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Scott Ritcher Kentucky

Violence As Patriotism?

Scott Ritcher, April 2007, Originally published in LEO Weekly


ThaI love Thunder Over Louisville. It is my favorite day of the year in Louisville and it has been for many years. I actually like it more than Derby itself. The fireworks are always breathtaking and worth every ounce of the journey through the crowds to Waterfront Park each year. But really, what is the deal with the air show?

Since when are warplanes and killing machines entertaining? In almost every part of the world, the roar of a fighter jet is a horrifying experience. Yet here we use them for amusement?

Have we no shame? Have we no concept of what these machines are and what they are used for? And how can this terrifying image be in any way tied to the idea of patriotism? Can’t we celebrate at a festival without incorporating a disgusting display of death and power?

President Kennedy said that civility is not a form of weakness, but I feel like that has long since been forgotten, and we are stuck in a cycle of violence so intense that we even need to reference it in our patriotism and celebrations.

As long as the public accepts all the testosterone-infused military hardware and its pro-violence soundtrack provided by cartoon patriots like Toby Keith as entertainment, it will be no wonder that we will be so doomed to repeat every foolish call for blood in the name of country.

And if our victory in said current war is so subject to debate, how is it that we have extra equipment available to show off?

For all the heat that musicians and hip hop artists take for promoting violence, their best defense should now be that the government — and our own city — are publicists of fighting on a much larger scale.

Louisvillians may not be able to stop the war, but we can certainly do our part in refusing to perpetuate the glorification of bloodshed by demanding that our city’s celebrations consist only of elements that are truly cause for celebration. How can we expect the shooting to end in the world or here in Louisville as long as we are being fed this abhorrent message?

Enough already. Let’s have a party and leave the guns at home.

 

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