I was cruising through the sports channels on my TV looking for anything worthy of my time when something drew my attention. It was the Women’s Football World Championship ("soccer" for dumb Americans who can’t play along with the rest of us). I know what all of you are thinking at this point because the same questions popped into my mind. Why am I watching this? Why are they kicking each other in the shins? Why is this even on ESPN and not Lifetime Television? And even though I do not know the answer to those last two questions, the reason I stopped to watch was this: Megan Rapinoe of the American team had just scored her second goal against the opposing Colombian team. The game was now Two-Nil and Ms. Rapinoe excitedly raced towards the pitchside microphone at the edge of the field, tapped it a couple of times and bellowed a chorus verse of Springsteen’s “Born In the U.S.A!”. How patriotic!, is what some of you might be thinking right now. Well, you’re wrong. Pack your bags Ms. Rapinoe ‘cause we ship traitors to Guantanamo.
“Born in the U.S.A.” was a reaction by Springsteen towards the Vietnam war and, although used on many occasions as a nationalistic anthem (Ronald Reagan used it in his 1984 presidential campaign), the vibrant chorus was not a proclamation of nationalistic beliefs but a lament for the loss of these values.
So my question is: What does it mean to be an American, or a citizen of any nation by that matter? In what way is a person from Florida related to a person from Alaska? What do YOU have in common with someone from West Virginia or Georgia? I just got a chill in my spine thinking about banjo playing boys and toothless mountain men. Is it the symbols that represent us? What do these symbols mean?
The national flag: Also known as the star-spangled banner has known up to thirty different versions that I can think of, the current one inaugurated in 1960 after Hawaii was annexed to the U.S. territory. And it doesn’t stop there. The designs for the 51st state flag are already available. And yes, I am talking to you, Puerto Rico.
The national anthem: It’s a poem written in 1814 by a lawyer named Key, set to the tune of an old British drinking song. I guess I take it back because a drinking song does seem to appeal to a more universal audience.
I just bring up the point because it seems that nobody cares about patriotic values anymore unless there’s a sporting event or a new Mel Gibson movie out. Is that what your country means to you, an Olympic gymnastics team or a pothead swimmer with an under bite? If it is, then what’s the point of belonging to a country anyways? Even if you were born in China, your borders have been changing throughout history. And if you weren't, chances are your country isn't even 250 years old. And I'll let you in on a little secret: It ain't gonna last. The idea of permanence in this everchanging world is absurd. Just ask my friend Milos from Yugoslavia.
The whole concept of belonging to a specific territory in this globalized society seems archaic. I was born in Peru, my sister was born in Miami and I am currently writing from Chile in English, and that’s not uncommon in today’s world. I’m not about to go burning cars like the kids do in France but I do have questions. And I guess my main question today is why don’t people, people like Megan Rapinoe, take a second to think a little about certain things before yelling them out on international television?
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