Flutterby™! : 911 is a joke 2009-12-11 03:33:34.797486+00

911 is a joke

2009-12-11 03:33:34.797486+00 by Dan Lyke 8 comments

Last week, the Washington Post ran a correction:

A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly said a Public Enemy song declared 9/11 a joke. The song refers to 911, the emergency phone number.

This correction was widely distributed. Scott Rosenberg: Public Enemy and the Washington Post: The correction as folk art and viral meme talks about why:

But no; the newsroom must wear its tie. And so instead of dialogue we have silence on one side and ridicule on the other.

Which I think was a particularly apt metaphor. If you wear a tie, you're saying one of two things: 1) You're submissive or 2) you're a bullshitting liar and attempting to signal that you're submissive when you're not. Okay, there's 3), you're being ironic and dressing up because dressing up is that sort of theater, but that only applies to things like prom night and "the theatre". If you fail to realize that wearing a tie puts you in one of those first two categories, you're probably in category #1.

I believe that "the media" lack enough self-awareness to qualify for #2, which is why newspapers have been PR's bitch for quite a while now.

Having reached the state of geezerhood entitles one to a certain status, at least in our own minds. You have the right to use phrases like "fucking punks" You have experienced your victories, your gains, your losses and hopefully have attained some true clarity as far as what really counts and who deserves respect. You are truly aware and know what a miracle life is and how precious it is. You observe the turmoil, the pettiness and the shallowness and how transitory in nature so much of our culture is and say "thank God for NPR"

Back to JT's comment: one speculation was that whoever wrote the original comment wasn't old enough to know when the album came out. Not that us geezers would rant about kids these days or anything.

Just this morning I was in a meeting with a bunch of (mostly) guys in dark suits. The highest-ranking person at the meeting (3-star general), though, wore fatigues. I'm sure he was the most comfortable in the room.

I being a Carpenter/Woodworker am totally free from having to conform to such silliness as the display of plumage. Our status in the herd is determined by more relevant and accurate determinators such as the fit of our joints..... prominent scars, missing digits and above all, attitude :)

#Comment Re: made: 2009-12-11 19:50:44.46985+00 by: Shawn [edit history]

I believe you mean "one of the few socially acceptable ways men can introduce a splash of color in their wardrobe" - which, IMO, fits firmly in reason #1.

Part of my observation about ties comes from observing groups of men in suits: the actual dominant members of the group always differentiate themselves through their dress with some mechanism other than ties (usually a different suit cut, often a different suit color).

There is a fourth reason to wear a tie: it's one of the few ways men can introduce a splash of color in their wardrobe. I used to like wearing a tie for this reason (I especially like my Jerry Garcia ties - whose very existence is oxymoronic). But wearing a tie well also requires a whole accompaniment of wardrobe that I have failed to keep up. In fact, I was looking for a shirt I could wear with one of my ties just last week (had a presentation in England) and realized even though I still own a couple ties, I don't own any proper shirts to go with it!

I used to have that album... Fear of a Black Planet. It came out when I was in high school, about 1990 or so. More than a decade before 2001. Does simple math not enter the equation?