Vice, Comedy, and 9/11

Check out this "comedic" 9/11 video from VBS.tv, the online broadcast network brought to you by the ultra hip folks at Vice Magazine. They're really pushing the edge at Vice these days with jokes about herpes right next to good ol' "if we don't do 'x,' the terrorists win" repartee. Yep, real cutting edge.

The true crime about this video isn't just that it makes light of the hellish murder of almost 3,000 innocent Americans. The true crime is worse: it's just not that funny. If you're going to joke about September 11th, you better make it funny or shut the f*ck up. A bunch of spoiled, hipster cynics made this video and I wonder if they'd feel as tickled about it if they lost loved ones when the buildings came crashing down.

This sentiment reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Jerry's dentist friend converts to Judaism, which Jerry suspects is a ploy to tell Jewish jokes with immunity. Jerry goes to the dentist's former priest:

Jerry: I wanted to talk to you about Dr. Whatley. I have a suspicion that he's converted to Judaism just for the jokes.

Father: And this offends you as a Jewish person.

Jerry: No, it offends me as a comedian.

9/10 Is Over

Much of the media, led by The New York Times, continues to accuse the Republican candidates, particularly Rudy Giuliani, of running on the back of September 11th. A couple of recent examples:

"Giuliani...cannot simply keep muttering “9/11 ... 9/11 ... 9/11” until February."

And here in Thomas Friedman's September 30th column.

Friedman’s conclusion is that “9/11 has made us stupid…We need a president for 9/12.” His premises are below:

• Our government is exporting fear; Guantanamo = lower tourism

• Bad infrastructure: The Minnesota bridge and bad cellular service vs. European cell service

I’m perplexed at the connections Friedman makes to arrive at his “9/11 made us stupid” conclusion. Is weak tourism really something that should be playing a role in our foreign policy decisions? In my mind, being at war with an enemy depends on the exportation of fear. This isn’t a friendly soccer match; we’re up against perhaps the biggest threat in the history of our nation. We want the bad guys to be scared. By the way, check out this article from Slate, which sites an average 13 lb. weight gain and a fondness for bagels (how ironic) by the prisoners. Poor them.

And someone needs to help me understand how our “9/11 stupidity” has anything to do with local infrastructure issues. Is George Bush responsible for the inefficiency of state government? It seems that Friedman infers that living in "9/12" means doing things the European way. The idea that the federal government should be held accountable for EVERYTHING is ludicrous. We live in a federalist society in which there is a relationship between city, state, and federal authority, and we need to stop blaming the Iraq War for hurricanes, tsunamis, and dropped phone calls.

Friedman and many of those who share his voice are actually stuck in the world of 9/10. This is naive and irresponsible. It shows a lack of understanding for the world that tore into us on 9/11. Pretending we’re not up against an existential threat isn’t going to make people like us more, hold up our bridges better, or make our cars more environmentally friendly. Let’s let the government focus on keeping us safe and let the free markets determine whether or not we want better cell service.