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3月28日

cultural imperialism at its best

 

"Welcome, my friends, to the show that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, step inside, step inside..." - Emerson Lake & Palmer.
 
And now, to add another item to the inventory of America's modern cultural accomplishments: Toughman Fighting.  I.e. two guys, just regular guys, go into a ring and get busy until one of them drops.
 
My reaction is similar to that of Douglas Paul, a trauma surgeon that cared for a dying fighter in Dayton, Ohio, quoting from the article:
"We had to tell his wife and mother and his children, 8 and 5, that they no longer had a husband, a son, a father," Paul says. "It struck me in a deeply emotional way that this isn't right. It doesn't make sense to let untrained humans get into an unregulated setting and pound the snot out of each other."

I'm not real sure how this is much different from the fight culture in the movie Fight Club.  Only this is done in an arena, and they're selling lots and lots of tickets, in prime venues.  They also broadcast it on SpikeTV.

 
You have to wonder what this says about American popular culture.  I mean, geez, we haven't had real fight-to-the-death gladatorial games in about 1,500 years.  Seems like they're on the verge of coming back in vogue.  In America.
 
Hmmm. A trend, methinks?
 
Let's see.  In the last 6 years or so, we've taken to distorting intelligence data, preemptive invasion and war, torturing prisoners of war, holding suspects without access to a lawyer or the courts indefinitely, searching and wiretapping without warrants, did I mention torturing prisoners of war, paying journalists for favorable treatment, dismantling our federal emergency services in the name of "scaling back an entitlement program," appointing incompetent cronies to critical government positions, and, oh, I forgot, did I mention torturing prisoners of war... and now, we're holding what amount to gladatorial games in arenas, and selling tickets, all while people's incomes are declining, healthcare expenses are skyrocketing, jobs are disappearing, and the looming triple-witching-wammy of the balooning federal deficit, the balooning federal debt, the balooning current accounts deficit, and skyrocketing medical and retirement entitlement costs come ever closer to "tipping over" our economy.
 
Can you say "bread and circuses?"
 
I knew you could.

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Well, it was going along well, until you got to the final paragraph.  Then, you sort of departed from fact and reason.

 

Distorted intelligence data - depends upon your view.  President Bush acted on the exact same data the previous administration had, and which that administration concluded proved Iraq had and was pursuing improvements in weapons of mass destruction.

 

Preemptive invasion - again, depends upon your view.  Iraq invaded a neighboring country, then surrendered to the forces responding to that attack.  They then spent a decade violating the terms of the surrender, as well as better than a dozen UN resolutions.  You call it preemptive.  I call it a consequence of past actions.

 

Torturing prisoners of war - I will grant that a select few individuals have violated military regulations and have since been tried and punished.  I will even grant that the US may have been creative in where various individuals wound up being held.  Some may have been mistreated.  Few of those being held are prisoners of war.  They are combatants fighting under no flag, in no uniform, subject to no real government.  They are not, therefore, prisoners of war.  They are terrorists caught on a battlefield.

 

Holding suspects without access to courts or lawyers - these are rights provided to American citizens in the United States by the Constitution.  Enemy combatants captured in a military conflict outside of the United States have no right to those protections.  It has ever been so in war.  They have no right to a trial, they have no right to a lawyer.  What is afforded them, by the US military, is access to a military tribunal.  They fight as "soldiers," so they can face the justice afforded soldiers.

 

Searches and wiretapping without warrants - the first is a broad allegation that hasn't been made (to my knowledge) in any sense at all.  The wiretapping being conducted is reportedly on those outside the country (and that individual inside the country receiving the call).  We've been down this road, before, and disagree on the severity of the issue.

 

Declining incomes/disappearing jobs - the most recent reports from just about anywhere directly refute these claims.  The jobless rate continues to decline, and 193,000 jobs were added in January.  The jobless rate is at a 4 1/2 year low, at 4.7%.  That, by the way, is below the unemployment rate most economist use for "full employment."  The personal income report isn't due out until 3/31, and early indicators are that it continues to rise.  So, jobs are being created, incomes are (reportedly) rising, and the unemployment rate is at about the lowest rate it can be.

 

Health care expenses are skyrocketing - this is our own fault.  It's called a capital system being screwed with by the government (not, by the way, this administration's fault).  I will grant that the drug program is a fiasco.  Then again, I opposed it from the outset.

 

Skyrocketing retirement entitlement costs - wow, are you now for scrapping the Social Security program, as I am?  This is another issue for which the blame lies squarely in the laps of the American people.  President Bush attempted to spark debate on a resolution, and was promptly chastised for even thinking of it.

 

I agree that these various "fight" groups (and the plethora of "reality" shows) are a sign of a depraved cultural period.  I'm not yet ready to start the doomsday messages, though the phenomenon is frightening.  It is not, however, a function of or the responsibility of the federal government.  It is a function of the American people.  And even that is a broad generalization, as I believe that Hollywood doesn't truly reflect the values and beliefs of the American population.

3 月 30 日

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