The London transportation system was bombed today. It’s not something that would have gathered much attention in the US before 9-11 but now we’re hearing that Lisa Kudrow tried to call her former Friends co-star David Schwimmer in London. Do we really need to know that? No. Some real facts would be nice, but the US news media believes that Americans are too stupid to comprehend anything without some “entertainment” thrown in. I’ve always been a media defender, but they’re wearing on me.
I’d really like to hear from real information, other than about the Live 8 concert and celebrities. But, in the US, we’re so damned shallow that if it didn’t happen to Americans, it doesn’t really matter to large numbers of people. Drives me nuts. Oh… btw… it’s freaking CNN that’s “reporting” what Lisa Kudrow is doing on this day.
As is always the case with such things, when there’s a personal connection, it’s so much more real. I don’t know anyone living in London at the moment, but I certainly recognize those tube stops. My “neighborhood” in London is Bloomsbury – near the British Museum – that’s where I stayed everytime I went – and most of the tube stops that were hit were in that area. Kings Cross, Russell Square, Aldgate and Liverpool Street were all names that jumped out at me because I’d been there many times.
I hate the phrases like, “London bombing… How Safe is America?” Can we not, even for a moment, on this day when dozens have lost their lives and hundreds are wounded, just for a second, could we Americans please have just a little shred of decency, just a tiny one, and accept that lives of people other than those born in America are important enough to get their due, to be remembered? If we can’t accept it, could we please just fake it for just a few hours? Please? Could we focus on those who are dead and hurt, instead of making it all about America? Just this once? Please?
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