"The American People"

I'm tired, so this is going to be a brief rant.

There are a bunch of stupid Bank of America commercials that are all sappy and, I can only guess, trying to appeal to our patriotism. What first caught my attention was the phrase, "this is America," which is the common thread that ties the series of ads together.

Seems like I've heard phrases like "this is America" and "the American people" a lot in the past seven and a half years. And I mean, not just really often in normal usage, but way more often than necessary, like it became a prequisite for any public speech or commentary. Is it coincidence?

It could be— seven and a half years ago I returned to the U.S. after living abroad for three years. So, it's possible that "the American people" had always been common, but I just hadn't noticed it until it was "new" again.

But it might not be. That was also the same time that 9/11 happened— an event that sprouted mass, sometimes blind, patriotism.

Either way, it's annoying. I'm really tired of it, and I hope that everyone will grow out of it soon.