Over the past weekend, the guy I relieve from work for my weekend job expressed his joy about how the United States defeated Canada in the Four Nations Tournament after Canadians had booed the American national anthem prior to the game between the United States and Canada.
He took great joy in the fact that the United States had dominated the game. In fact, he expressed particular delight that "we" had beaten them at their own game.
Now before I go further, let me just make one thing clear: this guy is a proud member of MAGA Nation. His loud support of Trump had tapered a bit over the years, at least with me. My guess is that this is because I have challenged him regarding this support in ways which he is likely not used to and/or comfortable with. When he instinctively did the whole MAGA thing of condemning Joe Biden whenever I questioned or criticized Trump, for example, I would tell him that Joe Biden was no hero of mine, and my list of criticisms of Biden would likely be longer and, frankly, more substantive than his. However, that does not justify supporting a fraud like Trump. In other words, I kind of threw it right back to him, demanding not condemnation of Biden, but justification of why he so seemingly mindlessly supported Trump.
So on this particular point about taking such joy in the United States earning a win over Canada in hockey, I went after him, again challenging him. What he took particular exception to is how Canadians were booing the national anthem. He thought it was funny, then, that they then had to watch their team lose to the United States.
Reminding him that he in fact supported and had voted for the very man who now loudly undermined Canada's very existence as a legitimate nation before the entire world, I asked him how Canadians should feel. No, I am not saying that it is right to boo another nation's national anthem. Obviously, it is a divisive and disrespectful gesture.
However, is not taking a joy in the elected leader of the land - the face and voice of the United States - undermining the existence of a neighboring, friendly (at least previously friendly) nation not itself far more disrespectful? If you don't like Canadians booing your national anthem, then maybe you should not start the completely unnecessary altercation by literally telling them that maybe they should just cease to exist as an independent, respected nation of the world, and instead become the 51st state, a suggestion which Trump has now repeatedly mentioned?
By this point, he seemed uncomfortable. He told me that he just thought it was funny that they had booed our national anthem, and then, as he saw it. But I reminded him that there was a very specific reason why they were booing the national anthem, and that he was a part of the problem in that regard. After all, he had voted - twice - for the man who had picked the fight with Canada to begin with.
Now, I know that arguing with Trump supporters is...well, pretty much pointless. That is something I have learned firsthand multiple times, with conversations of various natures with people - almost exclusively white males - who loudly and proudly declared their support of Trump. Still, I felt that this was something which should not go unchallenged. So I went ahead and challenged him, and kept pressing the point home, even though he clearly wanted to change the subject after a short while.
Let me say something which might strike people as controversial, particularly given the fact that I am an American. Here it is: I was rooting against the United States. Sorry, but when you vote for a fascist and someone who wants to return to the days of 19th century expansionism, and talks openly about possibly taking over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Gaza militarily, and who declared his hopes that the United States could absorb Canada to become the 51st state, and who also has spoken about boots on the ground in Mexico, you don't deserve to cheer your country all that much. To me, there is precious little to celebrate about our collective American political mindset. Things are growing worse, in the world and here in the nation domestically, because of the elitist pretensions of this current administration. Instead of being patriotic enough to actually pay attention and try to understand the nuances of our collective situation, far too many Americans are far too ready to hand over the keys to a man and an administration drunk on power. Then, they pretend that all is normal, and in fact great, while the rest of the world watches in mixed humor and horror as we drunkenly weave all over the road, seemingly targeting sure problems to come, but boasting about it the entire way.
We Americans have now voted for this man twice now. In fact, this man has dominated American politics for 12 years, or will have once this term is over. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there is a real possibility that he will run for the Oval Office yet again in four years. I only wish that I was joking.
Given all of that, no we don't deserve yet another opportunity to pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves how great we are. Especially before the rest of the world, and particularly in the face of our friendly neighbors to the north, who were largely just minding their own business until our emperor showed that he wore no clothes, but only after he had gotten the comfort of winning the election. And let's face it: those who voted for him - and many of them will be hurt by the very policies which they voted for - cannot claim not to have been warned ahead of time. Again, he was president once before, and it was an absolute disaster. Also, he dominated the political landscape more than anyone else I have seen who was not the sitting president during the four years of Biden. During all of that time, we got plenty of glimpses revealing him to be the dictator and monster which we all know, deep down, he really is.
So about the last thing that I am willing to listen to is a proud member of MAGA Nation - the very same who loudly and proudly expressed "Fuck Your Feelings" to anyone who thought differently than they did - to cry about how those big, bad Canadians are booing our national anthem, and isn't it just awful? And how glad they are that the good Americans put them in their place and beat them at their own sport.
Yesterday, Canada and the United States met in the final of the Four Nations Tournament. There was a lot of anticipation heading up to this final. As if to underscore this, the emperor called the American team to wish them luck prior to the game. Of course, in very typical fashion, he had to add some unprofessionalism and disrespect to it, and he directed it to the entire nation of Canada by referring to Prime Minster Justin Trudeau as governor. Here is what he posted on his Truth Social site yesterday, prior to the game:
"I’ll be calling our great American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada," he said, adding that he won't be at the game because he will be speaking with governors in Washington.
"We will all be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome," Trump said.
Reinforcing her boss on these disrespectful and, frankly, pathetic sentiments, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said later on Thursday that Trump was looking forward to watching the game before adding:
"And we look forward to the United States beating our soon-to-be 51st state, Canada."
Only this time around Canada won. They very much deserved to win it, too, and I am not merely talking about what the players of the Canadian national team managed to do on the ice, either. They deserve to enjoy putting Americans in their place, at least this time around. Sorry, nothing against the players on the American team, necessarily (unless they, too, have drunk the MAGA Kool-Aid). But certainly, Americans have made rooting for the United States in international sports competition become increasingly difficult to do. Sorry if you disagree, but that's just how I feel. Strongly feel.
To me, it does not matter so much how Canada won. All that matter is that they did, in fact, win.
More than that, frankly, Americans deserved to lose. Members of MAGA Nation, and presumably some more innocent Americans as well, having the audacity to complain about how their national anthem was being disrespected, while they themselves blatantly and obviously and undeniably piled far more disrespect towards Canada, not once or twice but time and time again, seemingly never missing an opportunity to do so? Claiming not to understand how Canadians could be so disrespectful when they in fact started all of this nonsense well before this tournament ever got started, and in a far more substantive way than a mere sports contest that was supposed to be in the spirit of good sportsmanship and cooperation? And insisting on this ridiculous, rude, immature, and frankly inexcusable behavior even after all of this time?
Yes, Americans absolutely deserved to lose.
Certainly, Americans never seem to hesitate on a chance to cheer themselves and announce their own greatness. Really, we Americans never need much of excuse or chance to celebrate ourselves and our own grandeur, and our own presumed superiority to the rest of the world. Maybe this is an opportunity for Americans to learn - even in this little, relatively insignificant way - just a little bit of humility. Much needed humility, frankly.
Tonight, I will celebrate the silence of my fellow Americans in this regard, however short-lived it surely will be.
My suspicion is that there will be plenty of other times in the next few years when Americans will largely be robbed of the chance to beat their chests in pride, and show off to the rest of the world. Also, those times will be more serious than last night, which was still focused on sports. But those times will come, and a growing number of Americans will likely learn some measure of humility. At least those who are not already completely consumed by loud arrogance and fear and anger, that is. This humility will, in the long run, make us a better nation. So I welcome this as a lesson for Americans, and I hope for many more such lessons, even if it puts us collectively in our place.
Politics and sports collide as Canada, U.S. meet in 4 Nations final published by The Canadian Press February 20, 2025:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/article-trumps-comments-heighten-tensions-as-canada-us-meet-in-4-nations-final/
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