I was dreading today, September eleventh. I was afraid it was going to be The Day, on which We All Pay Specific Attention On... you know. I was afraid it was going to be the new Valentine's Day, where we do it because it's the day we do it. No because we're properly motivated to.
I was properly motivated to today. I was sitting at my desk, in my cubicle, thinking this should be a day, set aside to Remember-with-a-capital-R the (for lack of a term more fitting towards my experience) Day the Shit Went Down. I feel like a cliche, saying I'll never forget where I was when I first knew what was going on -- but I really won't. It was a pretty memorable day. I had just moved into a new apartment, and it was nice & clean. We had no furniture. We had a TV, DVD player, and my Playstation2, all sitting on the floor in the otherwise empty living room. I hate television, but I had nothing better to do so flipped it on. . . . . and spent the next four hours on the phone, flipping out with any- and everybody who would answer on the other end.
Today CNN did a neat thing (CNN often does neat things; I have to admit that I appreciate CNN). Throughout the day there was a box that would pop up with the time, and stating what happened at that time on THE September eleventh. It was like reliving the day, every five minutes or so: "11:15 AM UN Building in New York is evacuated" or whatever. I remembered every bit of it. I thought, yes, this should be a holiday. We should have the day off to sit back and really let this shit sink in. It would make us better Americans (well, those of us who are Americans), and that would make America better. Imagine that -- giving a shit about our country might make a difference.
And then I remembered, that's probably how Memorial Day came about, and Martin Luther King Day, and Lincoln's Birthday.
America doesn't need any more holidays. We take advantage of too many excuses to chill out and not take action already, without taking more whole days off work to do it.
I hate this country, and I hate my life. I love America, and I love life, but what I have now are not these things. I read the constitution. I give a shit about what it says. I think it is the most beautiful statement I have ever read. I think President Bush and his cabinet together form THE GREATEST BLIGHT ON BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTELLIGENCE I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFETIME. I wouldn't want them running my local God damned Taco Bell, much less my country. This country could be great, if Americans weren't so accustomed to FLASH FLASH BANG BANG HEY HEY LOOKIT ME. I'd love to resurrect Jefferson and Franklin from the dead and walk them into Washington DC today -- if it weren't for the fact that I honestly don't think the American people would care. They would be mystified and enthralled as they watched it on Entertainment Tonight ("After the break: What does this mean to Lindsey Lohan?") and after about a year of basic jaw-dropping, it wouln't be anything at all. They'd still elect the biggest fucking idiot they would find. Because he won both American Idol AND Survivor.
My favourite bumper sticker from the past handful of years: If You're Not Outraged You're Not Paying Attention. It's only the truth to the core. And yet the people who ARE outraged think, "yes! that's fucking right!" The people who are not outraged: "Yep, that's about right." They don't even CARE that they don't care. It's part of being an American -- we are consumers, they think. Period. We build our buildings taller and closer and FUCK the farmland and FUCK the Bill of Rights and FUCK reality at all in general.
We're right, you see. Our government, sadly, is the best in existence. We should be encouraging the world to follow our example. Thing is, our attitude should not be, "Democracy, bitch!" It should be "Democracy, brother." At the risk of sounding like a dirty hippie, can't we all just get a-fucking-long?
The answer is, of course, no. No we can't. The honest reason is because we're all too different. The sad-but-true reason is, because we don't want to. Somewhere along the line, everything became a competition. The focus shifted from being better to being better-than-you. You know what? I don't care if I'm number one. I care if I'm the best. If you're the best, too, then fucking-a. If you're the best, then I'd better step up. If you were the best, then I become the best, then I'll fucking help you catch up. It's not about being fair, it's about wanting the best for everybody. And it's not even about being selfless -- I wish I were, but honestly it's because a chain is as strong as its weakest link, and if you're being lazy, then you're fucking me up. I want to make the world a better place. I CAN'T DO THAT IF EVERYBODY'S SITTING ON THEIR ASSES. And you know what? I want to sit on my ass, too. It's comfortable, it's pleasant, it's stress-free. I can't stand that temptation! Get off you're ass, and stop showing me how easy life can be! I don't want life to be easy, I want it to be good!
I think it's worth a little effort. Fuck, I think it's worth 100% effort, every day, for the rest of my life.
This post, you're telling yourself, isn't about 9/11, it's about Bush.
It's not about Bush. It's about you. It's about me. Bush can stay in the White House for the rest of his life for all I care, if the rest of us are doing Good, are doing Right. We were attacked on September 11, 2001, because some people thought we were a bunch of pricks. I don't condone that. But guess what:We are a bunch of pricks. Did all of those people deserve to die? No. Of course not! Nobody deserves to die! I really wish all of those people hadn't died. Really really really.
But does somebody need to slap America in the proverbial face and tell us we're a bunch of prats?
I was properly motivated to today. I was sitting at my desk, in my cubicle, thinking this should be a day, set aside to Remember-with-a-capital-R the (for lack of a term more fitting towards my experience) Day the Shit Went Down. I feel like a cliche, saying I'll never forget where I was when I first knew what was going on -- but I really won't. It was a pretty memorable day. I had just moved into a new apartment, and it was nice & clean. We had no furniture. We had a TV, DVD player, and my Playstation2, all sitting on the floor in the otherwise empty living room. I hate television, but I had nothing better to do so flipped it on. . . . . and spent the next four hours on the phone, flipping out with any- and everybody who would answer on the other end.
Today CNN did a neat thing (CNN often does neat things; I have to admit that I appreciate CNN). Throughout the day there was a box that would pop up with the time, and stating what happened at that time on THE September eleventh. It was like reliving the day, every five minutes or so: "11:15 AM UN Building in New York is evacuated" or whatever. I remembered every bit of it. I thought, yes, this should be a holiday. We should have the day off to sit back and really let this shit sink in. It would make us better Americans (well, those of us who are Americans), and that would make America better. Imagine that -- giving a shit about our country might make a difference.
And then I remembered, that's probably how Memorial Day came about, and Martin Luther King Day, and Lincoln's Birthday.
America doesn't need any more holidays. We take advantage of too many excuses to chill out and not take action already, without taking more whole days off work to do it.
I hate this country, and I hate my life. I love America, and I love life, but what I have now are not these things. I read the constitution. I give a shit about what it says. I think it is the most beautiful statement I have ever read. I think President Bush and his cabinet together form THE GREATEST BLIGHT ON BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTELLIGENCE I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFETIME. I wouldn't want them running my local God damned Taco Bell, much less my country. This country could be great, if Americans weren't so accustomed to FLASH FLASH BANG BANG HEY HEY LOOKIT ME. I'd love to resurrect Jefferson and Franklin from the dead and walk them into Washington DC today -- if it weren't for the fact that I honestly don't think the American people would care. They would be mystified and enthralled as they watched it on Entertainment Tonight ("After the break: What does this mean to Lindsey Lohan?") and after about a year of basic jaw-dropping, it wouln't be anything at all. They'd still elect the biggest fucking idiot they would find. Because he won both American Idol AND Survivor.
My favourite bumper sticker from the past handful of years: If You're Not Outraged You're Not Paying Attention. It's only the truth to the core. And yet the people who ARE outraged think, "yes! that's fucking right!" The people who are not outraged: "Yep, that's about right." They don't even CARE that they don't care. It's part of being an American -- we are consumers, they think. Period. We build our buildings taller and closer and FUCK the farmland and FUCK the Bill of Rights and FUCK reality at all in general.
We're right, you see. Our government, sadly, is the best in existence. We should be encouraging the world to follow our example. Thing is, our attitude should not be, "Democracy, bitch!" It should be "Democracy, brother." At the risk of sounding like a dirty hippie, can't we all just get a-fucking-long?
The answer is, of course, no. No we can't. The honest reason is because we're all too different. The sad-but-true reason is, because we don't want to. Somewhere along the line, everything became a competition. The focus shifted from being better to being better-than-you. You know what? I don't care if I'm number one. I care if I'm the best. If you're the best, too, then fucking-a. If you're the best, then I'd better step up. If you were the best, then I become the best, then I'll fucking help you catch up. It's not about being fair, it's about wanting the best for everybody. And it's not even about being selfless -- I wish I were, but honestly it's because a chain is as strong as its weakest link, and if you're being lazy, then you're fucking me up. I want to make the world a better place. I CAN'T DO THAT IF EVERYBODY'S SITTING ON THEIR ASSES. And you know what? I want to sit on my ass, too. It's comfortable, it's pleasant, it's stress-free. I can't stand that temptation! Get off you're ass, and stop showing me how easy life can be! I don't want life to be easy, I want it to be good!
I think it's worth a little effort. Fuck, I think it's worth 100% effort, every day, for the rest of my life.
This post, you're telling yourself, isn't about 9/11, it's about Bush.
It's not about Bush. It's about you. It's about me. Bush can stay in the White House for the rest of his life for all I care, if the rest of us are doing Good, are doing Right. We were attacked on September 11, 2001, because some people thought we were a bunch of pricks. I don't condone that. But guess what:We are a bunch of pricks. Did all of those people deserve to die? No. Of course not! Nobody deserves to die! I really wish all of those people hadn't died. Really really really.
But does somebody need to slap America in the proverbial face and tell us we're a bunch of prats?