Jul 26 2008
muppet terrorism
As seen on the internets:
While dropping a friend off at the airport today, Carrie noted that Cleveland Hopkins is permanently on an ORANGE alert, which indicates a HIGH RISK of terrorist activity.
I was digging through this blog looking for a Muppet version of the terrorism alert scale, which I thought I had linked to once before… and cannot find at this point. However, I discovered that in 2003 (yes, that’s five years ago now), I actually wrote about this:
Fear has long been the tool of tyrants and despots. It is a powerful mechanism for control, but any population made to live in fear will eventually wake up and realize that the thing they have been conditioned to fear has long since died, or that the fear has been stoked and fed by the very agents who are supposed to dispel that fear, and make their world a better place.
I titled the post Orange alert, my ass. I was an angry young man back then; now, I’m just young. And much better looking. And very self-affirming, with a great sense of humor. And I’m still amazed by the persistent culture of fear-mongering that has taken root in this country.
PS. I found it! The muppet terror alert level indicator can be found at http://www.geekandproud.net/terror/.
I think this thing is hilarious.
I started using that indicator on my browser home page something like 4-5 years ago, and it has never once changed. Always Ernie and Bert. If, as the Bush administration keeps maintaining, we are really safer than we were before the invasion of Iraq, how come we aren’t seeing Cookie Monster or Oscar?
Huh. I had no idea. But I agree… it’s broken. I thought it was remarkable that the sign we saw in the airport didn’t even pretend that there was any way to change the alert status: it was a placard 4′ x 3′, placed about 15′ up in the air, permanently printed.
To change it, another placard would have to be printed, and a dude in a ladder would have to go up there to replace it. Clearly, Hopkins is on a permanent “Orange” status.
Interesting post Matt… There has been a lot of work on threat and fear recently- people from various disciplines, ranging from history and politics to media and psychology have published articles and books on it. A few names that come to mind are Frank Furedi (from UKC), Barry Glassner and Chomsky. Wikipedia has an article on Culture of Fear, which is a (surpisingly) good starting point if you want to read up on it… I know this is on my to do list - right after I submit my thesis