This afternoon, I watched the US play Ghana in the first round of the World Cup at a bar in Oakland. Despite being surrounded by many Americans, there were more people cheering for Ghana than for the US. While yes, there were plenty of Ghanaians there, I found it curious and somewhat annoying that so many Americans (or people who chose to live here) were rooting against the US.
Let’s jump to last week: I watched a very human interaction between Maya Angelou and Dave Chappelle. In it, Dr. Angelou said (emphasis mine):
I am an American. And most of the time, proud of it. Even when I am displeased with what my country is doing, I am still an American who is displeased. And fortunately, being an American, I don’t have to whimper, I don’t have to whine; I have the right to protest and I like that.
As an American who has traveled, I understand the inner conflict. There are a lot of things about my country that, to use Dr. Angelou’s words, displease me. I don’t always agree with the government, I think our bitter divisiveness is absurd, and I wish we were more honest with ourselves about our full history of war and dehumanization, and not just the good stories. And at the same time, I am an American. I have the passport, I have the walk (yes, Americans have a walk), and I have the cultural heritage. I physically live here.
It was weird for me to cheer for the US. And yet it was so natural. Being an American is a part of my identity. A part that often I have not wanted to admit. And a part that I am learning to embrace.
I am learning what it means to be part of a community. To be part of a community means that you don’t always feel aligned with what the community is doing and actually, if you did, it wouldn’t be a very diverse community. While I love my family, at times they frustrate me and also confuse me. And yet they are still my family.
Many of the Americans who actually care about soccer (and even call it football), belong to other communities. And also they belong to the American community. So it’s OK to be displeased being an American. And it’s also OK to be proud that we finally beat Ghana.