Read James Wolcott
If I ever write a paragraph as smart and funny as James Wolcott I will have proven myself worthy of entrance into Paradisio. As much as I hate the blogster game of linking to the blogsters, his is one of the most insightful cultural/political blogs out there. His last entry finally expresses a point I've always babbled about endlessly, but in perfect English grammar: Katrina has killed perhaps twice as much people as 9/11. The conservative case that terrorism is the most important issue to our country is silly and based totally out of post-9/11 fear. Poverty, the educational gap and flawed domestic infrastructure are more important and damaging than some wacky jihadist blowing up a car. Until you can convince me that Osama bin Laden(remember him?) has a Loony Toons ACME nuclear warhead pointed at the country, I will only say "find him, kill terrorists" but take a breath knowing I'm not at war with anybody in a keffah scarf. All my enemies seem to wear suits.
But as Wolcott points out at the end, once we play with numbers of lives lost, we too often are only playing with numbers and forgetting that every single life lost is important and saddening, whether from 9/11 or a hurricane. Each has infinite consequences.
Read it here.
If I ever write a paragraph as smart and funny as James Wolcott I will have proven myself worthy of entrance into Paradisio. As much as I hate the blogster game of linking to the blogsters, his is one of the most insightful cultural/political blogs out there. His last entry finally expresses a point I've always babbled about endlessly, but in perfect English grammar: Katrina has killed perhaps twice as much people as 9/11. The conservative case that terrorism is the most important issue to our country is silly and based totally out of post-9/11 fear. Poverty, the educational gap and flawed domestic infrastructure are more important and damaging than some wacky jihadist blowing up a car. Until you can convince me that Osama bin Laden(remember him?) has a Loony Toons ACME nuclear warhead pointed at the country, I will only say "find him, kill terrorists" but take a breath knowing I'm not at war with anybody in a keffah scarf. All my enemies seem to wear suits.
But as Wolcott points out at the end, once we play with numbers of lives lost, we too often are only playing with numbers and forgetting that every single life lost is important and saddening, whether from 9/11 or a hurricane. Each has infinite consequences.
Read it here.
posted by PWS at 8:48 PM
1 Comments:
I think your writing is great as is, but if you wish to achieve something, let me tell you, you just did, for I had no idea that more people died down there in New Orleans as they did up there in New York.
Wow...This country does really need to get its priorities straight, huh?
Good post.
- Ash
Post a Comment
<< Home