Maybe it's just me...
Apr. 23rd, 2004 03:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
autographedcatI don't want to suggest in any way that the honour and attention being afforded Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan is in any way unearned. And I should not be surprised that our celebrity-driven culture latches onto a story in which a "name" is involved.
But I sat at lunch and idly watched as Fox News talked about nothing but Tillman's death. For an hour. With commentary from a variety of journalists and pundits, and a conversation with his old college roommate and a variety of lauds and repeated reference to the multi-million dollar contract that he walked away from in order to join the Army.
And he should be commended for that, to be sure.
But....every single man and woman who has died in the service of this country deserves just as much attention. Every single soldier in our military is someone's son or daughter, someone's brother or sister, someone's mother or father, someone's boyfriend or girlfriend or husband or wife. Every single one of them volunteered to go into harms way in the service of their country.
Over 700 US soldiers (and another 100 UK and other coalition forces) have died in Iraq alone over the last 13 months. Every single one of them was as much a hero. Every single one of them. Why don't each of them get their hour of television? Why don't we know each and every one of their names as well as we know the name of Pat Tillman?
Maybe I'm just cynical, and maybe I'm just plain wrong, but somehow the whole spectacle that's being made of Tillman and his sacrifice leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth.
But I sat at lunch and idly watched as Fox News talked about nothing but Tillman's death. For an hour. With commentary from a variety of journalists and pundits, and a conversation with his old college roommate and a variety of lauds and repeated reference to the multi-million dollar contract that he walked away from in order to join the Army.
And he should be commended for that, to be sure.
But....every single man and woman who has died in the service of this country deserves just as much attention. Every single soldier in our military is someone's son or daughter, someone's brother or sister, someone's mother or father, someone's boyfriend or girlfriend or husband or wife. Every single one of them volunteered to go into harms way in the service of their country.
Over 700 US soldiers (and another 100 UK and other coalition forces) have died in Iraq alone over the last 13 months. Every single one of them was as much a hero. Every single one of them. Why don't each of them get their hour of television? Why don't we know each and every one of their names as well as we know the name of Pat Tillman?
Maybe I'm just cynical, and maybe I'm just plain wrong, but somehow the whole spectacle that's being made of Tillman and his sacrifice leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth.
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Date: 2004-04-23 07:08 pm (UTC)Maybe somewhat scary that that sounds appealing...
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Date: 2004-04-23 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-23 07:36 pm (UTC)Speaking of presidential rodentia, you have seen this, yes?
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Date: 2004-04-24 12:50 pm (UTC)::helpless laughter::
Y'know, I'd buy the "Kerry is my hamster" t-shirt if the "I'd vote for a hamster if I thought it would get Bush out of office" part was in large print, too. As it is, the bumper sticker's tempting...
Kerry alarms me a bit, but Bush is freaking frightening. When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I haven't tried before...