Background Noise: Fair, Remy Zero
Last website visited: television without pity
Mood: that reminds me...
Right now i want... ugh

did anyone besides me catch Lewis Black's rant on the Daily Show last night?

no? buler?

the topic was the commercialization and exploitation of 9/11 and the creation of the hallmark-holiday "Patriot Day." disgusted yet? did i mention that the Daily Show is taped in New York City?

i have to clarify, i wasn't disgusted by Mr. Black's rant: i was glad he did it, in fact, i wish a larger audience had seen it.

why? because to too many Americans who weren't personally affected by 9/11/01, the anniversary of that revolting tragedy have turned it into a chance to wave a flag and feel patriotic in some way. Examples Mr Black used (these are real, believe it or not): Hallmark eCards showing a bunch of lit candles saying "Patriot's Day 2004" (which undoubtedly contained such inane comments as "have a great one!"), a beanie baby eagle with a medal around it's neck born on 9/11, and a silver coin stamped with the old new york city skyline coated in silver "miraculously recovered" from a vault beneath the World Trade Center.

the daily show audience was silent. you could almost hear the retching and the tears. Mr. Black was so obviously disgusted you could almost see his pain through his sarcastic and ironic tint to the report, which closed with the stages of american grief, from anger to exploitation. no one was laughing.

i wasn't either. i was sickened when an idiot watching the U of M v. Notre Dame game talked through and made fun of the tribute to the lives lost at the start of the broadcast. i was hurt that i couldn't find a decent memorial service in the area, but i figured California was too far removed from the event.

this commercialization is inappropriate and disgusting; and i, for one, won't be supporting any company that takes part in it.