Olympic Patriotism

So, we're in the midst of the summer Olympic games taking place in Beijing. It's funny how connected to the events I feel, despite the 12-sum-odd-hour time difference, the fact that I'm catching up on most of the events via news headlines or post-event video highlights via the web, or the understanding that I have very little in common, athletically or otherwise, with the subjects of those news headlines and video highlights.

I had the privilege of discussing the topic of patriotism with my girlfriend's father the other day. He considers himself deeply patriotic. I've never deeply considered how I might fare, say on a scale of 1-10, towards US fandamonium. I've always felt more inclined to root for the underdog in most situations. And the US is rarely the underdog, at least since that Revolutionary war incident.

But the Olympics provides a rare opportunity for myself and many other self-deprecating Americans. And that is the opportunity to applaude, take pride in (wha?), and feel genuine accomplishment for both the American and international athletes come together to compete peaceably in these historic games. During this brief window of opportunity, we are all truly privileged to witness and react to, with unashamedly patriotic abandon, this shared world hootenanny.

And I'm very proud to be a part of it all... even if it is 12 hours delayed.