So instead, I decided to take a walk and enjoy the gorgeous summer weather. As I wandered aimlessly about the park, I noticed a line of Marines in full riot-gear sitting on one of the benches near the great band shell.
Ever since September 11th I've been used to seeing Marines in crowded places, like train stations or the post office. But in full riot-gear, and at the band shell no less? Slightly suspicious. So, being the ever-youthful gadfly, I decided to take a look around and see what was the cause of the Marine presence. I made my way to the band shell, where I had been hearing much yelling, shouting and cheering. There was a large crowd gathered around a humvee, and a man with a megaphone was preaching the ways of neo-colonialism, though I suspect the crowd didn't recognize it as that.
The amplified man started talking about Marine tactics used in occupied countries. Not countries receiving US peacekeeping aid. Not countries being forcibly "democratized," but occupied. To demonstrate these tactics, one group of un-uniformed Marines acted as the rioters - circling, chanting and waving their fists. A second group of Marines marched out in phalanx formation, with their plastic shields locked, to protect each other from the "dangerous" rioters. The Marines announced that if the "rioters" continued protesting, the Marines would be forced to take drastic measures. The Marines then charged at the "rioters" who dispersed, but continued to throw their plastic bottles at soldiers.
Then the Marines got serious. They wielded their red paint/pepper spray at the protesters, one of whom fell to the ground and was consequently handcuffed and surrounded. The audience that had gathered clapped, cheered and whistled thrilled that the good guys had captured the unarmed protesters.
At this point I took out my copy of The Nation, with a picture of President Bush on the cover, wielding a rifle, and the word "clueless" printed beneath his mug. I alternated between reading this and my conveniently available copy of "1984." The few people that grew irritable at my discontent created stayed about a meter or two a way from me, giving me enough room to spread out.
Eventually I abandoned my reading material and turned on my reporter mode. No one was willing to talk but I found something else that interested me.
There was a display area set up in the park of mortars, assault rifles, missile launchers, etc. to show the general populace what defenders of freedom wield in the fight against tyranny. Most had ranges of at least 2,000 meters. The Marines were giving demonstrations - including to four-year-olds - on how to load, reload and fire these weapons. This bears repeating: The Marines were showing a four-year-old how to load, reload and fire military weapons. The parents of these children took pictures of their smiling kids, who gleefully exclaimed, “Bam bam, I'll kill 'em all”. When one Marine was asked about the value of showing little children how to load and fire heavy assault weapons, he declined to comment.
For the benefit of the doubt, I'm going to assume that, on reflection, the gatherers in Central Park regretted their actions or maybe they didn't understand the full implications of that afternoon.
It amuses me how inflamed we may become when we see pictures of 10-year-old children wielding rifles and bomb jackets. The catch is, they have to be from the Middle East. It was thought cute how little kids were impersonating the Marines, and obviously no thought was given to the blatant glorification of war and killing. As I mentioned, most of these weapons have ranges of 2,000 meters, so I'm thinking the emphasis isn't on nobility, bravery and skill in combat.
It also scares me slightly how little response there was to the wording of the speeches delivered by the officers at the band shell. It may have been trivial, but occupation sounds a lot more insidious than temporary peace keeping, or the spread of democracy, both popular buzzwords. But occupation sounds like an invading army or an expanding imperial force.
In addition, the riots depicted seemed undeserving of pepper spray, and General Custer-style charges in retaliation. I'd understand if they were throwing rocks, like militant separatist groups, or if they were pulling knives on the Marines, but really, I've been slapped with Evian bottles, and they don't present a clear and present danger.
I would try and empathize with the American response, but I can't. At best, I can see it being a standard case of post-September 11th hysteria, and the same blind following that was contagious in the few months after the event. One strip of the comic "The Boondocks" (by Aaron McGruder) sums it up well: "Now Bob, you're a gay, African-American environmentalist, and former critic of the President?" "Yes," says the former critic, "but now I realize that America is all about blind, unquestioning faith in our almost-elected leaders."
I admit that I too was filled with a little sympathy for Bush after the attacks, but I came around, and got back into my suspicious badass mode. But it appears that with such an opportunity for military praise, many of us have reverted back to the "following like sheep" mode.
I know we can't let our guard down. The founding fathers we so adore would be ashamed of us, if we were so trusting of our government as the Tories were of the British tax collectors. And it is looking as though we are falling into that trap. It's a seductive trap. This is because our society makes it absurdly easier to be a conformer than a dissenter. Our society, and probably doubly so since September, has been geared towards patriotism, and following our leaders, without question. I have been told numberless times that since I have the ability to voice my unconventional views, I should not do so, and should stop "whining when I have everything so good. Who cares about people elsewhere?" Compassion has been rendered obsolete, evidenced by the lack of care about the repulsive figures of Afghan civilians killed unintentionally, simply caught in the crossfire. So much for peacekeeping.
Patriotism, and faith in those who would lead us, is becoming the downfall of independent thought. We take for granted those privileges that we hold, and do not utilize them, for whatever reason. It's necessary that we get out of this September 11th stump, and really begin monitoring the movements of the government critically again.
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