New York State of Mind

[The Great Quail]

To address a few recent posts that seem to portray New York as a 
hotbed of peaceful activism being slighted by the media:

Yes, there is some "peace" talk here in New York, obviously. In a 
city this size, there is bound to be healthy manifestations of 
pluralism. Overwhelmingly there has been intelligent, articulate 
discussion by New Yorkers of all kinds about what to do. But trust 
me, the *overall* feeling is  certainly not one of quoting Gandhi. 
Most people I know here favor a carefully planned response with a 
military component. (And my crowd is generally left of center.) In 
fact, one of the things that surprises me the most is how much people 
who count themselves liberals and Bush-haters are agreeing with the 
course of action taken so far by our current government. I have heard 
so many people start of a conversations with, "I can't believe I am 
saying this about Bush, but..." Even me -- and Lord knows, I really 
dislike Bushes junior and senior.

Anyway -- yes, there are peace demonstrations at Union Square, and 
NYU and college campuses and so on. But I feel that this knowledge 
should be balanced with a few things; and please know that I am 
speaking from experience. I have been to Union Square several times 
since the attack.

1. While many of the protesters are genuine and intelligent people, 
some of these "peace" demonstrations unfortunately carry the stain of 
pure opportunism, flatulent soap-boxing, or just utterly irrelevant 
and insensitive daydreaming. I feel, in a very real way, that Union 
Square has been essentially hijacked by people with agendas. At the 
beginning, it was a public memorial of sorts, a place where New 
Yorkers could express their grief, confusion, outrage, sorrow, and so 
on. But soon after, things changed. Of course, numerous religious 
cults moved in, countless swamis, gurus, and Scientologists all eager 
to press their literature into the hands of anyone who will listen. 
The Communist Party set up with anti-US displays and began arguing 
with people through a bullhorn. Busloads of out-of-town students who 
obviously think they are living in a 1960s movie, hoisting signs in 
the air with infantile slogans such as: "War is Bad," "Peace, not 
Anger" and my favorite, "We don't want more trouble; sometimes 
inaction is the highest form of action."

Now, of course, there are many protesters who have valid points and 
seriously want to inform the people about various non-military 
options. But alas, they are being somewhat drowned out by Hare 
Krishnas, shouting anarchists, and starry eyed kids who are under the 
impression that the attack was some sort of accident caused by our 
racists policies. So I for one would hesitate to hold up Union Square 
as an example of New York's state of mind regrading peace protests.

2. There is also a *lot* of very angry, reactionary diatribe and 
graphical calls for violence. Numerous posters showing bin Laden 
through cross-hairs with "Wanted DEAD, not alive" dot the streets. 
My favorite poster of this sort is taped in the window of my local 
Italian restaurant; a picture of bin Laden with a giant American 
eagle biting his head off, with the slogan, "The Eagle is PISSED 
OFF." These sort of homemade signs are everywhere. And the graffiti 
in the dust all over the windows of the financial district is even 
worse in this regard. Of course, some of it calls for peace, but 
there's just as much "We'll kill these fuckers." Thankfully, most of 
it is prayers for the dead or support for the firemen.

So make of this what you will. Of course, I am sure some folks will 
believe the belligerent people have been manipulated by the media 
into a war frenzy, while the protesters labor in silence. Honestly, 
though I am discouraged by the rapidity with which the US media has 
discarded any pretense at objectivity, people seem to me to be 
intelligent enough to make up their own mind on where they stand.

--Quail
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The Great Quail, Keeper of the Libyrinth:
http://www.TheModernWord.com

"O Nature, and O soul of man! How far beyond all utterance are your
linked analogies! Not the smallest atom stirs or lives in matter, but has
its cunning duplicate in mind."
      --Herman Melville, "Moby Dick"