Battle cry of the un-woke!
Some Americans delight when they see other Americans face defeat.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not often that I鈥檓 happy a U.S. team loses in the Olympics,鈥� said conservative Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield. 鈥淏ut I found myself rooting against Megan Rapinoe and her merry band of America-hating female soccer players; they lost one game.鈥�
Mr. Stinchfield was celebrating the loss by a team of people he believes are un-American. Frankly, by rooting against America鈥檚 Olympians, he was, by definition, being un-American.
That鈥檚 dumb.
By the way, the U.S. women鈥檚 soccer team came home with a bronze medal 鈥� better than they did at the 2016 Olympics when they failed to medal.
Stinchfield was hardly alone in expressing joy by rooting against Americans in Tokyo.
Donald Trump must have thought he was speaking for every American, when he said 鈥淎mericans were happy鈥� because the women鈥檚 soccer team lost a game to Sweden.
Then, when they did secure their bronze medal: 鈥淲oke means you lose, everything that is woke goes bad, and our soccer team certainly has,鈥� said the bronze medalist of the 2020 presidential election.
Conservatives can鈥檛 be this dumb, can they?
Conservative Fox News flamethrower Tomi Lahren decided that because Americans hadn鈥檛 yet won any medals 鈥� after just one day of events 鈥� they were destined to crumble under the weight of their wokeness.
鈥淕o woke and go broke or in the case of the Summer Olympics, get woke and lose,鈥� she beamed as if her turn of phrase was poetic and prophetic.
In the end, it was neither.
The U.S. Olympic team won more medals than any other team (113), and more gold, too (39).
I鈥檓 still confused about who determines what is 鈥渨oke,鈥� or what is not 鈥渨oke.鈥�
Is there a 鈥渨oke-meter鈥� somewhere?
How did the word 鈥渨oke鈥� become an insult?
Meanwhile, Stinchfield went extremely un-American when he blasted the U.S. men鈥檚 basketball team after they lost an early game to France.
鈥淭he collection of whiny, overpaid social justice warriors are very hard to root for. The team is filled with anthem kneelers, and I find it ironic (that0 they are willing to put (the) USA across their chest,鈥� he said.
What did those guys ever do to him?
But Stinchfield wasn鈥檛 finished.
He suggested somebody should get physical with people who鈥檙e probably a foot taller than him.
鈥淪omebody ought to go up to them and rip (the) USA off their chest. I don鈥檛 want 鈥檈m wearing it, personally.鈥�
Kevin Durant, the team鈥檚 unquestioned leader, stands 6 feet 10. Stinchfield might need a ladder to reach Durant鈥檚 chest. I鈥檇 pay to watch him try it. Especially after the team won its fourth gold medal in a row.
I鈥檝e heard this silliness about people not watching Olympians 鈥� or any athletes 鈥� who become 鈥渟ocial warriors.鈥�
That鈥檚 fine.
Burn their jerseys?
That鈥檚 OK with me.
Make silly statements about their lack of allegiance to the country that values free expression 鈥� when they engage in free expression?
Cue Dinesh D鈥橲ouza: 鈥淭he Canadians aren鈥檛 American. But neither are they anti-American. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e cheering their defeat of the U.S. women鈥檚 soccer squad. Go Canada,鈥� says D鈥橲ouza, a native of Mumbai, India.
This was a departure for a guy who鈥檚 better known for attacking Kamala Harris, calling Rosa Parks 鈥渙verrated,鈥� or calling Barack Obama a 鈥渂oy鈥� from 鈥渢he ghetto.鈥�
Not all of the conservative venom was aimed at athletes who didn鈥檛 wear their patriotism on the sleeves.
Renowned gymnast Simone Biles has won a total of 32 Olympic and world medals. She became the source of conservative鈥檚 wrath when she backed out of several Olympic events.
Ultra-conservative Charlie Kirk called Biles a 鈥渟elfish sociopath,鈥� while Fox News personality Will Cain claimed 鈥渨e are celebrating quitting,鈥� without knowing exactly why Biles took the steps to keep herself safe 鈥� after she was having a serious mental crisis.
To folks on the right, what鈥檚 really important is having athletes bow to their authority and live within the confines of their sense of patriotism.
It simply doesn鈥檛 work that way.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.