Not Laughing

People are laughing at us.

"Anyone under 35 knows who this character is."
- anonymous defender of the vandals

Quiz anyone you may know under 35. Is this true? This is the argument from people who think Boston over reacted last week over the fear of a bomb threat in the persona of several items like the one pictured.

Let me begin by saying I try to find humor in almost everything. So, yes this is funny - if you're not living in Boston, watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force (3:30 a.m. nightly!), are too young or ignorant to remember or appreciate Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" broadcasts, or like to pull fire alarms because you find that funny too. While it's true Boston may have over-reacted - this is not funny. It's as funny as a 2-year old child being afraid of the mummy.

How could anyone believe that people would recognize this character? If you are familiar with the show, it's the smallest character (in size) on the show and it's in colored in. Clearly the image is inspired by the 80's videogame "Space Invaders" but in this incarnation, it just looks like a weird light brite demon flipping me off. It's not inconceivable that a nut would use that character to plant a bomb - just as it's not inconceivable that bombs would be planted.

People are criticizing saying, "It doesn't look anything like a bomb!" So, when someone figures out a new way to make a bomb not look like a bomb, blows up a few cities, then we investigate, do research on the new technology, and then freak out when we see one?

Have we forgotten the London bombs from July of '05? This is not far-fetched. We're not supposed to see bombs coming.

The brilliance of terrorism is its simplicity. Whether you're afraid because people are being blown up or afraid at the idea itself, whether it happens or not, it works. Fear is achieved.

I don't know. I do know that a lot of people disagree with me. There are hundreds of blogs making fun of Boston and applauding the two guys that were arrested for making a mockery of the situation.

However, despite your opinion on the reaction of the city, I don't think it's funny that policemen working that day had to spend hours wondering if he/she was going to make it home to see their kids that night. I don't think it's funny that bomb squads had to carefully explode devices that made them have moments of doubt about their knowledge of explosive devices and if this were something new. I don't think it's funny that a city was shut down and people were inconvenienced causing them to worry and fear about their own safety. It doesn't matter whose fault it was that caused the hysteria - how is this funny?

Enough. Jokes next week.

- Funkyman