Americana Redux
Americans have a complicated relationship with their country these days. Yet, that tide may be turning during these Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games have historically spurred national pride. However, this year, leading up to the Games, something’s different, and the shifting social, economic, and political landscapes, as well as the divisions at home, have eroded how we feel about ourselves as Americans and our country. Could recent events signal a ground shift toward an Americana redux and a new sense of national pride during these Games and into the future?
PARIS—With the strum of a guitar, the rhythmic tap of a tambourine and the snare of a drum sampled from Nancy Sinatra, Beyoncé, resplended in a bedazzled unitard, matching cowboy hat and boots and a dramatic floor-sweeping cape inspired by the American flag — all designed by fashion designer, Tom Browne — introduced Team USA to viewers at home in the U.S. through a reimagining of her song YA-YA. Her appearance was a surprise, yet a natural extension of her concept album, Cowboy Carter, a journey through a reinvention of Americana.
But it wasn’t her country twang, patriotic imagery, or the shots of Team USA that caught my attention; it was what she said in her monologue that was seemingly overlooked by major media. “Get a look at America, y’all,” she demurred with a smirk and perhaps a hint of shade. “These hopes and dreams, these superstars that represent us, the people of this big, bold, beautiful, complicated nation, all rooting together for them.”
Complicated. It’s a powerful word fitting for the current state of affairs in the U.S. and my experience at these Games. My nephew, a GenAlpha, remarked that we shouldn't look “too American,” and my father, a Baby Boomer, shared that his official red NewEra baseball cap bearing the American flag and Olympic rings was mistaken disparagingly by his more liberal friends at home, as a symbol or endorsement of MAGA (Make America Great Again), the political movement spearheaded by former President and current presidential candidate Donald J. Trump.
In conversations with dozens of Americans while traveling, I’ve found that they have complicated feelings, too; it is how we collectively feel about this nation today. This past week's shifting political landscape has only contributed to this state of mind and, perhaps, a degree of disassociation. Karen Weinstein from North Carolina, who I met the night before the Opening Ceremonies with her 19-year-old son, perhaps put it best when she politely, yet dismissively, said, “We’re not here to talk politics. We’re here for Team USA.” The team is a unifying force.
Yet, while it’s hard to avoid the occasional political discussions, Americana and American patriotism are on full display here, overshadowing those deep divisions at home. There is guarded hope amongst some, too, especially with President Joe Biden exiting the race and Vice President Harris becoming the presumptive nominee less than 48 hours later. And, the sense amongst those I’ve talked to is that the early days of a reimagined Americana and resurgence of American patriotism may very well be underway.
Here’s what you need to know
In the most recent Gallup poll on Americans' national pride, 41% of respondents considered themselves "extremely proud" to be an American, and an additional 26% said they were "very proud," a near all-time low.
Nearly two-thirds (59%) of Republicans cited extreme pride in the same survey, compared to just over a third (34%) of Democrats and (36%) Independents. This contrasts with 2003, just over twenty years ago, when a majority of each political affiliation — 86%, 65%, and 62%, respectively — had extreme pride for the country.
The biggest split between Republicans and Democrats was in 2019 when three-quarters of Republicans (76%) were extremely proud compared with only a fifth (22%) of Democrats — a more than 50-point split.
The lowest point for Republicans was in 2022, for Democrats in 2019, and for Independents in 2023, roughly tacking to political fortunes or lack thereof.
As of 2023, patriotism in the United States varied greatly by age and generation. According to Statista, roughly one in five (18%) of those between 18 and 34 years of age considered themselves extremely proud to be American. In contrast, about half of respondents 55 and older considered themselves extremely proud to be American.
Restarting America
“Just a week ago, it seems, a new America began,”
wrote for her popular Substack, , on July 28. “When President Joe Biden announced just a week ago that he would not accept the Democratic nomination for president, he did not pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris. He passed it to us.”This change at the top of the Democratic ticket has spurred hundreds of thousands of Americans to action. Dan Kanninen, the battleground states director for Harris, told reporters during a Monday afternoon call that more than 2,300 campaign-related events happened during the first weekend; 360,000 new volunteers joined—double the number from three days prior; 29,000 volunteers knocked on 126,000 doors in 48 hours, then they made six times as many phone calls than before the ticket switch, which still needs to be formally accepted at the Democratic National Convention.
In addition, diverse intersectional groups have come together to support Harris and her unifying message for the country, albeit separately within their unique groups, starting with Jotaka Eaddy’s grassroots organization Win With Black Women, which hosted a Zoom attracting some 44,000 attendees — with 50,000 more listening on other platforms when Zoom reached capacity. According to organizers of other events, over 164,000 white women joined another call, and over 200,000 “white dudes for Harris” came together across multiple platforms. Black men, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans have also held their own online meetups. Together, these groups collectively have raised millions for her campaign.
Signals for the Future
The outpouring of support for Harris does not suggest a possible sea change alone. However, the growing political participation of younger people, particularly those in GenZ, could. They are voting progressive and at higher rates than previous generations. They’re also running for office nationwide in local and statewide elections.
“Historical turnout data for youth ages 18-29 also confirm that today’s young people are among the most electorally engaged in recent decades,” notes the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. “According to the Census data, 31% of young people under age 30 voted in 2022. That’s the third-highest youth turnout in a midterm cycle in the past 50 years, less than one percentage point behind 1982 and four-and-a-half points behind the all-time-high youth voter turnout in 2018.”
The viewership for these games may also offer a clue for the country’s direction. After drawing 28.6 million viewers for Friday’s Opening Ceremonies, the weekend telecasts on NBC Universal platforms grew, averaging 34.5 million on average over the first three days. This is up 79% (from 19.3 million viewers) over the same period for the last Summer Olympics three years ago in Tokyo. It is comparable to the 2012 Olympics during the Obama Administration when American pride was significantly greater than today, yet still a far cry from 1984, when nine out of ten households tuned in.
So, could we be in the early days of turning around our complicated relationship with our country? Could we be on the precipice of reimagining Americana and reclaiming American patriotism from groups that have long used the flag and its symbolism to divide rather than unite us? KJ Miller, co-founder and CEO of Mented Cosmetics, a multi-million dollar beauty brand, and Lecturer in the Practice of Management at Yale University, believes so.
“When I saw her (Beyoncé) opening up for the Olympics with her song and rocking all of the American paraphernalia,” Miller said in a recent TikTok. “I realized she is not wearing the American flag to reclaim it for herself — she’s wearing it to reclaim it for us. She is hoping it becomes a trend for us, for the people who’ve been marginalized, for the people who’ve come to equate that flag with hatred and realize, ‘Oh no, it belongs to us too’ … I feel like we are all starting to feel a sense of patriotism almost that we haven’t been able to feel in a long time.”