Here’s one rare glimmer of hope you may have missed from the world of popular culture this week.
On Monday night’s episode of The Bachelor, Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi hashed out whether Wisconsin-native Viall would ever be willing to move to Canada if their relationship progressed further.
“Is moving for you something that you don’t see yourself doing?” Grimaldi asked.
Viall responded, “I’ve never imagined living in Canada. And I’ll be honest, that’s not easy for me to picture. I hope that’s not a non-negotiable, but I think I would do anything for the woman that I love.”
Beautiful. But what he said next was even better.
“Not to sound corny, but I’m really proud to be an American,” Viall added.
Yes, it was a throwaway line on a reality television show. But in a media culture saturated with negativity about the country, it deserves a little more credit. For better or worse, celebrities are influential with young people, millions of whom watch The Bachelor, and millions of whom are regularly subjected to negative narratives about America in the classroom and in popular culture.
This may mark the first and the last time a Bachelor will ever have a good influence on the youth.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
