Rabid patriotism is the gunk that holds America’s fractured coalition of states together. America is an idea…and the crux of that idea isn’t that the United States is one of the most diverse and innovative countries in the world, no, it’s the simple fact that WE’RE NUMBER ONE!—the best, numero uno, the alpha and omega—the proverbial sh*t.
So when the news broke recently that the United States is also number one in, wait for it, coronavirus cases … people were quick to churn out a ton of ironic coronavirus memes commemorating America’s latest dubious achievement.