Saturday, February 19, 2005
Safe Harbor
We are so afraid. Current theme? Drugs. Just take a look.
In moments of national pride we like to say that this country was founded on principles of freedom and that we have been prosecuting our ideals ever since. Ed Cone's brilliant analysis of the preamble to the constitution aside, it's my theory that what has motivated us throughout our history are not the noble ideals as articulated by Thomas Paine or Thomas Jefferson, but reactionary fears that have continually festered under the surface of our collective skin.
So, what kinds of fear-inspired pustules are there? Racism, there's a good one. Cultural paranoia, not bad. Isolationism, still in vogue with many. Fundamentalism, no comment required on that one. Elitism, I know a few for whom that's a religion. Non-elitism, ditto. The rage of political correctness on university campuses or the rage against political correctness by the radical right. And it goes on and on.
Without doing the professional research some of our colleague bloggers would do on the subject, it's still not hard to calculate where the federal government spends most of its money - the Department of Defense. Institutionalized fear defense. If you have thought of being afraid of it, they have a program to cover it. Of course, they also have a weapon to cause it.
Maybe we could change the name and make two departments: the Department of Fear and Department of Safe Harbor (although I kind of like Department of Propitiation of Fears).
Is it just us or is everybody else in the world as afraid as we are? Does everyone else have their head under a box hiding from WMDs?
I would try to find out, but I'm afraid to ask.
Eventually I work up the nerve and walk into the imaginary Department of Safe Harbor (DSH) , stand in line and tell the motherly-looking government clerk, "The WMD's and those bad Drugs are making me afraid."
"I'm so sorry, why don't you come around the corner, son and put your head on my shoulder."
I do so dutifully.
"S-h-h-h-h-h-h. Everything will be alright." She says patting my shoulder.
She's been well trained.
In moments of national pride we like to say that this country was founded on principles of freedom and that we have been prosecuting our ideals ever since. Ed Cone's brilliant analysis of the preamble to the constitution aside, it's my theory that what has motivated us throughout our history are not the noble ideals as articulated by Thomas Paine or Thomas Jefferson, but reactionary fears that have continually festered under the surface of our collective skin.
So, what kinds of fear-inspired pustules are there? Racism, there's a good one. Cultural paranoia, not bad. Isolationism, still in vogue with many. Fundamentalism, no comment required on that one. Elitism, I know a few for whom that's a religion. Non-elitism, ditto. The rage of political correctness on university campuses or the rage against political correctness by the radical right. And it goes on and on.
Without doing the professional research some of our colleague bloggers would do on the subject, it's still not hard to calculate where the federal government spends most of its money - the Department of Defense. Institutionalized fear defense. If you have thought of being afraid of it, they have a program to cover it. Of course, they also have a weapon to cause it.
Maybe we could change the name and make two departments: the Department of Fear and Department of Safe Harbor (although I kind of like Department of Propitiation of Fears).
Is it just us or is everybody else in the world as afraid as we are? Does everyone else have their head under a box hiding from WMDs?
I would try to find out, but I'm afraid to ask.
Eventually I work up the nerve and walk into the imaginary Department of Safe Harbor (DSH) , stand in line and tell the motherly-looking government clerk, "The WMD's and those bad Drugs are making me afraid."
"I'm so sorry, why don't you come around the corner, son and put your head on my shoulder."
I do so dutifully.
"S-h-h-h-h-h-h. Everything will be alright." She says patting my shoulder.
She's been well trained.
# posted by Michael Christopher : 11:46 PM
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