AMERICANS are the best. At everything. We are the superior nation; we are the richest and the most powerful. All other nations want to be like us. We win the most summer Olympic medals every four years, and do so by a large margin. And we know we're so cool. There's nothing to worry about there. All we have to worry about is whether or not everyone else knows how great we are.
We can stop fretting now. Last Saturday night, four American men took up our burden and made sure they let everyone know what an amazing nation we are. The men's Olympic 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of Jon Drummond, Bernard Williams, Brian Lewis and Maurice Greene took 20 minutes out of their busy schedules to celebrate their gold medal-winning time of 37.61 seconds. They tied American flags around their heads, took off their shirts, and then proceeded to dance and prance around in front of the mass of media flashbulbs. Thanks fellas. You sure have made us proud.
|
This gaudy production was ridiculous -- and yet totally unsurprising. Their antics only helped prove what has long been known around the world. Whether in a world-class athletic event or a mere pick-up game, Americans are unnecessarily cocky.
These four men took celebration to the extreme. They draped themselves in the sacred U.S. flag, posed for cameras, flexed to the crowd, and did so for about 20 minutes too long. Williams used his flag to impersonate the World Wrestling Federation's "The Rock," then ran down the track flapping his arms like a bird. Funny, you normally wouldn't think to combine the supposedly classy Olympics with the cable TV baseness that is the WWF. But this was all justified, as Williams later explained that he "grew some wings so [he] could fly down the track" ("Unforgettable, Regrettable" The Washington Post, Oct. 1). Oh, well then he should have done more to boast America's wares.
At least these men were respectable during our national anthem. When they made comical faces, it was out of pride. When Greene stuck out his tongue at the cameras, it was simply a way of telling the world, "Hey, look what fine taste buds Americans have." Oh say (what) can you see indeed.
All joking aside, many may argue that this display was just a rare case of overreaction and shouldn't be taken as representative of our nation as a whole. But just by definition, the Olympics serve the main purpose of being a way for every nation to represent itself to the rest of the world. The actions of every athlete, whether a track star or an often-overlooked archer, contribute to the way other nations view ours. All of our athletes should act in a respectable manner on and off the field.
This, however, is impossible, as this isn't what America stands for. We really do think we're the best at everything and don't care if we look like fools in letting others know it. We can deny it all we want, but each and every one of us can conjure up memories of our own cockiness.
Sure, it's great when our athletes do perform better than any of the other competitors, but that doesn't give us any right to act as if what we did was infinitely better. Every athlete in the Olympics is one of the best in the world.
Perhaps even worse than the winning relay team's raucous behavior was the reaction from two U.S. boxers who proved only to be second best. One cried and took off his silver medal, while the other argued that his match was unfair. These shocking realizations that we aren't always the best should be sobering, not saddening.
This cockiness isn't just applicable to American sports. It applies to U.S. society in general. We think we're the smartest, but our literacy rate and education levels perennially rank well below many other industrial nations. We think we always will be able to top the achievements of others, and find it so hard to admit intellectual defeat.
This problem obviously can't be fixed merely by asking athletes not to celebrate extravagantly. As the old clich
Read More
UPADHYAYA: The Great and not-so-Good sides of U.Va.’s 2030 housing plan
By Apal Upadhyaya | 6 hours agoInstead of improving the dire state of existing infrastructure, however, the University has shifted attention away from it and chosen to expand.
EDITORIAL: Support low-barrier shelters in Charlottesville
By Editorial Board | YesterdayInvesting in low-barrier shelters now will pay off in increased stability for the homeless, which will undoubtedly improve the safety of shelters and the community writ large.
SHRAUGER: McIntire’s three-year model limits opportunities for first-year students
By Alex Shrauger | 3 days agoBy pigeonholing students into commerce so early, the University violates its own mission of providing a holistic education that produces students capable of succeeding in a variety of fields.
