Karey and Tim,
You both clearly and cogently expressed my perspective of these events. At
the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna who waves the American flag while I
eat my apple pie and drive my oversized, gas guzzling Chevrolet, I am proud
to be an American. That is not to say that I don't share some of Wade's
concerns, but I also know that the freedom we have is real, though less
today than it was 50 years ago, understanding full well the limitations of
that freedom.
Without a doubt, Americans are often shallow, complacent--even apathetic,
consumer driven, superficial being, who are easily swayed by the pathos fed
them by media, politician, etc., but freedom affords us the opportunity to
be those things. I embrace that freedom while I condemn that behavior at
the same time. Our task is to make our students critical thinkers, not
mindless parrots of our ideas, which is implied in Wade's statement.
Keeping Percy in mind, two points: remember that semiotics allows us to
interpret or misinterpret every sign. At this point in time, we are
bombarded with signs. We all realize that information currently doubles
every year while it doubled every ten years in the Industrial age. That, my
dear friends, constitutes a multitude of signs. Secondly, I find an irony
in the sign of Delta alert as the highest level of alert that our nation is
on. Percy would probably see many significant signs in that.
Linda
-----Original Message-----
From: Walker Percy Literary and Philosophic Topics
[mailto:PERCY-L@listserv.lsu.edu]On Behalf Of Karey Perkins
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 10:13 AM
To: PERCY-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: Joseph Conrad and the anarchist bomber
The freedom to SAY either of the below is worth protecting!
I've lived all over the world when I was growing up, and there's nothing
compared to our country and the wealth (metaphorical and physical) and
freedom we have in it. Again, my father's been even more places, including
communist countries when that was active and you don't want to hear what
living there was like (then OR now). America is simply incredible,
culturally diverse, tremendously large (physically and metaphorically),
filled with opportunity to make your life what you will, and the
aforementioned freedom; to complain about its consumerism is to not see the
forest for the trees...and just one or two little bothersome trees in a lush
forest flourishing with thousands; it is to not know the incredible
blessings our country offers, that we completely take for granted.
Americans are spoiled.
Another thing, as a woman, I have rights and respect and opportunities
"despite my gender" that can't begin to be paralleled anywhere else in the
history of the world. I'm aware of that and deeply grateful that fate has
chosen to land me here.
And, that's not to say I might not prefer the culture, values, and lifestyle
of Western Europe...but as an American, I have the freedom, and the means,
to go visit or live there if I wish, which the majority of people in the
world don't have.
One other clarification I wanted to make, re: "war is better than Monday
morning;" I didn't mean to imply Percy lauded this phenomenon. I think he
thought it was a bit odd and slight "off" of humanity to react this way.
(But as a student of human nature, he was fascinated by it.) Also, I think
the closer you are to tragedy the more that phenomenon is overshadowed by
the grief of the tragedy itself.
-----Original Message-----
From: Walker Percy Literary and Philosophic Topics
[mailto:PERCY-L@listserv.lsu.edu]On Behalf Of Tim Cole
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 8:11 AM
To: PERCY-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: Joseph Conrad and the anarchist bomber
> Our society, rife with consumerism deserves destruction.
Seems to me the freedom to consume or not consume is worth protecting, don't
you think?
Regards,
TC
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