Can Somebody Explain this to me Please

[FA]

I was at the fabric store, laughing heartily at all the military/CIA/coastguard novelty fabrics (as we cool, edgy, hip young people are wont to do) when something stopped me dead in my tracks.

A bolt of fabric, blue background, covered in "9/11"

Let me say it again. They made fabric with nothing but the date of a terrorist attack on it, called it "america remembers" and they're selling it for $6.99 a yard.

[Mike225]

What, you don't love freedom?

[Buckyrig]

Fucking inflation!

I remember when Freedom only cost a buck o five.

[FA]

I'm so appalled that I've actually come full circle back to calm acceptance.

I suspect it won't last. Brace yourselves.

[Buckyrig]

You're in for an early heart attack if you don't get used to this kind of thing right quick. :laugh:

[FA]

I just want one person to explain to me how it's possible to have commemorative fabric for a terrorist attack. I can't even begin to fathom the thought process behind it.

[Knuckles]

I was at the fabric store, laughing heartily at all the military/CIA/coastguard novelty fabrics (as we cool, edgy, hip young people are wont to do) when something stopped me dead in my tracks.

A bolt of fabric, blue background, covered in "9/11"

Let me say it again. They made fabric with nothing but the date of a terrorist attack on it, called it "america remembers" and they're selling it for $6.99 a yard.

What are you waiting for!

Buy the damn fabric so you can make a sweater for Rudy Giuliani to wear on his campaign.

[Mike225]

And start loving freedom again!

[Buckyrig]

I just want one person to explain to me how it's possible to have commemorative fabric for a terrorist attack. I can't even begin to fathom the thought process behind it.


Then, you madame, are not nearly as twisted as you make out to be.

I thumb my nose at you.

I need a fucking donut pretty badly. :blink:

[FA]

I just thought of something.

Guy Fawkes. Bonfire night.

:confused: That's pretty fucked up.

[FA]

What are you waiting for!

Buy the damn fabric so you can make a sweater for Rudy Giuliani to wear on his campaign.

:D

Or a whimsical hat for the joyous day when we see his head on a spike.



DISCLAIMER: Neither this post nor it's author endorses violence. Any implied endorsement exists solely in the mind of the reader. FA has never given long and gleeful thought to the idea of dancing around said spike like a maypole.

[JAQ]

There are still some houses in my neighborhood that have badly faded flags in their window, pages pulled from their mid-September 2001 newspapers, with the legend "Remember 9/11." As if anyone old enough to watch a TV at that time could possibly forget that horrible day... and as if there were something particularly noble about keeping that wound open. But who remembers the day that the fatalities in Afghanistan and Iraq surpassed the fatalities of 9/11/2001? Hint: it was a long time ago.

[LDahl]

There are still some houses in my neighborhood that have badly faded flags in their window, pages pulled from their mid-September 2001 newspapers, with the legend "Remember 9/11." As if anyone old enough to watch a TV at that time could possibly forget that horrible day... and as if there were something particularly noble about keeping that wound open. But who remembers the day that the fatalities in Afghanistan and Iraq surpassed the fatalities of 9/11/2001? Hint: it was a long time ago.

There is a badly faded house here that was painted red,white and blue.The whole front of the house is a flag...I'm sure the neighbors are thrilled. (I hate to admit it, but owner of said house is a friend of ours) Yep, he enjoys annoying the hell out of the neighborhood, that's just the kind of guy he is :laugh: Red, white and blue...red necked, blue-collared, white trash.(I stole that line)

I remember, I also remember that Iraq citizens had suffered ten to one losses at that time. Collateral damage I believe they call it. :(

Sorry FA... you're going to see a lot of completely dreadful, craptacular things here... just snort, sneer and walk away... don't look back, don't even think about it. It will rot your brain.

[DarkKni9hT]

I just thought of something.

Guy Fawkes. Bonfire night.

:confused: That's pretty fucked up.
Ahh-YUP!! :laugh: Sure is.
I think most countries or peoples have some sort of wierd "remember getting our asses handed to us" ritual. It's like a rite of communal passge or something.

[FA]

you're going to see a lot of completely dreadful, craptacular things here... just snort, sneer and walk away... don't look back, don't even think about it. It will rot your brain.

I don't know. Isn't it everyone looking the other way that allows the creation of a climate where people can actually be accused of something as ridiculous but massively powerful as "hating freedom" for saying hang on, perhaps we should reappraise what we're up to here?

I know my semi-hysterical (ok, fully hysterical ;) ) tantrums aren't the right way to go about things, but just ignoring the small things that say so much about the society we're creating? That doesn't seem to be the right way either.

I genuinely, genuinely don't understand why this fabric exists. It's got every right to - I'm personally pretty offended by it but then that's my problem to deal with - but how on earth did this come into being? Where's the demand, who came up with the idea, how many people must have signed off on it? All apparently without saying "hmmm, what are we actually doing here" Did they all just snort, sneer and carrying on creating it anyway lest following that line of thought rotted their brain?

We put the date of a terrorist attack on a piece of material and put it up for sale so someone could make a fucking curtain out of it. That is literally off the charts in its insanity and its almost contemptuous oversimplification of the causes, events and legacy of that day. Nobody who watched the footage of people holding hands as they jumped out of a skyscraper or heard the 911 phonecall that ended in a bloodchilling scream as the tower came down on top of the caller will ever be able to forget it. It brings a lump to my throat to even consider it. And we put the date on a piece of material so 'america' can 'remember'? That's disgusting. 9/11 is becoming a buzzword excuse that's flicked around like a flyswatter, in answer to every "why can't I...." or "why do you need to..." or "why are we..." question, if we're even bothering to question things at all. America doesn't remember, because we still don't even know what there is to remember - we're too afraid of censure to fully question why it came about, what the unbelievably cynical manipulation of a tragedy after the event says about the people we place in a position of authority to work for us and why we accept trite little shortcut symbols, buzzwords and fabric and commerative coins in place of real, challenging and often ugly facts.






[/soapbox]

Man, do I need to find a job. :rolleyes:

[Mr.Musgrave]

I don't know why this is such a surprise to everyone. Americans celebrate numerous events that revolve around terrorist events. The only difference is that we were usually the terrorists. Fourth of July, anyone? How do you think that came about, cakes and cookies? This country was founded on crime, terrorism, and tax evasion. Americans just don't think of it that way because we were "only" terrorizing someone else. This is nothing new. Here or anywhere else.

I can't believe it took 10 posts before someone thought of Guy Fawkes.

[FA]

I don't know why this is such a surprise to everyone.

To be fair to everyone else, I think I'm the only one expressing actual suprise. The american contingent is two steps ahead of me on this one.

[The DarkMind]

We put the date of a terrorist attack on a piece of material and put it up for sale so someone could make a fucking curtain out of it. That is literally off the charts in its insanity and its almost contemptuous oversimplification of the causes, events and legacy of that day. Nobody who watched the footage of people holding hands as they jumped out of a skyscraper or heard the 911 phonecall that ended in a bloodchilling scream as the tower came down on top of the caller will ever be able to forget it. It brings a lump to my throat to even consider it. And we put the date on a piece of material so 'america' can 'remember'? That's disgusting. 9/11 is becoming a buzzword excuse that's flicked around like a flyswatter, in answer to every "why can't I...." or "why do you need to..." or "why are we..." question, if we're even bothering to question things at all. America doesn't remember, because we still don't even know what there is to remember - we're too afraid of censure to fully question why it came about, what the unbelievably cynical manipulation of a tragedy after the event says about the people we place in a position of authority to work for us and why we accept trite little shortcut symbols, buzzwords and fabric and commerative coins in place of real, challenging and often ugly facts.

when the nice gentlemen in dark suits arrive at your door, just go along quietly. it will hurt less. :cry:

[JAQ]

I think most countries or peoples have some sort of wierd "remember getting our asses handed to us" ritual.It's a way to keep people angry and/or fearful, so they'll support whatever the "reminders" are selling. "Remember the Alamo" was the rallying cry for the US's war against Mexico. FDR's "day that will live in infamy" was intended to motivate Americans to support killing the Japs. Guy Fawkes Day is supposed to keep the people of the UK afraid that their government is under attack from traitors. And the "9/11" fetish is mostly about reminding Americans to hate Arabs and Muslims. Because you need fear and anger to wage an effective war, establish a police state, or... whatever the real goal of the so-called "war on terror" is.

[Scott James]

Guy Fawkes Night is an annual celebration (but not a public holiday) of the failure of the Gunpowder Plot. The context is a lot different to that of 9/11.

If somebody wants to commemorate the lives lost with a pair of curtains then so be it. I can think of a far worse to remember the dead - howabout starting a war in the Middle East?

Besdies, how is it any different than when the billions of Christians across the world express their faith by wearing a necklace around their neck with a crucifix on the end of it?

[dano]

Besdies, how is it any different than when the billions of Christians across the world express their faith by wearing a necklace around their neck with a crucifix on the end of it?
Uh, we generally don't pray to 9/11 or hope to go there when we die.

[Buckyrig]

Uh, we generally don't pray to 9/11 or hope to go there when we die.

Says you! :w00t:

[Buckyrig]

I don't know. Isn't it everyone looking the other way that allows the creation of a climate where people can actually be accused of something as ridiculous but massively powerful as "hating freedom" for saying hang on, perhaps we should reappraise what we're up to here?

I know my semi-hysterical (ok, fully hysterical ;) ) tantrums aren't the right way to go about things, but just ignoring the small things that say so much about the society we're creating? That doesn't seem to be the right way either.

I genuinely, genuinely don't understand why this fabric exists. It's got every right to - I'm personally pretty offended by it but then that's my problem to deal with - but how on earth did this come into being? Where's the demand, who came up with the idea, how many people must have signed off on it? All apparently without saying "hmmm, what are we actually doing here" Did they all just snort, sneer and carrying on creating it anyway lest following that line of thought rotted their brain?

We put the date of a terrorist attack on a piece of material and put it up for sale so someone could make a fucking curtain out of it. That is literally off the charts in its insanity and its almost contemptuous oversimplification of the causes, events and legacy of that day. Nobody who watched the footage of people holding hands as they jumped out of a skyscraper or heard the 911 phonecall that ended in a bloodchilling scream as the tower came down on top of the caller will ever be able to forget it. It brings a lump to my throat to even consider it. And we put the date on a piece of material so 'america' can 'remember'? That's disgusting. 9/11 is becoming a buzzword excuse that's flicked around like a flyswatter, in answer to every "why can't I...." or "why do you need to..." or "why are we..." question, if we're even bothering to question things at all. America doesn't remember, because we still don't even know what there is to remember - we're too afraid of censure to fully question why it came about, what the unbelievably cynical manipulation of a tragedy after the event says about the people we place in a position of authority to work for us and why we accept trite little shortcut symbols, buzzwords and fabric and commerative coins in place of real, challenging and often ugly facts.






[/soapbox]

Man, do I need to find a job. :rolleyes:

Money.

[dano]

i bet that same bolt has been sitting there for years. Was it on discount?

I'm not so surprised people MADE it. I'd be more disgruntled of people buying it.
(side note: it's funny in a psychological way how this stuff doesnt appear in NY as much as it does the states far far away)

[MattWaterman]

Adding $0.02

I think it's also people's misguided way of "doing something" after the attacks, a way of 'controlling one's destiny' even on a subconscious level. These kinds of things can be lumped in with *some* of those stickers that people put everywhere: It allows people to say they're "supporting our troops" by displaying that stuff or rolling into bed with a 9/11 bedspread. Unfortunately, they fail to see that it's at best a hollow notion and, at worst, supporting cold-hearted opportunists looking to make money off tragedy...

:yawn:

[Toyandgadgetguy]

I was at the fabric store, laughing heartily at all the military/CIA/coastguard novelty fabrics (as we cool, edgy, hip young people are wont to do) when something stopped me dead in my tracks.

A bolt of fabric, blue background, covered in "9/11"

Let me say it again. They made fabric with nothing but the date of a terrorist attack on it, called it "america remembers" and they're selling it for $6.99 a yard.

Rememberance comes with a price. Obviously... that price is $6.99 a square yard.

I should make a joke about 9/11 and a bolt from the blue, but fabric humor is a tough way to leave people in stitches.

People will turn a profit however they can. It's pretty sad. Now if they were donating a portion of the profits to a 9/11 charity, then I'd understand better. There are those who want to make sure that 9/11 isn't forgotten, and they'll emblazen it on anything. It's in vinyl on thousands of cars in the NY metro area... so those same folks will purcase it to make a flag, shirt, car seat cover/ bandana, etc.

[Buckyrig]

I should make a joke about 9/11 and a bolt from the blue, but fabric humor is a tough way to leave people in stitches.

You're fired. :sure:

[Buckyrig]

I just remembered there was a guy selling Saddam toilet paper when Iraq was starting up.

[dano]

at worst, supporting cold-hearted opportunists looking to make money off tragedy...



As a sub-funny, I bet people don't even consider the proliferation of 9/11 consumer goods and support our troops stuff is fianacially supporting war profiteering.
People making $ off of war adn conflict; it's just not guns or bombs.

[FA]

Guy Fawkes Night is an annual celebration (but not a public holiday) of the failure of the Gunpowder Plot. The context is a lot different to that of 9/11.

True enough - it's a celebration of the failure of.....uh...a revolution? I mean, the target of the plot was king and parliament whereas terrorism is usually defined as an act committed on a civilian or uninvolved target. It's a judgement call on whether Guy Fawkes was intending to strike fear into the hearts of the populace for political change or just slaughter the government.

i bet that same bolt has been sitting there for years. Was it on discount?

Nope. I tried to find it online though and couldn't. Admittedly that probably has something to do with my search terms - you can't plug 'america remembers' and 'fabric' in without getting shit about the fabric of society and so on. For anyone interested in a cheap laugh, a google image search for "patriotic fabric" is pretty bizarre.

I would have asked the woman in the shop about it but she was 80 and had already done that sneering "Can I HELP you?!" thing 3 times, like I was a fucking theif because my hips were still made of bone not plastic.

These kinds of things can be lumped in with *some* of those stickers that people put everywhere

I was driving behind someone the other day with one of those "THESE COLORS DON'T RUN!" stickers. It was so badly sunfaded you could hardly read it. Hearty guffaws abounded.

[LDahl]

I don't know. Isn't it everyone looking the other way that allows the creation of a climate where people can actually be accused of something as ridiculous but massively powerful as "hating freedom" for saying hang on, perhaps we should reappraise what we're up to here?

I know my semi-hysterical (ok, fully hysterical ;) ) tantrums aren't the right way to go about things, but just ignoring the small things that say so much about the society we're creating? That doesn't seem to be the right way either.

I genuinely, genuinely don't understand why this fabric exists. It's got every right to - I'm personally pretty offended by it but then that's my problem to deal with - but how on earth did this come into being? Where's the demand, who came up with the idea, how many people must have signed off on it? All apparently without saying "hmmm, what are we actually doing here" Did they all just snort, sneer and carrying on creating it anyway lest following that line of thought rotted their brain?

We put the date of a terrorist attack on a piece of material and put it up for sale so someone could make a fucking curtain out of it. That is literally off the charts in its insanity and its almost contemptuous oversimplification of the causes, events and legacy of that day. Nobody who watched the footage of people holding hands as they jumped out of a skyscraper or heard the 911 phonecall that ended in a bloodchilling scream as the tower came down on top of the caller will ever be able to forget it. It brings a lump to my throat to even consider it. And we put the date on a piece of material so 'america' can 'remember'? That's disgusting. 9/11 is becoming a buzzword excuse that's flicked around like a flyswatter, in answer to every "why can't I...." or "why do you need to..." or "why are we..." question, if we're even bothering to question things at all. America doesn't remember, because we still don't even know what there is to remember - we're too afraid of censure to fully question why it came about, what the unbelievably cynical manipulation of a tragedy after the event says about the people we place in a position of authority to work for us and why we accept trite little shortcut symbols, buzzwords and fabric and commerative coins in place of real, challenging and often ugly facts.






[/soapbox]

Man, do I need to find a job. :rolleyes:

Sorry to have taken so long to get back to you, but the friend with the fading flag house was over.... yes even with the most ugly house in town, he is a guy who would give you the blue collar shirt off his back and watch your back in the bargain.

I think you might have misunderstood what I was trying to say...it was kind of tongue in cheek. Some things you just can't fight... People trying to make a buck off of crap isn't one of fights you can ever win. But I think it is super that you, FA, really look and comment on things I don't even see anymore(just used to seeing tasteless shit for sale) But do I truly believe it is fully within someones rights to make truly tasteless shit for sale. Yep. Does some of it completely turn my stomach? Yep. Oh, and the answer is 5...just about five people had to agree that blue, 9/11 fabric might be just the ticket to make someone part with their hard earned money. I know... I sometimes work with people that are in the crap business... have I had to look the other way a few times to feed my myself and my kids.... uck...yep. Proud? no, but we ate.(Not off of stuff that had to do with someone horrific death...I have drawn the line .... but stuff I've designed was sent to China for manufacture... now there is a HUGE ball of wax there to mull over in the dark hours of the night. This is not a world where we can easily say " I didn't know" anymore. It is a world where it isn't enough to vote and hope to whatever god that someone else will protect you from having to form your own opinions. So, what is the answer? Is there an answer? Can we survive as a species, can we even dare to think of a world where life (for the most part)is in a good balance?
Do I have a pretty good idea of why 9/11 come about? Well enough to know it isn't a pretty picture anyway you want to look at it. Is it going to happen again? This may be just the beginning. Should we give up now and sew our 9/11 pillow cases and feel like we've done all we could have done?
So when I say don't look, it will rot your brain, I'm really just trying to say... it is just trite crap...there is far worse crap to deal with, but now that you have made me think of it... keep on seeing and pointing out the absurd...not that much will change in the taste market, but it does make me think about what we do accept as not worth the time and trouble it takes to say "this is stupid shit". And that, dear girl, is important.

I will now get down and return the soapbox to you :har:
(I just wish I was as good at expressing myself as you are)Sorry, artist, not a writer.

[Buckyrig]

Stop posting things I can't readily ridicule! :mad:

[LDahl]

Stop posting things I can't readily ridicule! :mad:
:har: :har: :har: Wait... give me big mouth half a chance, I'm sure I'll say something off the scale stupid and then you can whack me with the DW rubber chicken! :w00t:

[Justice41]

Geez woman is your entire life about whining and bitching about all things America?

[Justice41]

:har: :har: :har: Wait... give me big mouth half a chance, I'm sure I'll say something off the scale stupid and then you can whack me with the DW rubber chicken! :w00t:
I's the DW kitten filled wet sack.

[LDahl]

Geez woman is your entire life about whining and bitching about all things America?
Pretty much...I'm an American, I can do that... that's one of those pesky freedoms that I so much enjoy.

Seriously, is that what you believe based on a few typed words on a comic forum? PFutt! :laugh: For the record, I love the hell out of this country, it is filled with the people of the whole world.... if we can't make it work for all of us, then humanity is screwed. Do I feel like America is perfect and has never done a thing that wasn't pure and perfect...motivated by and for only the best possible reasons... ??? ah...in a word, no. Do I think America is fantastic?
I can't even begin to express in words how awesome I think the land and people here are. So sue me :nyah:

[Justice41]

Pretty much...I'm an American, I can do that... that's one of those pesky freedoms that I so much enjoy.

Seriously, is that what you believe based on a few typed words on a comic forum? PFutt! :laugh: For the record, I love the hell out of this country, it is filled with the people of the whole world.... if we can't make it work for all of us, then humanity is screwed. Do I feel like America is perfect and has never done a thing that wasn't pure and perfect...motivated by and for only the best possible reasons... ??? ah...in a word, no. Do I think America is fantastic?
I can't even begin to express in words how awesome I think the land and people here are. So sue me :nyah:
Ummm that wasn't directed at You LDahl, It was directed at FA. Your post got between us.

[wisper]

the clock in our kitchen stoped @ 9:11...battery went dead...

[Scott James]

Uh, we generally don't pray to 9/11 or hope to go there when we die.You might not but the 19 hijackers who flew the planes into the WTC certainly did so as an act of worship that ensured their place in paradise.

[Comix Obsession]

Hey, it's your fault! You moved to America and left the real World! What, did you think it was all going to be rainbows and sunshine? Good God, woman!

:p :laugh: :cool: :whistlin:

[Buckyrig]

Hey, it's your fault! You moved to America and left the real World! What, did you think it was all going to be rainbows and sunshine? Good God, woman!

:p :laugh: :cool: :whistlin:

Ohhhh...I see.

No, sorry. That's just Connecticut. ;)