The American Spirit, According to Sling
I was just over on sling.com and saw the following banner at the bottom of the page. (You might want to click on it for the bigger version.)
Saturday is Independence Day here in the States, and Sling has distilled its version of what it calls “America’s spirit” down to a collection of television programs.
As part of its “Sling.com Salutes America” section, users can watch episodes of Friday Night Lights, American Gladiators, NCIS, America’s Got Talent, CHiPs, Army Wives, America’s Toughest Jobs, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, American Dad! and, “of course”, 24.
Yes, I understand Sling can only show videos for which it has licenses or agreements, but come on. To call this a tribute to America’s spirit is insulting.
Can we have a tasteful observation of Independence Day, or is that not patriotic enough? What about a thoughtful reflection of our checkered history? What about admiring how far we’ve come as a nation and, through a thorough review of that past, muster up the courage to forge ahead and make progress on the long road we still have ahead of us?
I’m certainly no sentimental sap when it comes to America. This country has done more than a few horrifying things, but we also have had many shining triumphs. Being patriotic means taking the good with the bad, being honest about where we’ve come from, and doing our best to guide the country in the right direction without putting on blinders to our mistakes.
Patriotism is not the same as loving your country the way a three-year-old loves ice cream.
It’s important to note I don’t have anything against these TV shows. It’s easy to lose ourselves in the vast variety of cheap entertainment available at our fingertips. In fact, that’s why they were produced in the first place. I will happily admit that I tune in to watch Jack Bauer blow stuff up each week. It’s fun! It’s mindless! It’s a way for me to take my mind off of work for an hour. It has nothing to do with the spirit of our country. It’s like saying the Olive Garden represents the spirit of Italy.
America’s spirit runs deep and encompasses a staggeringly vast collection of human experience. It’s not all about guns, big boobs, sports, violence, and explosions. We’re better than that. We’ve packed countless stories of inspiration, horror, heartbreak, redemption, love, loss, selfishness, generosity, and accomplishment into only a few short centuries.
The narrowly-focused “America!” feature couldn’t be more off the mark. It’s an ugly caricature and a nasty stereotype that Sling should rise above.
