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May 01, 2003
Irrelevant
Mike & I were discussing last night why anti-war protests continue even though they haven't had much, if any, effect....our conclusion? For most participants, it seems to be a way to make them feel good about themselves....it's about what the protests do for them, not what they can do for their "cause." For comparision, look at the last effective protest movement, the one for civil rights. They didn't just march & get on tv....they were arrested, beaten, attacked by dogs. Some even died, murdered by those who opposed what they believed. They also registered voters, and actually worked to change the laws. The anti-war protesters display signs, puppets, get naked...and paint pink slogans on their butts. And certain celebrities have used the anti-war protest as a way to get career-boosting publicity. I'm not impressed.
Then today, I read this:
Now, it appears, some celebrities worry about damage to their careers. The Dixie Chicks have taken a hit. Sean Penn thinks his views have cost him jobs. Tina Brown, whose main concern about the war seems to be that it caused the postponement of her new TV show, announced last week that it would soon air and that she planned to decorate the set with an American flag bigger than anyone else's. She had to scrape up as many core American values as she could, declared Ms. Brown, "to have any hope of being allowed on TV at all in the current climate of punitive patriotism."
No fear. Americans aren't likely to concern themselves much with Ms. Brown's flag--in the event they actually encounter her program. Most of them have matters more pressing on their minds. For some, these days, those matters include funerals and mourning rites for people they have never met.
Go read the rest....I'll wait.
Finished? I've decided that these "protesters" are, in the big picture, irrelevant and a waste of my time. It isn't about the war at all. It's about feeling important. "Oh look at me. I'm being repressed."
As Rhett said to Scarlett, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
Posted by Rita at May 1, 2003 03:20 PM
Comments
Once again, Rita, wonderful post.
Posted by: Tam at May 1, 2003 03:43 PM
Who the fuck is Tina Brown?
Posted by: Da Goddess at May 1, 2003 07:02 PM
I don't have a clue. I hoped someone would tell me in the comments.
Posted by: Rita at May 1, 2003 07:11 PM
My favorite example of blathering self-promotion, hypocrisy and self-contradiction all rolled into one handy little event:
Tim Robbins being given 30 minutes by the National Press Club to give a speech in which Robbins attacked the press, the Bush administration, and Americans in general for "censoring" him. Of course, the speech was given air time on all the news channels, and there were lots of write-ups in the papers and magazines.
The only "chill wind blowing" across the land is the air expelling from Robbin's empty head, which is evidently filled with the pathetic platitudes that he's learned to mimic from all the second-rate leftists running around Hollywood.
Posted by: Adam at May 2, 2003 10:07 AM
"chill wind blowing" Or from his ass? Hard to tell these days....
Posted by: Bill at May 2, 2003 10:09 AM