Patriotism is in full swing, and it seems like it is the one event where our country bands together to cheer on our best athletes as they compete to be the best in the world. Millions tune in to watch sports that they never knew they had an interest in, such as curling. The chant “USA, USA, USA” is quite common when an American athlete succeeds.

Over the past few weeks, Sochi has received much negative publicity. If you go to Google and simply type in Sochi Problems, you are bound to be hit with thousands upon thousands of sites sharing all of the things that are going “wrong” in Sochi, ranging from the ceremonies to the hotel rooms. There is even a trending hashtag on Twitter — #SochiProblems — and an account — @SochiProblems — sharing all of these problems that our Olympians are having to deal with.

These posts are meant to be a harmless form of humor poking fun at how much Sochi is an embarrassment to Russia. But, these posts are not a laughing matter. Instead, they are shining negative light on our country. It turns out that these “SochiProbs” are a result of actual problems that Russians and those who reside in Sochi have to deal with on a regular basis.

A prime example is the many comments have been made about Sochi’s poor water quality in the Olympians’ hotel room. The water is a nice yellow color from the rusty pipes used to bring in the water. Yes, that is gross and I wouldn’t want to have that kind of water running out of my faucet, but this is a common problem for them. Those who are able drink bottled water, and those who are unable to access bottled water boil it and hope for the best.

The water supply is due to the poor plumbing that the citizens have. Only 85 percent of Russia’s urban population have access to indoor plumbing, but even that can still cause leaking pipes spilling sewage into the Myztma River, a main fresh water supplier. Also, many construction sites dump waste into the water supply.

With that being said, there is a reason there are rules about plumbing use. Signs are posted telling toilet users to throw toilet paper in the garbage rather than flushing it. To us, this seems strange and an inconvenience, but at least there is plumbing. It could be much worse. It is the same with how there are multiple toilets in a bathroom with no stalls separating them. Yes, that is awkward, but it doesn’t call for snarky remarks about it.

As a result of dealing with the problems that affect all who live in Sochi, there is a huge target for comments about the poor quality of the hotels. Now, they are not anywhere close to being a palace, but they have a bed and the basic necessities. Complaining about all the little things, like no coat rack, shows how America is spoiled. At least there is a hotel being provided.

When the 2014 Winter Olympics come to an end, our athletes will journey back to what now seems like the luxurious United States. Those of Sochi will continue living their lives like what we have seen. By constantly poking fun at the unfortunate situations, it can be interpreted as making fun of these countries. This can make it seem like any country with problems can be a victim of others bullying them about their struggles.

If anything, these posts show us how fortunate America is. By making jokes about the hardships that those people have to go through negatively shows how we are as a culture. The things that we take for granted in America are considered the finer things in life to those countries — like Russia — that don’t have those amenities.

We are always warned about what impressions we make of ourselves on the Internet. The Internet is a worldwide thing and we are making a negative impression on our country. Continuing this behavior is doing just that.

Yes, maybe the 2014 Winter Olympics did not go quite as planned and things were a little chaotic, but the Olympics are not about all of the lights and fancy things. It is about countries coming together to represent their country by competing to be the best. Let’s end the games on a good note and be a role model to other countries, showing that we are not critical about another country’s hardship.

And let the chants continue, USA, USA, USA!