My Thoughts on the Chinese-American Olympian

American-born Eileen Gu won gold at the Beijing Winter Games. Gu, representing China, also ignited a controversy about nationalism and athletics.

First, let me get this out of the way. I don’t know the name of the skater, or skier, or whoever it was. I don’t even know if it was male or female. I don’t care. All I do know is, the bald-eagled jingo-patriots are having a red, white, and blue conniption because an “American” athlete competed the Chinese national team. Turns out, the athlete won a gold medal, so now the chow mein just hit the shitfan. Holy Peking Roasted Fuck.

I absolutelyfreaking love it. I mean, now I might have to start watching the Olympics. Now finally, there’s some real drama.

Turns out, the Olympic Games has a “problem” if you can call it that. You see, national boundaries are evaporating. National identities are fading. Allegiances to flags aren’t what they used to be. People on all continents are traveling more (at least pre-COVID). They increasingly move to other parts of the world. They intermingle and they marry “foreigners.” Emigration and immigration are the future. Younger people, those who make up 98 percent of the Olympic athletes, are increasingly connected thru the Internet across social media platforms. They work for international or multinational companies. And, when you get right down to it — many of us. even in America, have lots more in common with the techie from Bangalore than the manager of a feedstore in Tennessee.

What this means is — many athletes right now and increasing in the future won’t have the same weepy-eyed “allegiances to country” as we did and our parents once did. Lament this, if you will. Criticize it, if you want. It’s a fact.

So, when an American citizen of Chinese descent decides to participate under a different flag, no one should be the least bit surprised. Dozens, if not hundreds of athletes on American teams were born in other countries, or their parents were immigrants. For a so-called “nation of immigrants” to criticize an athlete for making a personal decision (one that reportedly was intended to honor the parents) smacks of the worst kind of ethnocentricity, and is certainly guided by racism. You can bet your last Yuan if an American competed for the Brits or the Canadians, you’d have heard none of this.

Indeed, the Olympics isn’t a competition of countries anymore. Perhaps it never was. At least, that’s not what was ever intended. It is a competition, and a celebration of athletes, and people. All people.

Future Olympians will be of mixed races, dual citizens, and intercontinental hybrids. The Olympics are the United Colors of Benneton. And that pisses off lots of mindless “USA! USA! USA!” tribal chanters.

Get used to it. Imagine there’s no countries. It’s easy if you try.