by Lionel Bascom — September 30th, 2007 — 2 comments
9/11 has made us stupid. This is the sentiment of New York Times columnist Tom Friedman.
Quoting from The Onion, the satirical newspaper which preceded the now wildly popular satirical broadcast The Daily Show, Friedman says we’ve become The United States of Fighting Terrorism.
Pardon the awkward references and quotes but Friedman, The Onion and The Daily Show are all attempting to revive an American consciousness that has been shot to hell ever since 9/11 and we’ve become the victims of a victim’s mentality.
The Onion’s contribution pokes fun at us by running this fake news story:
“At a well-attended rally in front of his new ground zero headquarters Monday, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani officially announced his plan to run for president of 9/11. ‘My fellow citizens of 9/11, today I will make you a promise,’ said Giuliani during his 18-minute announcement speech in front of a charred and torn American flag. ‘As president of 9/11, I will usher in a bold new 9/11 for all.’ If elected, Giuliani would inherit the duties of current 9/11 President George W. Bush, including making grim facial expressions, seeing the world’s conflicts in terms of good and evil, and carrying a bullhorn at all state functions.”
I am willing to bet a donut against a dollar this fake news will be reported as news before September turns into October.
“9/11 has made us stupid,” Friedman said. “I honor, and weep for, all those murdered on that day,” he said, “but our reaction to 9/11 — mine included — has knocked America completely out of balance, and it is time to get things right again.
“… in the wake of 9/11, we need new precautions, new barriers. But we also need our old habits and sense of openness. For me, the candidate of 9/12 is the one who will not only understand who our enemies are, but who we are.”
The writing is awkward but the point Friedman makes is dead on.
8:41 PM in Uncategorized, Ground Zero, The Attack, Related Stories, We Will Never Forget, Terrorist Threat, Freedom Tower News, America at War, Politics
I hope this comment gets placed with the correct column. I am writing in response to “Wake up America!”
I like the linguistic play you provided, “Wake up, America…in the wake of 9/11.” That is key here. My sister just sent me a great email with terms that many of us might recall, such as “fender skirts, store-bought, wall-to-wall, emergency brakes, rat fink, and more.” Remember any of these terms? We don’t use them anymore because they’ve been replaced by either greater efficiency or more updated versions of the same terms.
Why don’t we still call emergency brakes that anymore? Don’t we use those in the case of emergencies anymore? Maybe, we don’t have emergencies on a small scale. We only have major ones that require governmental intervention.
Another term, rat fink, is a good one. I think that one could apply to a number of individuals with whom I have either seen on T.V. or encountered in person within the last few months. I won’t mention any names here, but we know who the rat finks are in our lives.
I don’t think Americans have become stupid. We have attached new terminologies to our feelings of concern. We need to recognize the beauty in our lives. We need to adjust our consciousness to accept those intricacies that weave uniqueness into each day and create something magnificent with each nuance.
Do we still listen to the gentle sound of a bird singing in harmony with the wind? How about the falling leaves and the way each one dances from its life source and delicately tumbles to its gloriously hued end? What can we learn from the wake of such simple events? If we cannot acknowledge the simple circumstances of life, can we expect to become intellectually attentive to salient matters?
We still live in the simplicity of each moment on this planet, but how we use the gift of momentary awareness will determine the pace at which we move forward to true enlightenment.
Jeanne · September 30th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
This is another gem that deserves front page treatment. I will resist but owe you big time for such insights once again!
Lionel Bascom · October 1st, 2007 at 7:57 pm