This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** Across the country, Americans are preparing their 4th of July cookout menus and making stops at their local fireworks stands as the excitement surrounding America’s 250th birthday ramps up. But in typical fashion, left-wing media outlets are doing everything they can to trivialize the patriotic moment.  Last week, the Atlantic published an article about international travelers visiting America for the first time to attend the World Cup. Several visitors have recently gone viral for praising aspects of American culture, such as one Japanese man who recommended everyone go to Texas Roadhouse for the “absolute best” ribeye or a Swedish girl declaring that she had “the best food ever” at a local Indiana diner. However, as one might expect from legacy media, the Atlantic’s article “The Feel-Good Story of the World Cup is Too Good to Be True” argues that this is all a facade. It points out that certain influencers who have been a part of the pro-America trend are actually acting for selfish reasons. It argues that the aforementioned Swedish girl is a social media influencer, therefore dismissing her affection for America although she has repeatedly insisted that her “enthusiasm for American culture is genuine.” The article also cites the X user Nobunaga, who had been posting AI generated content praising America. Although Nobunaga’s posts were done in jest, the Atlantic mocked patriotic Americans for responding to the posts with enthusiasm. The New York Times published a similar article, “World Cup Fans in the U.S. Are Sightseeing at… Buc-ee’s and Bass Pro Shops?” that mocked American culture for being “mundane.”  The success of these World Cup fans’ posts reveals that Americans are desperate for patriotic messages. They are sick of hearing that America is “dark, aggressive, and lawless,” as described by the Atlantic less than six months ago. They are sick of allegedly neutral journalists claiming America has a “white cultural problem” or that they live in a “misogynist country.” They are sick of social media posts by Democratic party leaders, such as Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, that refer to America as a “malignant clown show.”  The mainstream media can’t stomach the patriotic messages World Cup tourists are so eager to share. Videos of travelers trying BuzzBallz outside of a 7-Eleven and thanking America for being “so friendly and so accommodating” are making the media seethe. They spent years trying to push the narrative that American culture was inherently toxic. They fixated on divisive propaganda, alleging the U.S. was racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, bigoted, and evil. They have desperately tried to pretend that the love of international travelers is nothing more than vapid consumerism. Unfortunately, that narrative falls flat as videos emerge of tourists belting out the U.S. national anthem or dancing together in the middle of Central Park. The international love for America isn’t born from a mythologized “consumer culture.” It’s a reaction to American glory. As tourists pour in from across the globe and experience the joys of American culture firsthand, legacy media outlets are being forced to watch their web of lies get exposed.  One of their worst lies has targeted the rising social media star Freddy. The soccer fan from Germany has earned three-quarters of a million followers after posting about his experiences across America, from Waffle House to NASA. He has shown nothing but love to America, profusely thanking cities for their hospitality. Naturally, the Atlantic tried to speculate that this was all a fabrication, alleging that his content isn’t genuine and that his posts don’t “reflect reality.” The article’s author speculated about his intentions and criticized him for remaining anonymous. It’s pretty crazy to believe that his entire posting journey is, as the author insists, an attempt to fulfill what “professional influencers dream of.” It’s even crazier to realize that mainstream media and their liberal audiences can’t comprehend the notion that somebody could genuinely love America. The Left can’t fathom that America is actually good.  The simple truth underlying this wave of media criticism is that liberal elites hate American culture. They have spent a long time sneering at middle America for watching football on Sundays, listening to Johnny Cash, and making the best BBQ in the world. They have isolated themselves in universities and progressive institutions, distancing themselves from the working-class citizens they claim to represent. They don’t want people like Freddy drinking slushies at Buc-ee’s or enjoying an Astros game. They don’t want people to gush about Walmart or get excited over free refills. They don’t want people to realize that America is the greatest country on earth. The story of the 2026 World Cup isn’t “too good to be true”; the story of the 2026 World Cup proves that America represents everything that is good and true. *** Brooke Brandtjen is a writer and journalist from Wisconsin who focuses primarily on culture, politics, and religion. She is a senior contributor at New Guard Press, a publication she joined while attending Hillsdale College.