Would we Americans have such a strong sense of patriotism and national superiority without mass mediums like radio and television?

Of course the typical American would not have the assumptions about the nature of the world if not for television and radio; such is a truism. It goes back to Plato’s constitution (Republic) and the importance of carefully selecting what unwise people are exposed to in order to save them from themselves. In our culture this sort of thing is considered undemocratic – but democracy fails if not informed by a healthy, wise populace. This is not to say that Americans would not have other assumptions without the influence of television, but they would not have unified, powerful delusions a la Leo Strauss. These latter sorts of delusions fuel the fires of absurd slaughter.