Rah rah.

So I've had this idea percolating for a while.

I've been thinking about the human need to puff ourselves up and put others down. And not only do we do it as individuals - we associate ourselves with others, and then elevate our group above others.

"I really am awfully glad I'm a Beta."

I mean, objectively, it's not like the Ohio State Buckeyes are so much better than any other school's sports teams. In fact, if you asked me what makes OSU the best, I couldn't give you a thoughtful answer. The only reason they're the greatest is because they were "my team." My grandparents grew up in Ohio, and they ended up attending Ohio State. I grew up in Ohio and ended up identifying with OSU too.

I've thought of that with regard to religion a lot, too. Everyone thinks they've got the inside line on The Truth. But it's not like their religion's just so damn convincing compared to all the others. People raised Muslim tend to favor Islam. People raised by Mormons tend to favor Mormonism. It's not exactly objective. There's no blind taste test that shows one's better than the other. I daresay most of us don't even know enough to really have an opinion on other people's religions.

Last but not least: patriotism. I was born in the U.S. I've spent my life here. I don't know enough about most other countries to really say this is better or worse. I don't know what freedoms most countries enjoy, how their economic systems work, or much else about them. Not an expert.

When I hear people shouting, "U-S-A! U-S-A!" I have to wonder... is this just their version of the Ohio State Buckeyes? I can't imagine most of them have thoughtful reasons for preferring the U.S.

But here's the thing. At the end of the day, if you ask me why the Buckeyes are better than Michigan, I'd admit it's not a rational thing. Almost anyone would. We can see that. It's just a game we play where whichever team is my team, that's the best team. Case closed.

I don't think many people have the self-awareness to say, "Oh yeah, take my fervent patriotism with a grain of salt... it's not all about the U.S. being objectively better than other countries. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, and maybe it's not that simple. I don't really know enough to judge. It just has a special place in my heart. And if I were Swiss, I'd feel the same way about Switzerland."

I especially don't think many people chanting "U-S-A!" have that self-awareness. If they did, they probably wouldn't want to reduce their patriotism to the equivalent of "Go Bucks!"