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Sissies on Tape
Lewis
Goldberg
05/12/2003
Certainly,
the thought occured to a lot of folks that the 'end' of Saddam may well
look an awful lot like the 'end' of Osama - hit-and-run video/audio of
phantom former heroes to their heathen followers. Now that the hypothetical
is reality - according to the Sydney
Morning Herald - we have entered the next generation of leadership, in
which statesmanship and patriotism assume all the tangibility of an Elvis
sighting.
Aside
from the mystery of wondering whether Osama/Saddam is the real Osama/Saddam
or look/sound-alike doubles, let us assume that the tapes in question are
the genuine articles - messages from the leaders of peoples and nations.
How have the faithful reacted to messages from these men? So far,
with the same skepticism as the rest of the world. People want to be led by
real, flesh-and-blood, in-your-face men - not the carnival showman
speaking with a simulated booming voice from behind a curtain...smoke and
fire emanating from about the hideous visage.
Maybe
it's the wave of the future, and we have simply not caught on. The Internet
certainly has depersonalised many formerly face-to-face tasks. When we
elect the first e-president - a man who campaigned solely on the net,
through streaming video and giant chat sessions - I shall be forced to eat
my words [which, being electronic words, will not spoil my diet.]
Until
that day, Americans, at least, like to know who's telling them what to do.
No president today would dream of failing to appear to his electorate in
person. In days past, prior to electronic media, they made up for it by
being more accessible at the White House. Before the Secret Service, it
wasn't too terribly difficult to get in to see the Boss - you just had to
have a good reason.
Leaders
like Osama and Saddam betray their cowardice by hiding behind the skirts of
the media. They ask their followers to be the real men and stand up to the
enemy, while they refuse to show themselves for fear of capture - thereby
confirming that they are beaten leaders, simply awaiting arrest and trial.
This plea for resistance is simply a last ditch effort to save face and
"die like a Viking." The late war, whether right or wrong, has
forced the hand of more than one unworthy leader from the levers of power.
In
the past we had gods and generals in the theatre of battle - today we have
little boys playing dress-up with their grandad's clothes. They die the
same as anyone, but fewer people notice or care.
Your comments and questions are encouraged. [editor@patriotist.com]
Patriotist
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