7.20.2006

Disproportionate Reaction

The world is exploding and countries are warring and the biggest story of the past week is that Bush was caught on an open mike saying ‘shit’? Talk about a disproportionate reaction. No wonder why I feel disconnected from the flow.

I never defend Bush. I despise all that he stands for, his posture on the international stage, the atmospheric shift in this country and the world since his arrival – I could go on and on.

But now, after all he’s done, in the context of all the world calamity, the press is all over ‘shit’?

Bush was talking to his buddy, Blair. Do we really think this is the harshest expletive our president has uttered in dialogue over the years? I certainly hope not. I hope his passion has run higher, his concern graver, his need to vent more explosive.

If only we could restrict Bush’s venting to language.

This is yet another case of misguided media coverage. Why do we repeatedly glam on to such headline grabbers – shock over the word ‘shit’ – rather than demanding an honest dissection of the real issues? Where is the appropriately placed outrage? Am I the only one on the verge of suffering self-inflicted whiplash from all the headshaking I’ve been doing lately?

Another tsunami went without warning, among a zillion other catastrophes. As a planet, we gather enough resources to bomb and bomb and bomb. When will we find the same motivation to extend resources to save?

I don’t know how the few rational voices on the op-ed pages have the energy to go on. Columnists, do you ever feel as if your hard work is meaningless? You examine issues, word arguments, reword arguments, repackage arguments – rational, well-thought out arguments – about the horribly skewed priorities of our planet, yet nothing really changes. Not on a grand scale. Not as it must.

Pardon me, but Bush said ‘shit.’ Who the fuck cares?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd really like to change the world, but I already did so once and I'm damned tired now.

It's someone elses turn...

Kathleen said...

Where is the appropriately placed outrage?

i wonder that, too.
well said.

sigh.

Emily said...

Was this the same comment where he was throwing Syria's name into things? The world is a scary place right now. I just watched the movie Munich and I keep thinking about it...how violence increases violence increases violence. This is what we need to talk about! Will we never learn?

brainhell said...

> I never defend Bush. I despise all that he stands for...

You support the terrorists! ;-)