Surveys found three quarters of Americans responded to the traumatic events by displaying the national flag on their home, their car or their person.Ī similar process is currently underway in the United Kingdom, driven not by an upsurge in patriotism among the populace, but as part of a seemingly concerted effort by the ruling Conservative Party. Suddenly, the stars and stripes were everywhere: hanging in windows, displayed on bumper stickers, on pin badges worn over the heart, from rural Tennessee to downtown Manhattan. In the weeks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the American flag began appearing in places where it had never been seen before.
