i didn't want to hijack the
flag per license plate thread, but i wanted to make a point about 'turing a dollar' on the 9-11 tragedy.
my point?:
that it sucks...i want to keep the event meaningful so it hurts to think about it.
i want it to make me uncomfortable - i dont want to get
tired of hearing about it because it's being used to pitch some product every ten minutes.
i dont want to see cheesey flag/patriotic products half chewed at a garage sale 10 yrs from now.
merchandising it makes it cheap - the idea with the flags is to show your patriotic/nationalist feelings, not to turn a quick buck.
i dunno, maybe i'm wrong, maybe it is the reason, but if that is true then so are many of the enemy's criticisms of us.
those are
real dead people not actors and should be spoken of solemnly with reverence and genuine sympathy, not hollow symbolic slop and empty emotional granstanding and photo-ops.
hey these are only $2.99, or 5 for $14.00!!!
such a deal such a deal!!!
can't do without these commemorative zippos! they come in four attractive colors so you can think about 9-11 eveytime you bow to your legal crack urges...
wow! here's an incentive to buy!buy!buy!
wow this is billed as being "exclusive" here's the pitchline..."
As a custom manufacturer of Police, Fire, Military and other Emblems and Patches since 1982, we designed this exclusive and Commemorative F.D.N.Y. PATCH to thank the New York Fire Fighters" <----classic stuff
man, our majestic eagle has always inspired me - lets hope they dont turn it into a cartoon character...."
hey boys and girls it's "niney", the 9-11 eagle with this message about stay-puft marshmallows" 
these guys are getting popular, so how long do you think it will be before they get a prime time drama called umm i don't know how about
"fdny: moment of glory"they could have a sexy female firefighter of course, a loose-cannon-misunderstood bad boy with a great hairdo and ray-bans, and of course the grumpy cynic with a heart of gold
oh jebus....this is a good one - i got a tear in my eye just looking at it...now of course every time there's a tragedy SOMEWHERE in the firefighter's etc mind they will be saying "
i hope i get the emotional shot on this one - hmm where's a torn flag i can sorta rig on something for maximum drama...i know, i'll go stare listlessly at the sky and pose near that flag maybe a photographer will see me..nice brackdrop, geez i wish an eagle would soar over..or a kid would get a sad look and hand me a flower or somethin..."
everyone knows what a good shot is and i cant help but wonder how many people are posing sometimes laying wreaths or whatever.....kinda kills the meaning...
here's the billy blazes action figure!!! no kidding - oh all proceeds go to benefit this charity or that charity.....yeah sure they do.
please know how this stuff works, they pay production costs, advertising costs and of course big fat salaries for everyone involved and then contribute profits to some foundation.
i mean who cares about profits, just adjust your salary to compensate for what you would have made from share of profits and distribute it among the key players - help is easy to hire because you dont have to be competitive because youre a nonprofit....did you think someone manufactured and advertised and distributed this crap for free?
not making money off the profits doesnt mean you're not making money at all...not by a long shot.
anyway, it goes on and on with the 9-11 mousepad, teeshirt, bendy-straw you name it...and this thread is alread boring in length so i'll wrap it up.
in closing i want to say this - i was in the high wasatch range mountains in northeastern utah once and an eagle soared out from a craggy cliff and let out a long "skreeeeeeee" circling slowly against the blue.
the night before, i watched as an osprey huddled over her young in a tremendous lightning storm exposed to the wind and rain all night in the top of a dead tree lightning crashing everywhere...
it made me think of how tough, free creatures can weather just about anything - just like our country can.
looking out over the gorge, sitting by my campfire, smelling the pines and crisp wind, seeing the rugged and open land and most of all seeing that eagle soaring free almost brought a tear to my eye.(well it did actually but i'm trying to stay a little manly here)
the actual SPIRIT of those symbols and what they mean to me and all the people that died to make them meaningful made total perfect sense for a brief clear moment...it wasn't just some statement i'd heard all my life it was clear and i was truly thankful.
you want an emotion rush?? - look around at your land and the faces of your countrymen, not some plastic toy...and think about what it really means, not just empty nationalism/consumerism.
that's not what we're defending, or is it? it's whether you know or not that matters - i for one am supportive of our actions against terrorism because i want our freedoms ensured not our companies. the companies and politicians dont own my america, we own them and they'd better not forget it.
please don't make our symbols into cheap icons, they mean a lot to me.
[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: mrfish ]
