Grief for Sale

We are not a nation at war. We are a nation at the mall, generally upscale malls, spending money to salve our presumed sadness.

The second and third pages of the New York Times are festooned with ads of "tribute:"

"In Remembrance," say Chanel and Saks. Bloomingdales is "In Memoriam." Gucci "Remembers." Cartier is "Remembering." And Tiffany adds instructions to "Reflect."

Macy's is lyrical: "Bring Communities Together. Hope for Peace. Celebrate Life. Make a Difference. Mark this day with music. Remember September 11, 2001."

On the lower right hand corner of page A-3 Lord & Taylor says: "We Pause To Remember."

It's not much of a pause. Two pages later the aforementioned Lord & Taylor announced: "BIGGEST SHOE SALE OF THE SEASON...BUY MORE SAVE MORE." In the store's defense they do state, in comparatively small type, "Starts Tomorrow."

Yup, we're not a country at war, we are a country at ease, a feel good place whose economic strength is measured by consumer spending. That's us, patriots flooding the shopping malls with red white and blue t-shirts, NYFD hats and NY Yankee socks, grabbing up overpriced goods which we believe we deserve because we have been recently assaulted with news that isn't good.

Granted the front page of the Times and most other papers feature Ambassador Ryan Crocker's obfuscation and Gen. Petraeus' muted reminder that war is hell, that people are dying in this war and more people will die before it is over.

But war isn't about us. The news is about something bad someplace else.

On page 19 of today's Times a headline says, "9 American Soldiers Killed in Vehicle Accidents in Iraq" (are these "accidents" like the ones between two mini-vans caused by inefficient juggling of Starbucks lattes and cellphones, fender benders that can snarl traffic and steal valuable shopping hours at the mall? Or are they the new Bush speak for Humvees blasted by IEDs?). One news column over is the daily feature "Names of the Dead" listing the names of 10 soldiers who apparently have nothing to do with the abutting nine victims other than their current flatline. The "Names" column lists name, age, military unit and hometown. It doesn't say how they died, doesn't say how they lived. No telling if they are children of now grieving parents, parents of now grieving children; doesn't say if they had friends or crooked grins. Doesn't say whether they joined in reaction to the Twin Towers attack or because there are no jobs near home. The feature is just a list, a faceless list of dead Americans.

My paltry acknowledgment that my nation is at war is to read the list of names aloud to myself every day and try to remember if I have ever visited or heard of the home towns of the victims. Mostly the answer is no. Today's listing includes Streetsboro, Ohio; Venus, Texas; Mount Dora, Fla.; Wayne, Okla.; and Malvern, Ark. I bet none of those towns has a Chanel, Saks, Cartier or Tiffany's to remind the residents to be sad.

Sometime today Rudy Giuliani will lead the swarm of vultures that will descend today on Ground Zero. We daren't question Rudy because he has certified himself as a super hero. He'll stand closer to the heart of the now extinguished fire today than he did when it smoldered, stand with his third wife at his side (her predecessors are none of our business, he says, especially not the one who lived in Gracie Mansion on Sept. 11, 2001, the woman we presumed was the First Lady of Gotham). The fire department that provided the bodies for the pyre that made Rudy rich will be assembled for salutes and photo-ops but not allowed to speak about how hard it is to breathe with lungs full of toxins.

Next year our sons and daughters will still be dying in Iraq and one or more merchants will no longer be able to contain themselves. Labor Day is no longer about the Triangle Shirt Waist Fire that killed 146 non-union workers, mostly young women. Nor is it about the miners or stevedores or people who built this country and made others rich. Labor Day is about "fall sales" and "back to school sales" and generally, sales, sales, sales. Two of our greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln no longer have their own "days" because there isn't enough room in the national marketing plan for "Sales" only 10 days apart. Memorial Day is a reminder to buy and the Fourth of July to buy more. Macy's already owns Thanksgiving with its parade sponsorship. And the car dealers are working hard to make Christmas synonymous with a luxury coupe.

Okay, I haven't this year seen a "Buy One, Get One Free World Trade Center Super Savings Event." But mark my words, some ghoul of a merchant will do it next year: "A free American flag with every purchase over $100."

And you know what? People in this country will buy it.

Comments

[PlanetKansas]

Our single greatest cultural influence is advertising, not politics, not religion. The private advertising sector far outspends university research on psychology and human behavior, and rarely is it published for the public good.

The TV news during the Vietnam War was brought to us by Mutual of Omaha, now Iraq is sponsored by Boner pills

[Zhonni]

You are so right. I remember being in Iraq and couldn't help thinking about how people must be partying at night clubs, shopping at the malls, drinking at the bar without regard for what is going on in Iraq.

I don't hear much about others being asked to sacrifice and yet those who are sacrificing are getting their sacrifice and patriotism called volunteerism.

I heard Rumsfeld say a lot of times "after all, we have a volunter force" and "that is what they are trained for" or "sign up for". No one is trained to go die but to make others die, for good reason not a fabrcated one.

I don't think we need reminding that we have a volunteer force but more talk about the sacrifice on the part of our troops and their families would be helpful.

I would not reenlist if I were offered a million dollars. If this was world war two, I would have reenlisted for free.

I also think using consumer index as a yard stick, as to how the economy is performing, is fundamentally flawed. I heard that the top 20% of the American consumer makes up 40% of the consumer index, or something like that.

The strenght of an economy should be measured by its exports that way you still have the consumers to fall back on, if you have a bad exporting quater.

[Purple Girl]

Good for you!!
Show how companies use our emotions to sell more products. We are no lionger a DEMOCRACY we are merely a Capitolist society lead to this end by our political, religious and corporate 'leaders'( of power & profit)

[backhandpath]

Are you saying that our country has
gone to Mall in a hand basket?

I would like to see a piece from you as to how, from a Tactical Security perspective, you would advise a company seeking to locate their business in our country.

[joebaggadonuts]

I am not at ease and apparently you are not either, Mr. Mulvaney, nor is anyone posting responsively to your missive that I have read so far. It's long past time we made the rest of the nation feel the pain too. Thanks for your article which gives us the opportunity to remind a few of us to do that.

And it's one two three what are we fighting for? Don't ask me I don't give a Dam, Next Stop is Viet Nam, er Iraq. Apologies to Country Joe and the Fish. http://www.well.com/~cjfish/game.htm#cheer
http://www.well.com/~cjfish/

[Spookcatcher]

Yes, I do believe your observations are good ones. After all being the patriotic Amerians we are, we bought the whole 9/11 package that Bush and Our Government sold us. All the way to a cheap sale on Democracy for Iraq. Invade now and overthrow Saddam and get free oil reserves with New Democratic Nation. I am waitnig for Mattel to come out with aTwin Tower Erector set so you too can teach your kid to be a demolition man for the Government. Free Guiliani Action figures with Full ' Bull Horn included now while operators are standing buy, other actionless figures not included. ncluded.

[darcy]

Spookcatcher, we didn't all buy it. And if the media hadn't been complicit in the spin, most Americans wouldn't have bought it.

Corporatism is our bete noire. It's killing us.

[researcher]

it had to happen this is unchecked capitalism at its best.

consumerism and war for profits.

the lastest a rich new mayor will pay students for grades.

buy our way out of everything even with the sunnis. billions a week trying to buy out the iraqis for their oil. even buy their government and create a puppet government.

capitalism must put profits over morality even to the point of trading blood and death for oil.

you know your country is immoral when you invade a country over false pretenses and when the country slides into civil war you blame the country you invaded and talk about american deaths and not iraqi suffering.

and we claim to be a christian nation yea right and I have a bridge to sell one of those in need of repair.

the sad part the americans have bought into a two party system even when both parties are corrupted by capitalist corporations via lobbyists.

same thing happened in vietnam.

[backhandpath]

I would highly recommend Robert Reich's new book about Super Capitalism.
http://www.92y.org/shop/event_detail.asp?productid=T-LC5BF01
I remember how together we all felt on September 12th, and how that feeling faded over the following weeks as everyone took Bush's only advise: Go to the mall, shop.
Y'all remember it too.

[Bugweed]

We have become a nation that knows the price of every thing, and the value of none.

[Tellmethetruth]

I agree!

[boyd]

Thirded.
Well put.

[itmaybetoolate]

Don't forget that bushie himself implored us to go shopping in his 2001 address to nation following the 9/11 tragedy. Enough said?

[ShanghaiGuy]

Cynically and ruthlessly dead-on target. Mr. Mulvaney, you accurately captured the spirit of American.

Now I think I need a drink.

[commonsenselives]

I'm thinking a nice BIG drink.

Cheers.

[ParacleteofKavorka]

Re: the Labor Day reference. TV news shows always feature spots on traffic jams leaving town on Friday or a reporter covering the crowds at the airports. Why not feature the folks who don't work banker's hours and actually work on Labor Day-police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, waitresses, grocery store clerks etc. Screw the sheep that have to stand in long lines at the airport.

[Rescisco]

"...we're not a country at war, we are a country at ease..." So very true.

We were and we remain ignorant of the world. Our response to the tragedy that took place six years ago was to arrogantly proclaim that it was a day that changed the world. But the world did not change on that day, only our orientation to it changed. Our ignorance did not change, it was only made more dangerous by fear and anger. Even our fear and anger did not waken us from the deep sleep that embraced our minds or free us from the material world we have created to burden our souls. We remain forever poised to deny the truth in favor of error and to pass the bill on to future generations.

[msjennifer]

Bill Maher has been saying this for years. 9/11 changed nothing!!

[RubberDuck]

Excellent blog and spot-on. I couldn't agree more. Really well done.

[Paul]

The Bush legacy will be that he brought the nation into war, but could not lead it to victory.