Source: New York Post
by Rich Lowry
“The Winter Olympics had its thrills and spills — and a deep philosophical divide represented by two American, or American-born, athletes. Jack Hughes, the gold medal-winning American hockey player for the US team, gave voice to a patriotic reflex in his unhesitating, heartfelt expressions of love of his country. Eileen Gu, the gold medal-winning American-born freestyle skier competing for China, exemplified a cosmopolitan ideal that purports to float above mere nationhood. This difference — between the bloody-mouthed hockey player draped in his own country’s flag and the exceptionally talented part-time model resistant to any questions about national loyalty — drives many of the divisions in American society. Is loyalty to country a matter of choice, or an unalterable commitment? Is the appropriate attitude toward America one of fundamental gratitude or critical distance?” (02/24/26)