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The Symbolism's Perfect, But Not The Bird |
Current rating: -1 |
by Glenn W. Smith
(No verified email address) |
05 Dec 2003
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Which one's the REAL turkey? |
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The widely circulated photograph of President Bush and the Thanksgiving turkey was faked. What Bush served -- or pretended to serve -- our troops in Iraq was a table centerpiece, not an edible turkey, the Washington Post reports.
This is almost too good for analysis. It's like John Barth's observation that some symbolic images are simply too loaded to use, for instance, a bird perched on a 'No Parking' Sign.
But Bush has served us so many phony turkeys it's impossible to resist the temptation to make this latest falsity a fairly clear symbol of everything Bush stands for. Weapons of Mass Destruction? Medicare reform? No Child Left Behind Education reform? Steel Tariffs? Compassionate Conservatism? Rugged Texas cowpoke president? Tax cuts for the middle class? Mission Accomplished?
All of it's so much inedible garbage. The image is real enough, but the substance is quite another kettle of turkey.
The amazing thing is how many people admire Bush and his handlers for their art. It's as though deception, employed skillfully enough, deserves applause. Thatšs what leadership is all about.
But wešre not dealing with a magician we know hasn't really made the elephant disappear from the stage or the turkey materialize before the eyes of our distant troops. Wešre dealing with a world leader who now has demanded and received the power to invade any country he wants upon his own whim.
As is often noted, the ability to deceive is greatly enhanced by the modern tools of politics. Itšs a fact of life that a President can instantly plant any image he wants into our living rooms and our memories. But what's more disturbing is our shrugging acceptance of these deceptions, especially when they are constructed so as to fit the narratives of our desires. We want a strong, compassionate, down-home kind of guy for president. Images that support the fantasy -- and in this case it is no more than fantasy -- have more power.
Al Gore was vilified for saying he'd invented the Internet. Of course, he hadn't said that. In this case, the lie was perpetrated by journalists who knew there was something about Gore they didn't like, and this would serve to point up his undefined shortcomings as well as any other example they could think of.
Luckily, our troops in Iraq were given real Thanksgiving dinners. They weren't forced to dine on the Bush deception that day. But aren't they dining everyday they spend overseas on more serious deceptions? Arenšt they there because Bush had already served our country and the world perfectly carved lies?
Ah, the presentation is superb. But we're stuck with that and only that. Therešs no real world of sustenance we can retreat to, like the troops' cafeteria line. The deficit grows, the rich grow richer, prescription drugs remain unaffordable, and our nation's schoolchildren sit abandoned by an un-funded and ill-considered public education reform effort thatšs designed to force public schools to fail.
It's up to us to reject the indigestible illusions and demand truth, which like food, water and oxygen is necessary for life to flourish. Then again, Bush has all but ended federal inspection of our foodstuffs and reversed or eliminated regulations aimed at protecting the quality of our air and water.
Hešs 0-for-4 on the life thing, but as long as the turkey looks good, we forget that we are hungry.
Glenn W. Smith is a consultant and writer in Austin, Texas. His new book, "The Politics of Deceit: Saving Freedom and Democracy from Extinction" will be published by John Wiley & Sons in July, 2004. |
Comments
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Turkeys On The Moon |
by Michael Moore
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: -1
08 Dec 2003
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December 8, 2003
Dear Mr. Bush,
Well, it's going on two weeks now since your surprise visit to one of the two countries you now run and, I have to say, I'm still warmed by the gesture. Man, take me along next time! I understand only 13 members of the media went with you -- and it turns out only ONE of them was an actual reporter for a newspaper. But you did take along FIVE photographers (hey, I get it, screw the words, it's all about the pictures!), a couple wire service guys, and a crew from the Fox News Channel (fair and balanced!).
Then, I read in the paper this weekend that that big turkey you were holding in Baghdad (you know, the picture that's supposed to replace the now-embarrassing footage of you on that aircraft carrier with the sign "Mission Accomplished") -- well, it turns out that big, beautiful turkey of yours was never eaten by the troops! It wasn't eaten by anyone! That's because it wasn't real! It was a STUNT turkey, brought in to look like a real edible turkey for all those great camera angles.
Now I know some people will say you are into props (like the one in the lower extremities of your flyboy suit), but hey, I get it, this is theater! So what if it was a bogus turkey? The whole trip was bogus, all staged to look like "news." The fake honey glaze on that bird wasn't much different from the fake honey glaze that covers this war. And the fake stuffing in the fake bird was just the right symbol for our country during these times. America loves fake honey glaze, it loves to be stuffed, and, dammit, YOU knew that -- that's what makes you so in touch with the people you lead!
It was also a good idea that you made the "press" on that trip to Baghdad pull the shades down on the plane. No one in the media entourage complained. They like the shades pulled and they like to be kept in the dark. It's more fun that way. And, when you made them take the batteries out of their cell phones so they wouldn't be able to call anyone, and they dutifully complied -- that was genius! I think if you had told them to put their hands on their heads and touch their noses with their tongues, they would have done that, too! That's how much they like you. You could have played "Simon Says" the whole way over there. It wouldn't have been that much different from "Karl Says," a game they LOVE to play every day with Mr. Rove.
Well, if you're planning any surprises for Christmas, don't forget to include me. When I heard last week that you wanted to send a man back to the moon, I thought, get the fake goose ready -- that's where ol' George is going for the holidays! I don't blame you, what with nearly 3 million jobs disappeared, and a $281 billion surplus disappeared, and the USA stuck in a war that will never end -- who wouldn't want to go to the moon! This time, take ALL the media with you! Embed them on the moon! They'll love it there! It looks just like Crawford! You can golf on the moon, too. You'll have so much fun up there, you might not want to come back. Better take Cheney with you, too. Pretend it's a medical experiment or something. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for every American who's sick and tired of all this crap."
Yours,
Michael Moore
mmflint (at) aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com |
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