or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
•
"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
September 17, 2004
I Have Been Betrayed By My Enemies!
America is a troubled country. America has significant problems. If America were a person, our friends would stage an intervention.
Take the new book by Bill Gertz, a reporter for the Washington Times, called Treachery: How America's Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies.
Do you see how that title is so strange it verges on insanity? If not, take out the words "Friends and." The title would then be:
Treachery: How America's Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies
And "foes" is synonymous with "enemies," so that's the equivalent of:
Treachery: How America's Enemies Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies
In other words, the book is claiming that if some of our enemies arm some of our other enemies, this constitutes "treachery." Obviously we won't like it when this happens. But you can only be betrayed by your friends, not your enemies. For instance, no French person would write a book called Treachery: How Germany Armed Italy During World War II. Likewise, Osama bin Laden is not going to write a book titled Treachery: How America Arms Israel.
Gertz's title illustrates something very deep in the American psyche. When others oppose us, we don't just dislike like it; we believe it is fundamentally against the rules.
Posted at September 17, 2004 09:43 PM | TrackBackAnd thus commences the end of American society.
The Romans painted a similar picture of other races which opposed them, while creating mythological (we would call it propaganda) depictions of their own prowess, the benefits they provided, their own invulnerability, etc. Of course, on the bright side, it took 500 years for the Republic to collapse; during which time it became an empire based upon usurpation, suffered from a defunct economy, and nursed a thoroughly uneducated population.
Nice to see America is on its way.
The idea that anyone else might have goals, beliefs, ideas or morals which are distinctly unAmerican is a complete mystery to you lovely people south of the border. It has become, for us living outside, a kind of big freak show which we go visit as travellers, then come home to tell our friends, "wow, you just wouldn't believe what they're doing now."
It isn't just when others oppose America. It is when anyone doesn't actively want to BE American that it becomes a complete mystery.
Posted by: Alexis at September 20, 2004 07:46 AMAlexis,
Don't make us come up there and invade you. We've done it before, we can do it again.
Seriously, though, you're right that the American Empire is slowly collapsing. The problem is, unlike the Roman Empire, we may destroy life on earth during the process.
This is a very exciting time to be alive!
Posted by: Jonathan Schwarz at September 22, 2004 06:03 AMyou tryin' to say it ISN'T against the rules, you TERRORIST?
:)
Posted by: george at September 24, 2004 10:58 AM
