remembering 9-11: just say no

while the nation embarks in a great communal outpouring of fake grief and self-reflection on this, the impending 10th anniversary of the events of 9-11, i have another idea:

can we just call the whole thing off?

nine-eleven was supposedly "the day that changed everything." while that's the meme that has been endlessly repeated by the hucksters and profiteers, those of us whose lives would've gone along pretty much unchanged except for the exploitation by various vested interests are more than entitled to exclaim in exasperation, ENOUGH!

because the "everything" that's changed is the official effort to hype people into a heightened state of fear and anxiety, in order to fleece the taxpayers and create the pretext for extorting more lucre from the government (read, taxpayers) for the indulgences we grant to those who sell "safety" and "security".

in the name of security, we've sold our freedom to a bunch of smooth operators who laugh out loud as they count the crazy amounts of money they collect for convincing people they need to allow themselves to be publicly humiliated in order to be "safe". it's as if they have convinced the general public to wear a "kick me" sign 24-7 as they go about their daily routines -- and then, when a size-13 boot is poised to strike, the sheepish followers of this state security nonsense obligingly bend over to receive their buttocks' benediction.

as noted in another musing on this blog, the kiddie snatchers hysteria seems to be even more effectively coalescing the mob into a quavering mass of paranoia and paralysis -- who've surrendered their freedoms and individuality in a desperate and futile quest to insulate their spawn from any possible exposure to negativity -- real or psychic.

we work in order that the corporate interests that own the government will have the resources -- both human and financial -- to carry out its global crusades in the name of profits for the few. cataclysms like 9-11 provide the context for hyping the otherwise nonsensical and totally self-defeating campaigns to extract wealth from the poorer classes and expedite its transfer to the powerful. in this way, myths like 9-11 are useful and their continued invocation on these vile anniversary events is done with force and vigor.

we are, however, being accelerated into a bewildering state where fear begets not the conditioned response of whimpering paralysis, but in its overuse and in the context of a gathering economic collapse, we're suffering from terrorism fatigue. it's like beating a dead horse -- and this one expired a long time ago. at a certain point, one gets no more satisfaction and relief and the rotting equine carcass no longer excites even the maggots.

when it comes down to it, there's one more factor to consider: ennui. the US consuming public is notoriously fickle, and what worked five years ago -- or even last year -- can see awfully quaint and outdated. patriotism, muslim-hating, top-gun military exploits, they've all had their 15 minutes and been hyped to the high heavens, and when the warm glow of the CRT shrinks to a single, tiny dot in the middle of the screen, you know the show's over. while the obnoxious salesmanship over tragedy may continue for a time, there's not much chance that next season tastes will change again, and instead of all this mayhem and killing, our tastes will migrate over to raunchy sex and heedless self indulgence.

i, for one, look forward to seeing people retreat into their own private oblivions, instead of reveling in the murder and destruction that has so defined the 21st century so far.