A few years ago, an ingenious ad appeared on television promoting what’s long been an American institution - Monday Night Football.  The commercial started out with a couple, clearly not American, standing on stage in what looked like a high school auditorium.  They were quietly playing a xylophone and wearing lederhosen or some other traditional outfit Americans don’t understand.  The sound was somehow a bit too low, and the scene lasted a bit too long.  The announcer blandly said “Monday night in Norway.”

Then, out of nowhere, the scene cut with a swell of the Monday Night Football anthem – the crowds wildly cheering as a receiver leaped into the air to pull in a deep pass for a touchdown.  The announcer spoke again – “Monday Night in America!”  Enough said!

What was intended only as a slightly humorous look at American television versus European television actually amounted to a very telling insight into America and what makes ours a great nation. It was a glimpse into the vibrance of our culture and the exuberance of our people.  It was, in the end, a very patriotic tribute to a land that, in the span of just over 200 years, has become the dominant force politically, economically and culturally throughout the entire world. A tribute to a people filled with passion and vigor – a country that’s emotionally and intellectually “engaged” – a country that’s “in the game” on the world stage, whether it’s sports, business and industry, entertainment, politics, or international affairs.

What is true patriotism, or more accurately, true “American” patriotism? 

In this day and age, “patriotism” is a loaded word with deep connotations, both positive and negative.  “Patriotism” in the sense of “nationalism” is universally seen as a negative trait.  Pride in America because it is “ours” or because we are “better” than other people has unfortunate consequences and serves merely to alienate and offend the rest of the world.

What we may call “true” patriotism, is a far more thoughtful approach that takes into account the subtler qualities we embrace as Americans. It has a depth and quality quite unlike anything else throughout the span of human history. It is more than watching fireworks on the 4th of July or singing the Star Spangled Banner at a football game. It is, rather, the very trait that helps us understand, as Benjamin Franklin said, “We all must ‘hang together,’ or surely we will all ‘hang’ separately.”

Sadly, today much of America seems to have forgotten those words as we face daunting internal and external challenges and an unprecedented level of uncertainty in our lives. The news each day exacerbates this “state of fear” and polarization, whether related to war, the economy, the environment, pandemics, corporate excess, or whatever. Americans today seem all too ready to hang our heads.  One might say that many of us are losing the “courage of our convictions” and doubting whether America really is a “good” nation after all. 

This Television Special is not about these issues at all. It is, instead, a search for what remains of our American patriotism.  What is left that is still worth fighting for, and if need be, dying for?  It is a look at those subtler qualities that still pervade our entire worldview  – whether we are aware of them or not - our excitement for life and invention, our belief in individual freedoms, our attitudes about work, family and sacrifice.  This is a special about the greatness that still remains in our country despite the tremendous trials of this 21st Century.

An American statesman once said that “Patriotism is not the short, frenzied outburst of emotion, rather it is the steady and tranquil dedication of a lifetime.”  This television special is about that brand of patriotism.

Something interesting and very profound happened not on September 11, 2001,  but on September 12th.  Sales of American flags skyrocketed (up 5000%).  It showed that no matter how discouraged we may have been as a nation, when our way of life came under attack, we went back to being “One Nation, Indivisible” – we were shocked into understanding the meaning behind Benjamin Franklin’s words. 

Most of those flags have been put away now – streets that were more decorated than the Fourth of July now look much like they did on September 10th.  But that day showed us all that the spirit of true patriotism is, indeed, still alive in America. 

“The Flags of September 12th” is about that patriotism.