It's a little difficult to tell that is a whole fried fish on my plate. Fried so much that even the fins, the bones, and the head were crunchy. There were a few soft delicacies, especially behind the gills (cheeks?). I'd like to see them serve this at a Jonah Club Fish Fry!
I went there after sitting on my balcony watching the moonrise in punumbral eclipse. This type of eclipse doesn't completely block out the moon, but it changes its color dramatically. It's hard as the dickens to get a good picture of, though.
So those were the big exciting events of the day. Except... Bang! Boo!
There is a television in my room and since I was spending the afternoon lounging in the air conditioned space while it was 96 outside, I thought I'd turn it on and see what Thai television was like just for kicks. Of course, the first thing I saw on the TV was an English-speaking news station talking about the terrorist bombing of the airport and a metro station in Brussels. No wonder I haven't watched television in three years. What a crock of shit.
A terrorist set off some bombs. Truly, I'm sorry for the people who were affected and I'm sorry for the nation that reels under this type of blow. But after five minutes, I'd heard everything the television had to say on the subject. They simply kept repeating themselves and switching to different reporters who only had the previous reporter's words to go by and had to amp it up a notch. The real terrorists are television reporters. We should put them all on trial. The sicko who planted a bomb? He's nothing. He's not really even a human being.
Am I terrorized? Fuck, no. I stand as good a chance of being run over by a Tuk-Tuk the next time I leave the hotel as I do being caught in a terrorist act. A traffic accident. I could get eaten by a tiger. I could drown in the Indian Ocean. I think of myself as being at the top of the food chain, but a stupid mosquito could infect me with a deadly disease. A terrorist? That's like being afraid of mosquitoes.
And everybody wants to do something to stop terrorism. How do you think you are going to do that? You can't even fix the potholes in the highway. Terrorists are just another road hazard. Want to stop terrorism? Shut off the TV. Hang the fucking reporters. Put them next to the lawyers. Right next to the politicians.
There is absolutely no action you can take against a religion, nation, or refugee that will stop terrorism. What you can do is cower, terrorized, beneath the sheets while you shout out clever slogans and hatred toward the mosquito that bit again.
Or you can go out and travel. Actually meet people who are a different color or religion than you are. Cross a national boundary and find out what it is like to wander around a country where you don't understand a word that is being spoken or a single sign that you see. Eat a fried whole fish. Walk down the beach during the international bikini parade and stare. Then dip your feet into an ocean that you've only ever heard of in a romance novel and watch the sunset.
And decide this isn't the day to be afraid.
No comments:
Post a Comment