I would like to write somewhat more about the Paris sitchy-ation. I know my place is local news, and I should concern myself with more important matters, like the tripeful statements our illustrious leaders deliver rationalizing why a man has to move a tree from one side of his property to another.
But what is happening in Paris is big, and I don’t think the mass media are getting it. This morning, the newsies are talking about an “anti-radical-Islam” “protest.” Ooh, the people had signs thanking the police, and the protest of 1 million (or 4.5 million) was “led” by dignitaries from forty nations. “Where was Obama?” they ask.
He was probably playing golf, and all the more power to him for it. What happened in Paris was momentous. I don’t care what history does with it. I have never seen so many people acting like homo sapiens. This was not a protest, and it wasn’t anti-radical-Islam, and I am not splitting hairs.
To digress, when I was young, I wanted wisdom more than anything. I even one year threw a birthday party for myself, and invited only people I respected and asked that they bring me a bit of wisdom – no material gifts. Well, a well-intending individual caught wind of my party, and enthusiastically sent out invitations advertising it as a “single-mingle covered dish” party.
I see the same thing happening with the movement in Paris. The crowd is not unlike crowds of protesters in America in that people are showing up to root for the underdogs. People die in senseless violence, and compassionate crowds voice their support. That is good.
The difference is, in France people were hitting the streets not to raise awareness, but to assert their resistance. They were not trying to shut down one particular group, Instead, Gadsden fashion, they were saying they had rights, and nobody, not radical murderers, not government, was going to take them away. It was a resistance movement, and it was sparkly excellent.
Well, the politicians had to stand in front of it, and the people let them. The “leaders” grabbed half the media attention, walking in front of the people, brandishing faces that looked like they would all rather be somewhere else. The demonstrators were too busy defending their turf to give a hoot about clueless attention-mongers.
Yesterday I posted a video for a song that captured the spirit. I was familiar with the song, but I had never seen the vid. As it turns out, the symbolism was excellent. A big teddy bear was rising and putting the world in turmoil. All the plastic people just stood around and got burned, but the musicians kept on playing in their truck, not oblivious to the commotion, but having better things to do than dehumanize themselves with fear.
