American Histrionics Day

[nfotxn]

Once again it's American Histrionics Day. And my media blinders are on. So please, have your day to remember the unfortunate and privileged. It's a convenient distraction from, say, realizing that terror happens in the world every day. In many horrible ways and mostly to people who are not American.

This woman at the Toronto ceremonies for 9/11 was on the CBC. Speaking about Canadians and our somewhat untrusting approach to the supposed war on terror. The national dialog casts a prudently shifty eye on our own involvement in Afghanistan. The woman speaking lost her husband and has therefore decided that, however cognitively dissonant she is, that we must blast the sand niggers off the surface of the earth. Without saying as much she attacks her own country, having been to the disaster site and having drank the koolaid of mass mutual flagellation.

At this point in time I am ready, willing and able to forget the whole incident. It only exists in political bias and the misappropriated feelings exploding into Where Were You? histrionics. The world can be an equally horrible and wonderful place. This has been established. Now move on.

Comments

[mondragon.livejournal.com]

The tragically hip dissing the tragedy-hip.

I'm guessing your frustration level has caused this bizarre attack on the people whose grief makes them vunerable, as opposed to those who are taking advantage of them. Then again, sneering at the people who are wearing the wrong outfit gets more attention than questioning the whole concept of following the (large in some cases, small in others) pack.

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Nice drive-by, too bad I have no idea what you really mean. My opinion I suppose is just part of my fashionably ironic wardrobe right? That unengaging, dismissive and cruel.

[mondragon.livejournal.com]

Your accusation that I'm being "cruel" in the context of your post that included "now move on" is very weak. You've got no basis for which to expect any sort of compassion after denying it to people who've gone through something you've got no comprehension of.

While I only knew one person who died and he was a co-worker that I wasn't close to, I have the memories of watching people I didn't know being blown out of the 2nd tower by the explosion, or jump and smash into the pavement, and I inhaled the dust that contained burnt, crushed humans. A few slightly different choices that morning and I'd be dead too. So I think I probably have a better idea than you do of what its like in the aftermath.

We share a disgust for the politicization and the histrionics and the freedom from thought that some people claim as their right for being some variety of victim.

I think what you're getting wrong is an assumption that people who have experienced terror and tragedy on days other than 9/11 are just moving on, skipping along from day to day because horror is just part of the backdrop of their lives. In my experience and reading and listening the pain they feel is the same. Some of them deal better, some worse. Some of them pick up guns and kill people who are different just to express their anger creating more suffering in the process. Some of them are moved to try to reduce the suffering of others. And most of them just suck it up make sure everyone they are responsible for gets fed and housed and protected as best they can.

It doesn't mean they've moved on, and it doesn't mean that the right thing to do is to dismiss what they're feeling just because it annoys you to do otherwise.

[bullneck.livejournal.com]

Thank you.