in thread after thread, rant after rant, I keep reading this same refrain: “Now is not the time!” It is being trotted out again and again, in response to virtually anything that does not fall into the following categories of discourse about the WTC/Pentagon attacks:
A) This is horrific
B) It’s an attack on our Way of Life
C) God Bless America
D) He’s our President, we must stand behind him
etc, etc.
Now, I am thoroughly horrified by what has happened, I have been reduced to tears at least 3 times in the past 24 hours, I’m having stress reactions, blah blah blah. This whole thing is incredibly surreal, horrible and heartbreaking, more so really as the personal stories emerge.
However…when does it become acceptable to express anything other than horror, sympathy and solidarity? Is there a date, a time? What happens if we talk about it in terms other than this? We’re all stressed and distraught over this, and if any one of us has been touched directly by this tragedy, one thinks that hanging out on the straight dope, and the Pit in particular, is not what they are going to be doing, so offending people who have actually been directly affected doesn’t seem likely.
Some of us, I’d venture to say alot of us, want to talk about the issues that have been raised and the reactions we are seeing.
So I want to know…when is it going to be ok to speak freely about all aspects of this?
Stoid, you know the answer to this–you can post anything you like if the admins/mods will put with it. Just be aware that, depending on what it is, you may come off looking like an asshole–if that bothers you, then you’d better wait.
Oh yeah. There is never an inappropriate time for the truth, eh?
“I know you’ve been working really hard on this diet, but I have to tell you, you still look like a fat pig.”
“I don’t think you should bother trying. You have no talent. Give up now. There’s no point in even making the attempt.”
“I know he’s dead, but still, I have to tell you, your dad was kind of a jerk.” (Someone actually said something like this to me, right after my dad died. And no, my dad wasn’t a jerk. The person who said this to me was, though. But I’m sure she felt really good about herself, because she told me the “truth”.)
You can say whatever you want, whenever you want, in the name of “truth”. Of course, the fact that you will be seen as a supreme asshole, who is offering nothing productive or helpful shouldn’t stop you. Oh no.
Oh, is that it. I must have missed his previous beatings of that horse as I avoid political threads here. Lord knows that terrorists have too much respect for Democrats to have tried anything like this during a different administration… [/sarcasm]
I don’t like Bush anymore than you do, and I think Fleisher is full of shit about Air Force 1 (maybe not about the White House, though). BUT…let’s not start pointing fingers.
Would I feel more comfortable if Clinton were still in charge? Absolutely. Not to mention Bush was just a governor, a newbie pres, and this is something that no president has had to deal with-I don’t even think Pearl Harbor is as scary as this.
However, let’s not start this “You conservative Bushies-it’s all YOUR fault…blah blah blah.” Let’s just take this one day at a time.
Weeeeeelllllll, I’d venture to say that the means by which this justice is secured might be grounds for a bit of discussion, once a course of action is announced.
SPOOFE, you’re scarin’ me here. I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that when stoid says “speak freely” she means “criticize the President.” However, there’s an awful big difference between blaming Bush for the terrorist attack and, say, questioning whether avenging it ought to be the foremost priority of the current administration (as the President remarked today). “All aspects of this” tragedy includes the vitally important question, what do we do now? In time, President Bush will outline a course of action. I would hope that there would then be some spirited debate on whether this will be the right course of action, the best course of action, and I would also hope that dissenters would not be greeted with charges that “now is not the time” to disagree.