Half-time in America

It's a Chrysler commercial.  It's designed to catch your attention and hopefully buy a Chrysler product.  But, like last year's Super Bowl commercial, it's much more than that.  Featuring Clint Eastwood, who starred in a powerful movie that was filmed in Detroit -- Gran Torino -- the ad speaks of the turn around in Detroit that has been led by a resurgent auto industry.  Detroit is far from finished in its recovery, but there are signs of good things happening.  There is a new sense of optimism and desire to turn things around.  There are signs that the metro-Detroit area, while still struggling, is ready to join together to move forward.

You can't hold down America -- that's the message.  Chrysler and GM -- and if they'd gone down so would have Ford -- almost died, but they are on the move again.  Unemployment in Michigan has dropped from over 11% to close to 9% and dropping, largely due to a resurgence in the auto industry.  Some folks, including the leading contender for the GOP nomination, said let them fail, the President, however, chose to "bail them out."  Seems to have worked!

I struggle with overt patriotism, not because I don't love my country, but because it often proves hollow and triumphalist.  We have a hard time acknowledging the dark side of our history.  That said, I do believe that there is in the American spirit, largely due to the diversity present in our nation, that is difficult to keep down.  

So maybe this is half-time in America.  The Giants were down at half-time, but dramatically won the game.  Is this a metaphor for America?  

Watch and meditate upon this powerful Super Bowl ad that everyone will be talking about for some time!

 Ad is taken from the Detroit Free Press