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we need a new
symbol |
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No pro sports. Stock market closed.
No airlines disturbed the sky. Did anybody miss these things?
People, all of a sudden, had time to think. Scary. They came out of their
homes, their cozy consumer hidey holes, to light candles and be in each other's
presence. Wordless. Nothing to do but feel and reflect, free of PINs, passwords,
and fear of debt.
This was the revolution. |
The
Plutocracy
scrambled, seeking the best way to ensure its wealth. Missile defense? Troop
mobilization? Increase surveillance powers of police? The problem is not
security leaks, but greed. The mayor of New York
City encourages people to get over their grief: "If you would like to go
out and spend money, I encourage that. It's always a good thing." Vice President
Cheney seconds the opinion and Greenspan lowers interest rates again, a desperate
bid to maintain the illusion. The brokers cross their fingers--"We're not
on the brink!"
They're hosing the dust off the neoclassical columns of the Stock Exchange.
It must look good for re-opening today. The dust is an unwelcome reminder
that empires crumble. Clean up the facade—hey, presto!, business as
usual. In the newspaper I am reading, someone's written WHITEWASH over the
picture, THE REAL CRIME IS CAPITAL.
The New York Times and CBS poll 959 people, then
print the conclusion for all of America: "A majority support military action
even if thousands of innocent civilians abroad could be killed." Have we
learned our lesson? As few as 480 people--the minimum to be most of
959--becomes the "majority," and so mass media does
its part to sow the seeds of war sentiment. So subtle they make you think
you thought it yourself, united in deadly opinion. Color photos of the flag
on all the front pages.
In a bar last Friday, I saw a flier calling on us to unite as fellow Americans.
I crossed out that last word and pencilled in "Humans." That read a lot better.
There's more future in it. |
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