Gwen Berry, a hammer thrower who was once almost unknown, made international headlines this week when she turned her back on the United States flag during the podium ceremony to win bronze in an Olympic trial.The anthem was not played for her or the other competitors in the Hammer Throw; each day, a prescheduled anthem was broadcast over the sound system.Berry turned 90 degrees away from the flag and stood with one hand on her hip. She then glared straight into the camera. Berry was deliberately provocative and trying to increase her profile. It felt like a set up, she later complained and it was intentional.Berry saw an opportunity to increase her profile and she seized it with fervor.The United States has far more to gain fame and money than by rejecting the American flag or the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick is a successful symbol of supposed racial courage and failure as a quarterback. The thousands of athletes who support the national anthem with track records that are better than Berrys and Kaepernicks remain anonymous.This is because America rewards a righteous sense of grievance. The vast majority of Americans don't know much about other countries. They believe the United States is inferior or that the free, healthy, and prosperous lifestyle to which they are accustomed is the historical norm.Most assuredly, it isn't.Berry was protesting the national song, while the Chinese government was busy remanding the editor of pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily. This arrest occurred just days after the arrest of one Apple Daily columnist for conspiring with foreign countries or foreign troops to endanger national safety.Berry was protesting the national song, but the Taliban were busy spreading like a cancerous tumor over Afghanistan and preparing their new subjects for the mercies of Islamist rule.Berry was protesting against the national anthem at an event where she threw objects for sport. But billions of people all over the globe were living in absolute poverty.This does not mean that America's flaws should be ignored. Protesting the flag or the national song as symbols of grievance, however, is to show your complete ignorance and ingratitude.Berry stated, "I am here to represent the victims of systemic racism." Berry is a great indicator of the promise America has for its citizens.She was raised in the home of her grandmother with 13 family members. At 15 she had a child out of wedlock and later earned a college scholarship. She worked two jobs to support her extended family. She is now going to the Olympics. If she gets to the podium, she will likely turn her back upon the flag and national anthem.Shell becomes a hero to millions. Shell becomes more well-known and richer. Maybe shell, like the pseudo-Marxist Patrisse cullors of Black Lives Matter, buys a few homes; or maybe shell makes Sports Illustrated's cover like Kaepernick.Berry, like self-declared Marxist Cullors who own three houses each worth more than $1.5 million, is in it for both the attention and the money. Yesterday, no one had ever heard of Berry. Today, everyone has heard of her. It's so simple.However, one thing is certain: People who spend their lives praising their ingratitude at a society which gives them extraordinary opportunities, chances that are not available to almost all humans throughout human history and most people on this planet right now, are less likely to live happier. They are unlikely to improve their countries.COPYRIGHT 2021. CREATORS.COMThe Daily Signal offers a wide range of perspectives. This article is not meant to represent the views of The Heritage Foundation.Do you have a comment about this article? Send us an email at [email protected] with your comments. We may publish them in our We Hear You section. Include the URL of the article or the headline, along with your name and the town/state.
