USA! USA! USA! — A Shot of Patriotism I Desperately Needed

The Olympics gave me something I have been terribly missing.

The Olympics gave me a shot of patriotism I so desperately needed.

USA. USA. USA!

I needed it. Big time.

Lately, being American has been kind of embarrassing. Not because of political beliefs — those have existed since the dawn of time. Disagreement is baked into the system. I needed a jolt of patriotism because the loudest, most obnoxious voices in the country seem to have taken over. Technology has handed them a megaphone, and too often they use it to divide, distort, and inflame. You know exactly who I am talking about. Most of these bad actors appear to be generating substantial amounts of money from people.

Today’s gold medal win in the men’s hockey finals for Team USA over Canada in overtime will live forever in Olympic lore. Add in Alysa Liu’s unexpected run to gold in figure skating and the women’s hockey team also slaying Canada in OT, and the last three days in Milan were special. They felt like a blast from the past — a reminder of the average American rising up to achieve greatness.

Most people my age — I’m 43 — look back at the 1990s fondly. Some can’t quite explain why. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t flawless. But it felt more unified. More neighborly. There was a sense that, while life was hard, we were all in it together.

I call that the sweet spot.

Technology was advanced enough to connect us, but not advanced enough to fracture us. There was trust in legacy media. And while it wasn’t perfect, it largely took its job seriously. It acted as a watchdog. It held powerful people accountable. Local news tried to stay non-partisan and carried real weight in communities. There was a shared sense of reality.

Then the internet exploded. Social media became the norm. Politicians discovered that tearing down trust in institutions — especially the media — was politically advantageous. That’s not partisan; that’s factual. When trust erodes and misinformation flourishes unchecked online, people retreat into customized realities curated by algorithms.

The algorithm wants you on the platform as long as possible. More time equals more ads. More ads equal more money. What keeps people engaged? Anger. Outrage. Fear. Rage bait drives clicks, comments, and shares. Rage bait is good for business.

The connective tissue that once held us together has been weakened. Now we live in a society where outrage reigns supreme. A new information reality has been created for everyone.

I have a relative who constantly shares misinformation on social media. I bet you do, too. He 100 percent believes what he posts. A few minutes of fact-checking would debunk much of it, but in his feed, it’s real. And if it’s real to him, it shapes how he sees the world. That’s the new reality. It’s not just him — it’s millions of us, all living inside slightly different algorithm-built universes.

The rich and powerful have figured it out. They can manipulate mood, anxiety, attention, outrage — regardless of which political team you root for. Billionaires have mastered the art of keeping us divided because division is profitable.

Instead of a united country, we wake up each day to chaos. It’s exhausting. It’s disheartening. And honestly, I hate it. People are better than this. But the internet and the phone in our pocket have created an individualized mind warp — a web of distortion that fuels suspicion and anger toward our neighbors.

And yes, cable news is in on it too. CNN. FOX. MSNBC. You name it. Much of it is built around panels, conflict, and emotional triggers designed to keep viewers locked in. When outrage becomes the product, nuance disappears.

It’s part of why I’ve been depressed. I love this country. I believe in it. But I’ve been ashamed of what we’ve become — ashamed of the grifters profiting off division and frustrated at how easily so many fall for it. I get it, though. If you’re not trained in journalism or critical thinking, it’s easy to get pulled in. And how many people actually are?

But then Team USA reminded me.

The American spirit isn’t the loudest voice online. It’s not the troll, the conspiracy theorist, or the professional outrage merchant. It’s the kid who wakes up at 5 a.m. to practice. It’s the family that sacrifices to chase a dream. It’s the athlete who puts on the red, white, and blue and represents something bigger than themselves.

Alysa Liu reminded me of that. The men’s and women’s hockey teams reminded me of that. The average American dreamer chasing excellence reminded me of that.

The average American is not the problem.

Most people just want to work hard, take care of their family, and live a meaningful life. In the 90s, regardless of party affiliation, we understood that. We weren’t perfect, but we recognized we were on the same team.

This isn’t supposed to be team sports. It shouldn’t be left versus right.

It’s our lives.

And for a few days in Milan, it felt like we remembered that.

USA. USA. USA.

And for the first time in a while, I felt proud again.