Aftermath
BY PHILLIPE & JORGE
Being cosmopolitan, continental gentlemen, Phillipe & Jorge have heard
expressions of sympathy about the recent terrorist attack from many of our
friends from around the world, as well as their hope for some sanity and peace
in the future. About three-quarters of these folks are Muslims, a glimmer of
hope if we ever had one. And there has been empathy as well. A journalist
friend in Indonesia sent a wonderful note. She, too, is Muslim, and has been
dodging bombs and evacuating buildings in Jakarta for five years, so she knows
of what she speaks. Also, a deeply sad and consoling note from a Tanzanian
friend and environmental reporter, who helped pull people from the rubble of
the American Embassy in Dar es Salaam a few years back when Osama bin Laden
struck there.
From France, P&J's old pal, Diek, wrote about how quickly he was
responding to sympathetic e-mails with condolences of his own, because so many
foreigners worked at the World Trade Center. Indeed, citizens from more than
four dozen countries were killed in the kamikaze attacks. Phillipe's sister,
who lives in London, also spoke of the incredible outpouring of emotion for
America and its people -- the playing of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the
changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace being perhaps the most poignant
moment.
This feeling was also quite evident at sports events. At the end of a German
soccer match on TV, P&J were startled, watching the camera pan the crowd,
to see German fans holding American flags and waving anti-terrorism banners.
English soccer teams also observed two minutes of silence before their games in
a no-nonsense atmosphere that was clearly sincere. The National Football
League, which was chastised for playing its scheduled games only two days after
the assassination of JFK, did the right thing this time, goaded in heavy
measure by players from the New York Jets, New York Giants, and Washington
Redskins, who knew of the violence firsthand. Golf's Ryder Cup, perhaps its
most prestigious event, was canceled. Just as well, as bad blood existed
between the European and American players following the US victory in 1999,
which resulted in the Yanks displaying what is considered in golf circles to be
rude behavior. No time now for vendettas between allies.
Finally, in the New York Times, sportswriter William Rhoden picked up
the cue from New York Jets head coach Herman Edwards, who called his profession
the "toy department of life," and lauded the decision not to play. Rhoden took
it a step further, saying if this is the case, perhaps we should avoid using
war analogies to describe pro athletes doing battle, calling players "field
generals" and reveling in fighter jets flying overhead to rev up the fans.
We've seen war in our backyard, and it isn't just old boys playing games.
Ignorance on parade
You undoubtedly saw the reports of morons mindlessly lashing out at people of
Arabic descent (or who merely possess similar physical characteristics). Said
to say, a number of these incidents occurred right here in our neck of the
woods. A couple of boneheads in Somerset, Massachusetts, tossed a Molotov
cocktail onto the roof of a convenience store run by a man who reportedly came
from Bombay. And then there were the people gathered at the Providence train
station, shouting hate at a man wearing the turban of his Sikh faith.
Your superior correspondents must have missed the wholesale assaults on
blue-eyed Christians of northern European heritage after Timothy McVeigh was
fingered for the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. Listen up, geniuses.
We're still not sure exactly who did this, and if they happen to be Muslims,
their particular interpretation of the Koran is roughly equivalent to the
Christian Identity cult's interpretation of the Bible -- narrow, perverse,
self-serving, and wrong. Nothing could be more stupid than misdirecting your
rage at people who just happen to share a few surface characteristics (dark
skin, speaking with an accent, wearing clothes sans DKNY or The Gap labels,
etc) with those responsible. And we might add that real Muslims don't do things
like this.
We might also add that real Christians do not spew the sort of hateful
nonsense that came from the lips of Jerry Falwell in a recent interview with
the equally disgraceful Pat Robertson on the latter's The 700 Club
television show. "Pagans and abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians . . .
the ACLU, People for the American Way, I point the finger in their face and
say, `You helped this happen,' " Falwell said, adding that God had lifted his
protection of the US because of such people. Robertson said, "I concur."
Perhaps a family member of a gay firefighter might care to respond by
bitch-slapping Jerry and Pat halfway down the Yellow Brick Road. Falwell
subsequently apologized for his remarks, but the fact that this guy and
Robertson are still seen as "leaders" of anything this side of the Little
Rascal's "He-man Woman Hating Club" is ridiculous.
The worst
The award for most ghoulish coverage goes to Tom Brokaw and NBC News, for their
insistence on interviewing the relatives of people killed in the terrorist
tragedy. Worst was Brokaw's interrogation of the son of a murdered airline
steward. As the teenaged son choked back tears in describing his loss, Brokaw
kept muttering, "I know this is hard for you," while seeming to revel in the
boy's deepening pain, grief, and inability to speak. These supposed "human
interest" interviews did nothing more than to make most viewers squirm in their
seats -- and spark a desire to turn away. There's nothing worse than false
compassion, and Brokaw was swimming in it.
Blank on Fountain Street
P&J found it sad to look at the incredible front-page photo of the
September 13 edition of the Other Paper, the now-famous Iwo Jima-redux shot,
and then notice that there were absolutely no bylines on staff stories in one
of the most important editions of the Urinal ever. As part of the ongoing union
dispute that's threatening to destroy the once-proud paper, the reporters we
rely upon felt the need to continue their protest of being treated like
run-of-the-mill hired hands.
Our Fountain Street contacts tell us there was very serious debate over
whether to continue the byline strike after the national tragedy, but the
bleakness of stories with no identifiable authors brought home how pathetic and
petty the paper's management has become. To those who put their principles
before appearing on a front page that will be widely preserved for years to
come, good on you and our blessings.
Just plain silly
P&J were at our favorite South County watering hole, the Twillows, watching
Dubya in New York City when he draped his arm around the shoulder of a
firefighter and began addressing the assembled rescue workers through a
bullhorn. The announcer, who was voicing over the shot because the microphone
couldn't pick up what our prez was saying, mentioned how Dubya had been a
cheerleader in high school.
Despite the gravity of the situation, and the 100 percent patriotism running
through the assembled viewers, people who were previously unaware of this vital
background laughed out loud at the idea of Georgie Boy prancing around with
pom-poms. Phillipe generously -- and perhaps too loudly -- offered up the fact
that Senate Minority Leader Trent "Mississippi Queen" Lott had also been a
cheerleader while enrolled at Ole Miss -- another detail that appeared to be
less than what the crowd expected of the two GOP honchos.
Staying strong
It seems true that when disaster hits, it brings out both the best and worst in
people. Folks hereabouts recall how people pulled together in the face of the
famous Blizzard of '78. Neighbors who hardly knew each other were connecting in
ways great and small that forged, however briefly, a sense of community. There
were also the scattered tales of price-gouging and minor looting.
The unnatural horror that occurred September 11 puts the natural disaster that
was the Blizzard of '78, and more to the point, past wars and military
activities, into some sort of perspective. We are not dealing here with a
battle for economic or political power. We are not dealing with an enemy whose
goal is the conquest of a geographical entity. The point is to create pain and
fear and confusion. The opposition is serious ideologues and their ideas do not
go away when and if you kill the leaders. The design of the opposition is such
that many of the traditional military responses we might use will likely gain
us greater opposition in many areas of the world.
As vicious, senseless, and beyond human decency as the attacks were, seeing
the world in simplistic good guys vs. bad guys, us vs. them, terms doesn't
quite work. To resist and fight back effectively against such inhumanity, it's
also necessary that we understand what we're up against.
The best
Way at the top of the list for heroism and courage are the New York City
firefighters and law enforcement officers, and those from other parts of the
country, who rushed to help when the worst happened and so many were trapped in
the rubble. Those who volunteered -- doing everything from donating blood,
passing out food and emergency supplies to simply making monetary contributions
through the Salvation Army, Red Cross, or other relief agencies -- also made
America proud. Undoubtedly the many religious groups who offered prayers and
services were a source of comfort.
Perpetually bickering politicians closed ranks and stood together as generally
did US civilians. Mayor Rudy Giuliani in New York, in perhaps his finest hour,
provided inspiring and strong leadership in the face of chaos, fear, and a
variety of extraordinary situations. Just getting New York City school children
home from classes on the afternoon of the attack was a true challenge. (By the
way, NYC Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy is the son-in-law of Vo Dilunduhs
John and Lila Sapinsley.) Rudy's been up and down lately (his divorce
squabbling and war against art have been particularly regrettable), but in
rising to the challenge of this unprecedented emergency, he has been
magnificent.
Even the frequently (and, usually, justly) maligned television news anchors
and reporters rose to the occasion for the most part.
Playlist paranoia
Exhibiting an abundance of caution, Clear Channel Communications, the giant
conglomerate that owns more than a thousand radio stations, sent out a list of
"songs with questionable lyrics" that probably shouldn't not receive airplay in
the wake of the terrorist attacks. With more than 150 songs on the list we were
amazed at the imaginative powers of the Clear Channel brain trust, who
apparently heard disturbing messages in songs like the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di,
Ob-La-Da," Yager & Evans' "In the Year 2525," the Youngbloods' "Get
Together," the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian," and Sam Cooke's "Wonderful
World." Who knew!
Send discordant lyrics and Pulitzer-grade tips to p&j[a]phx.com.
Issue Date: September 21 - 27, 2001
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