Kafka Goes Shopping - commentary in prose

by Oak Wednesday, Dec. 05, 2001 at 6:39 PM
Planet Earth

We don’t need certain civil liberties to safely fly away from it all, to shop in peace for an American way of life, to watch Congress sing America the Beautiful on TV

There’s a red, white and blue light special in isle eleven, shoppers. Old glory on a white plastic stick in our auto accessory department. While you’re there checkout the everyday low prices on name brand motor oil. Why not stock up for the holidays!

Yes, these are New World orders, but it’s really an old world after all. We may no longer burn witches at the stake in the name of justice, but we do burn states that harbor evildoers. We do this because we are good and they are evil. We do this because we are one nation under God. United we stand by what looks like vengeance, with liberty and justice for all who agree. We pledge allegiance to the flag in homeroom, homeys in homeland, brand names on our backs. It’s the law, more or less.

We don’t need to see the evidence others have been shown. We don’t need certain civil liberties to safely fly away from it all, to shop in peace for an American way of life, to watch Congress sing America the Beautiful on TV. In times of “war” we may sacrifice rights, but we are free to spend, to invest in our nation’s futures. The business of the nation is business or legislation wrapped in the flag to keep the contents safe from traitors and enemies within our borders, un-American Americans, unpatriotic slow drivers, you people who think you’re free not to stand and face the music, face the front of the class, to repeat after me, to pledge until death do us part, to us or them, it’s you or me, now or never. No middle ground. With us or against us. So help me God.

You are being summoned to the castle now, to the towers. There is a sale going on. The village belongs to the castle, but it takes a castle to raise a village, and, to manufacture justice, to market justice and summon you to its closed gate. Two products: vengeance and justice. Look at this brand new justice. Does it resemble vengeance? Which is the better product? Which is more affordable? What will this product do for you? What will it do TO you? It’s your choice, shoppers. You decide.

Original: Kafka Goes Shopping - commentary in prose