Yes, chants of USA, USA at sporting events can grate. I've never believed that superiority in a certain sport translated to world hegemony. If it did, wouldn't Canadians rule the world given their prowess in curling? Or Brazilians for soccer? Or New Zealanders for rugby? How does one choose a sport to prove world domination, anyway?
Even so, as a proud American, I'm mindful of the slippery slope towards the flipside of patriotism, the Ugly American. I remember being in a haberdashery along the Gran Vía in Madrid when a large, older American entered the store and without addressing anyone in particular began asking for directions in a loud voice to a location that turned out to be a block away. I was less than thrilled with his performance and didn't want to be linked with him, but it was obvious that it wasn't going to stop until he got an answer, so I quickly gave him directions and turned to ask about clothes in Spanish to the attendant. It was the first of too many episodes I've witnessed of the Ugly American phenomenon. So I'm not unaware of it.
Still, why can't Americans be proud? We've settled two world wars, walked on the moon, saved dozens of countries from crumbing economically, fed millions of people, rushed in to countless natural emergency situations to aid the indigenous population and done more good than many other nations combined. It's not perfect, but it's the best social experiment in the history of mankind.
What irks me, however, isn't so much that the charge itself is made, because there's a grain of truth to it. It's the ones pointing the fingers that cause me so much irritation. Namely, the Brits. Talk about a prideful people.
Before I begin my rant, understand this: It's not as if the Brits don't have a history of which to be proud. They do. Amid all the horrible things it's done, Britain does have some notable successes, in economics, wars, literature, science, etc. In just about everything, actually, except dentistry. So I'm not claiming that Brits have no reason to be proud of their country, because they do. Just as every country has its reasons for pride.
What galls me is that Brits wave the flag as much if not more than anyone else. I swear, the Union Jack flies more than just about any national flag out there. And if it's not the flag that's being flown, it's that damned anthem that's being sung. It's as if Brits are trying to reclaim the glory days of the faded empire by dint of their constant shows of patriotism.
But in so doing, they try to put other's shows of pride down, namely ours. For example, this little nugget comes not from 1783 but 2008:
And these are our allies? If one is so inclined, click on the video and then read some of the comments from the loyal citizens of our greatest ally. Imagine: Booing the national anthem of the home country that's your greatest ally that helped you in two world wars. Amazing. But wave that flag!
Of course, it's not just against us that they wave the flag. I was in Madrid watching the 1985 UEFA finale between Liverpool and Juventus of Milan, Italy, when this took place:
It can be argued that these were just fans of the particular British team that were involved in the fighting, but when this continued to occur in several European competitions, British fans were banned from attending games on the continent. Brussels wasn't an isolated incident.
Even when the results aren't tragic, the flags are still there. For the latest royal wedding, they even had a chopper fly a Union Jack around Buckingham Palace...just in case people didn't notice all the flags along the parade route for the new couple:
I won't even mention the flag waving at the birth of the couple's child two years later.
Again, the point isn't that Brits shouldn't wave their flags. They shouldn't point the finger and accuse Americans of being overly proud. We have just as many, if not more, reasons to be proud of our country despite being significantly younger as a nation as they do. For the Brits to sniff and look down on our patriotism smacks of envy or jealousy, no matter what the cause. Every country has its louts, and if the Brits are pointing to the rowdier elements of our society...well, as shown above, they're on shaky ground, because they've been proven to be as loutish as any country around. The last time I checked, no Americans were barred from attending foreign sporting competitions for any reason, much less their unique brand of patriotism.
I am a proud American. I believe I have a balanced perspective on what it is to be an American and what my country means to the world. We're not perfect and we've done some pretty crappy things along the way. But no nation is perfect, and just because a country has done something wrong doesn't mean it can't celebrate what is good about it.
Even if the country's dental program hasn't progressed from the glory days of its empire.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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