I’ve often complained that my home town’s once-great newspaper has completely lost its way.
Here’s more proof. There’s a real war going on. Real people are dying for no good reason and the U.S. is funding this war. This tragic story of what is going on and why should be front page material until the killing stops.
Today, though, it is more important for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports nothing about this war on the front page. Nothing in the entire paper, except for a small page A11 article on the fate of two missing soldiers.
What’s more important than Iraq? Well, a movie about Iraq, especially when that movie draws attention to our home town. This front page story is that a local St. Louis barber has been hired to cut the hair of movie extras who will play the parts of military recruits.
In this presumably-important front page article, we learn all about the release date of the movie (“The Return”), as well as names of the celebrities that will be coming to town for the filming.
This front page article is just another example of make-believe trumping reality.
What if we enacted a bill requiring our 1000 most famous Hollywood actors to serve in the military in Iraq (or, for that matter, 1000 of our top corporate executives or 1000 of our top politicians)? The U.S. would end its involvement in the war in two weeks.
I overheard some college-age girl watching something grim on the news say, "See, now this is why I like Dancing with the Stars," to her neighbor. Some people cognitively retreat from an uncomfortable reality by pacifying themselves with media circuses because they find the truth too disturbing. I think we find it comforting that as long as we can escape to something simple, as long as we can have celebrities and sports events and shopping, then no problem has actually invaded our lives. Yet.
Stop calling it war. It's not a war, it's a military occupation. See here.
“See, now this is why I like 'Dancing with the Stars'….”
A lot of people are now dead because of that attitude.
I wonder to what extent the Bush Administration counts on that attitude to preserve its failed, deadly policies.
What Senator can we get to submit a Bill declaring that the U.S. cannot participate in an invasion or other large-scale military intervention without first guarantying a supply of troops ("d-r-a-f-t"). I'd like to say, "start a war", but like all the wars we've been involved in since the 1950's, we didn't technically declare this one.
What ever happened to the Globe Democrat?
To grumpypilgrim: "I wonder to what extent the Bush Administration counts on that attitude to preserve its failed, deadly policies." — That is EXACTLY the reason that there is a ban on photographs of flag-draped coffins, that there is no draft, that NOBODY is being asked to "sacrifice" for the "war", etc. As soon as the reality hit home, the outcry would be deafening (as if the current 70% opposition isn't enough).