My kids and I watched the opening to the Olympics up until the U.S. was featured on the parade of nations. I think 10 p.m. is late enough to be special even without witnessing the denouement. During the performance (the incredible, amazing, wonderful opening performance) Parrish said something wonderfully patriotic. It was the innocent nationalism of a kid who is taught the pureness of patriotism, before the subjective and hypocritical nature of politics enters your awareness.

I want to say this without too much of my own editorial though, because I love the way children think of possibility and reality as the same. During the display of children from all over the world, Parrish commented that they could all be from America. “Yes, I suppose they could. We look like all those people.” “Yeah,” he said. “‘Cause we’re united.”