Sometimes, I am amazed at the absolute commitment of people to downplay and bury every single thing that causes the gut reaction instinct to feel good about something.
Look, I get that nobody's going to be any safer because of this. I get that nothing's going to change, except more "terror alerts" and tighter restrictions on travel. And I know I'm being ignorant by giving in to the mainstream, feel-good bullshit that says HOORAY WE GOT HIM when I know it makes no real difference.
But I think that's only half the equation. It's balanced by the history of the moment, even if it's bullshit, even if it's nothing but symbolic. It's balanced by the psychological boost given to people who are weary of seeing an endless war fought for questionable goals by people we have no business trusting with the lives of the next generation. It's a morale boost, when we've been worn down by years of recession, bad news, empty promises and surprise political buttsecks.
It'll drive us to more violence and stronger nationalism in spite of our shrinking world and the growing irrelevance of nation states. It will spur more bullshit jingoism and bumper stickers, and whether it helps Obama get reelected or not, we can be assured that the next presidential term will be carried out by an Establishment puppet bent on the Status Quo (or worse).
But then, I'm not talking about implications or progress. I'm not at the moment concerned with the Big Picture, the macro-economics of revenge, the Story of Human History, or with rising above my gut instincts. I am concerned simply with the fact that the mastermind of a terrorist act that killed 3,000 people and destroyed the lives of countless others is dead.
Yeah, it's pase'. It's so mainstream, man. We hear so much about the fact that 3,000 Americans died on 9/11 that we're desensitized to the fact that it happened. Besides, it's what They want us to worry about. Fuck those 3,000 people, right? They don't deserve revenge. Those assholes had it coming. They should have stayed at home that day. The fact that the guy who planned, organized, and financed their demise is dead? Eh, who cares, it's just a political show.
Not like anybody misses those people. Not like anybody cares. Right?
