever-critical and seek to make long-overdue corrections in our own house FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY don't let that crusade for national improvements blind you to the reality that the PRC is CLEARLY the bad guy, here. Just as the Soviet Union once was.
We've got plenty of national sins to account for and an abundance of lingering problems.
But, folks, we ain't China.
And it doesn't aid the cause of addressing America's shortcomings by pretending that the PRC is on the side of righteousness in all this.
STOP RIGHT THERE, Mr. Conservative, I'm not letting you off the hook, either! Don't go liking this post until you hear what else I have to say.
I'm disappointed to see many leftwing Americans actively pulling for China, but that's not as annoying as seeing supposedly "patriotic" Americans actively rooting against certain Team USA members out of spite.
I also find certain athletes off-putting when they make political statements I see as misguided or disrespectful. But they're members of Team USA representing the country I love and I pull for all of them- yes, even the ones who don't share my same level of admiration and reverence for the United States.
Some of them choose to use their platform to make a political statement. When you get out there and earn that platform on behalf of your country, as far as I'm concerned, that's your moment to do whatever you please.
You know who always stood by in respectful admiration during their national anthem and flag-raising? Every medalist representing China.
They're compelled to project the same show of admiration so many of my conservative friends seem to want to compel from our athletes.
When I look at their athletes standing there, all duty and deference, I don't see competitors reflecting positively on their nation. I see prisoners standing at attention at the behest of a thousand invisible guns.
Even if I'm irritated by some of the political statements from our athletes, I'm still proud to say that mine is the country WITHOUT a thousand invisible guns silencing them.
Thus, when the 90+ percent of American athletes stand on that podium, hand on heart, drenched in tears, I know they're doing it because they choose to. Not because they have to.
THAT'S the reason we're the good guys and they're not.
It's a pity so many conservatives don't recognize that no rules compelling the show of patriotism will ever make us great. They would make us less. They would make us more like the PRC.