Pet Please #50: The USA Chant

I’m a sucker for crowds of people chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

This is not meant to be a reflection on my patriotism. I think there are lots of great things about America, but also a lot of disappointing things.

The USA chant transcends those criticisms.

The other night, I read that the news of Bin Laden’s death was announced at an extra-inning baseball game. When the crowd heard the news, they starting chanting U-S-A. Even just reading a crowd chanting that got me all emotional (all commentary about humans rooting for the death of another human being aside).

I marvel at the power of this chant. It’s American kryptonite (which, by the way, is a fantastic title for an epic American coming-of-age novel). It can turn any situation into something hopeful and powerful, and I can’t resist it.

For example, yesterday I had a dreadfully long staff meeting. Imagine yourself four hours into a staff meeting, and all of a sudden you hear someone say, “U-S-A.”

There’s a pause. Then, again: “U-S-A.”

Someone else chimes in. “U-S-A. U-S-A.”

You’re excited now. This is really happening. “U-S-A. U-S-A. U-S-A.”

Now everyone’s saying it, slapping their hands on the conference table. Louder, faster. “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!”

This meeting just got Americanized for the win.

4 thoughts on “Pet Please #50: The USA Chant”

  1. Another crowd pleaser that should be incorporated into meetings is the foot stomp clap followed by someone belting out “we will rock you.”. The singer, by law, must be the last person who held the floor at the meeting. It is a short song, and if they don’t know the words it can be projected on the wall karaoke style.

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  2. We’re so much luckier than Uzbekistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Equatorial Guinea, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the chant department, aren’t we?

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