HBO's got me hooked on Nationalism

Two of HBO's newest shows are all about Nationalism and American propaganda in diametrically opposite ways. The first, Generation Kill, is an in depth look at the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Told from the confused perspective of a battalion of reconnaissance marines. I have gotten so addicted to this show, and it isn't just because it is a babe fest of actors playing marines - although that ain't hurtin it. No it's more to do with what I perceive to be a fairly obvious picture of blatant American stupidity juxtaposed with an inherent patriotism within us all. I also like the idea of a war drama on the television scale, because unlike the capsulated image presented in film, television is ongoing, and that to me is a more honest reflection of wartime realities. The other show is John Adams, the blockbuster bust starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney. Bust because it has gotten bad reviews and I don't know if anyone is watching except me. Here is the complete opposite end of the spectrum, a historically based look at the glorified Revolutionary War, brought down to scale. And yet some of the same elements are visible in both. Individual quests for glory masked as patriotism. And a continued belief in the ideals of Republican Democracy. Anyway I've posted this clip of the trailer from the most recent episode of John Adams because there was a scene in it that greatly reminded me of a certain situation from a few weeks back that's been mentioned here and elsewhere. The shot happens at about 25 seconds into the clip, (don't blink you'll miss it). John Adams is at a dinner in Paris with Benjamin Franklin, and damn if those Frenches aren't giving money for those flags ... I kid I kid