It was never about The Flag.

You can disrespect the flag during an insurrection, but not if you’re representing America in international sport.

When Mitch McConnell — the self proclaimed Grim Reaper — claims the era of bipartisanship is dead, other Republican members of Congress let out a deep sign, wondering how are they going to say something even more ridiculous. In a party built on hypocrisy and projection, the bar is constantly being raised. The only way to get seen and heard is to become more and more outrageous.

A few weeks ago — before the ICO banned podium protests during the Olympic Games — the field athlete, Gwen Berry, turned her back on the national anthem during her Olympic Trial which was the perfect opportunity to cue dreary faux patriotic outrage from the Republican party.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of examples of this, but for brevity, focus on one: Dan Crenshaw. In this video, his language is interesting and worth considering because it portrays a total lack of awareness for an experience that differs from his own. He says:

“You should believe in the country you’re representing” and Berry should have been kicked off the team for what she did.