Ruby Tuesday: Reflections On My Country. February 15, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Politics and Society, Ruby Tuesday!.Tags: exceptionalism, fundamentalism, militarism, nationalism, NH, Ruby Tuesday!, Wentworth
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I’m an old fart.
I was reared as a God-fearing American, a uniform-wearing Boy Scout, an “A” student.
But that was then, and this is now, and over the intervening decades I’ve come to understand things differently, to view history with a skeptical eye. I’m no longer willing to give a “pass” to the actions of my government when such actions are in contravention to the tenets of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, nor to defend it when it acts outside of international law.
On a recent trip through New Hampshire, I snapped this photo in the little town of Wentworth:
…with obvious Ruby relevance.
But the relative geometry of the shot raised questions in my mind. What was the moral hierarchy in this scene, a public expression of purpose and passions in the quiet hills where people “Live Free or Die?” Was it the dominance of our military might? Was it the iconography of our religious institutions?
Or was it the half-mast manifestation of the hell and havoc wrought by our hegemony, and the loss of life which is the inevitable outcome of our actions?
This scene inspired me to ask that question.
Sorry to not be the usual Ruby Tuesday fare, but it’s the reddest thing I have.
For lighter renditions of a Ruby Tuesday (and there are many,) visit Mary over at Work of the Poet.
And have a good night.
Ralph
I think the fact that the missile appears taller than the steeple pretty much says it all. It is symbolic of an empire of arrogance and indifference to human suffering.
The overriding sense I got of this scene was of the relative scale of things. And the scale of our militarism made me wince.
The entire premise of a giant missile as lawn decor troubles me deeply. (Not to mention the aesthetic crime perpetrated on that idyllic New England scene…)
Very thought provoking post Ralph.
Quite a challenging post! So many dynamics at work in this photo begging so many questions of how our whole society values all forms of action and progress!
Forgive me, but the first thing that photo brought to mind was this:
Scene: Town Council Meeting
Mayor: We need a Minuteman statue for the commons.
Col. Hibbert (ret): I’d be honored to find one.
weeks later….
Mayor: Colonel Hibbert, I said STATUE!
this is really an interesting post! i agree it raises so many questions 🙂
u may view mine here
well as an old fart heathen I first see how far this country is from any form of separation of church and state
then I see how organized religion embraces killing as long as we’re killing the “right” people
and I could go on and on and on
I love that you saw this
I wonder how many go by in awe, thinking how great it all is
Love it! Happy Ruby Tuesday
Nice pic , weird scene.
Happy Ruby Tuesday !
Blessings,
~Myrna
Thanks, All.
Cuz, that was Teh Funnih! 🙂
What an ironic grouping!
Sorry; pointing out the obvious
I like the shot – that’s what I’ll say. 🙂
I think it’s a rather disturbing and disconcerting to see weapons as public displays. I just could never wrap my head around that.
Me either. The plugged canon on the Greenfield town green makes my skin crawl.
I mean, is THAT what we’re really about??
How embarrassing.
“They” don’t hate us ’cause we’re free, “They” hate us because we’re violent and greedy and delusional about our entitlement.