At the Olympics, I Saw the Difference Between Nationalism and Patriotism

Before leaving for the airport to catch my flight to Milan, I bought one full-size American flag, four 8-by-12-inch flags and two backup smaller flags, just in case. Then — because of Minneapolis, because U.S. Olympic officials had to change the name of its athlete hangout from Ice House to Winter House, because of the Donroe Doctrine and because many Americans, including some Olympians, are struggling with what it means to represent and root for their country right now — I wondered how comfortable I should be about waving them.

Maybe I could try turning the Stars and Stripes upside down, the way Martha-Ann Alito did shortly after Joe Biden had been elected president? Did I need to invent some kind of semaphore to convey support for Team U.S.A. combined with opposition to annexing Greenland or Canada?