Friday, November 30, 2007
So many crazies
Laura wrote yesterday about this article and an amazing list compiled by Dr. John Brignell, a British engineering professor, that contains over 600 links of media stories ascribing the cause of everything under the sun to global warming. Aside from patent absurdity, I think this must mean that global warming is replacing George Bush as the identified source of all bad things as far as the rabid nay-saying alarmists among us are concerned. I guess they need to migrate from GWB since he'll be out of office in a year.
And speaking of insane, how about the Sudanese who want to execute the teacher whose classroom named a teddy bear Mohammed? In Britain, the Daily Mail (among others) is organizing a petition to get her freed from her jail sentence (yes, 15 day jail sentence, believe it or not) but in the Sudan, some machete-wielding maniacs took to the streets demanding her execution. Apparently it's perfectly all right to burn American flags and effigies of American government officials, just not to be affectionate and cute about Mohammed.
And in Dutchess County, NY, three high school students were planning to orchestrate a Columbine anniversary blood bath. (The local newspaper's idiotic headline says they are "good" kids. Gee, what would count as "bad"???) The good news is that a student reported having heard the rumblings about it. The bad news is that Arlington is an otherwise unremarkable community with no economic or social extremes. My conclusion, therefore, is that employing unspeakable cruelty and violence has at last made its disgusting way into all layers and kinds of human beings.
And on a much different front, the U.S. presidential candidate debates continue to be run as if it's a high school election. Planted questions, paid advocates of the opposition masquerading as completely neutral and innocent audience members, and media apologists saying they didn't know and/or it doesn't matter ("questions are questions regardless of who asks them") which means they're either incompetent or stupid (or both). It's hard to avoid concluding that the candidates and media must think, first, that candidates won't be able to put their ideas forward without manipulative help and, second, that voters are so naïve and unobservant that they (we) need to be steered and controlled rather than allowed to listen and think on their (our) own.
What is WRONG with people?!? Why are so many people in the world absolutely stark-raving nuts?
And speaking of insane, how about the Sudanese who want to execute the teacher whose classroom named a teddy bear Mohammed? In Britain, the Daily Mail (among others) is organizing a petition to get her freed from her jail sentence (yes, 15 day jail sentence, believe it or not) but in the Sudan, some machete-wielding maniacs took to the streets demanding her execution. Apparently it's perfectly all right to burn American flags and effigies of American government officials, just not to be affectionate and cute about Mohammed.
And in Dutchess County, NY, three high school students were planning to orchestrate a Columbine anniversary blood bath. (The local newspaper's idiotic headline says they are "good" kids. Gee, what would count as "bad"???) The good news is that a student reported having heard the rumblings about it. The bad news is that Arlington is an otherwise unremarkable community with no economic or social extremes. My conclusion, therefore, is that employing unspeakable cruelty and violence has at last made its disgusting way into all layers and kinds of human beings.
And on a much different front, the U.S. presidential candidate debates continue to be run as if it's a high school election. Planted questions, paid advocates of the opposition masquerading as completely neutral and innocent audience members, and media apologists saying they didn't know and/or it doesn't matter ("questions are questions regardless of who asks them") which means they're either incompetent or stupid (or both). It's hard to avoid concluding that the candidates and media must think, first, that candidates won't be able to put their ideas forward without manipulative help and, second, that voters are so naïve and unobservant that they (we) need to be steered and controlled rather than allowed to listen and think on their (our) own.
What is WRONG with people?!? Why are so many people in the world absolutely stark-raving nuts?
Labels: headlines, modern culture, reflections, ridiculousness
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