Sardonic Mass

October 11, 2001.

The mythical inscription at Delphi told us we should each strive to know ourselves; military men tell us that if we would fight we must know our enemy. It seems likely that in this First War of the Twenty-First Century we know neither ourselves nor our enemy.

Why anyone might not love us (we Americans) is hard for us (we Americans) to understand. We are generous. We try to help all other people, we offer them our technology and are willing to share our modern economy with them. We even understand that they might find our suave techniques hard to understand and might not be able to use them properly at first. That anyone might resent such help is cause for amusement, then impatience; after that we typically show disdain, instruction, testing and eventually, consequences. All of this is, we say, for their own good.

We cannot fathom that America has evolved together with the Industrial Revolution and that we now function as priests and congregation serving a great economy that drives its former masters. We are part of an Economy that must expand forever, and it requires that we offer to it the devotion and personal sacrifices that are common with many other religions.

Should this economy fail to grow for even one quarter, we have a national catastrophe on our hands; should it fail to grow for two consecutive quarters, it becomes worse - that is called a Recession. War is preferable to recession (for us). Now, we would deny this statement of course, but the actions we would take, and do take, in "American National Interests" often lead us into confrontational stances with other countries and especially the environment, usually somebody else's environment.

The real measure of American economic expansion is not productivity, as is often cited, but purchasing. Almost 70% of the economic strength of our economy is determined by individual spending. What is actually purchased by those individuals is basically immaterial, the significant factor being only the exchange of money. Therefore, our economy is not only an ever-expanding entity, but one which becomes more and more dependent upon items which can be quickly and easily produced. Speed of production and quick turnover of purchased items become important. Quality, maintainability and permanence hinder such an economy. Pleasure, titillation, novelty, sexual activity and violence become desirable factors, while traditional family, tribal and moral values less so. Eventually those two forces must clash.

That is who we are.

That is also our enemy.

As we ended the 20th Century, our economy had become bloated. Its expansion continued only by massive advertisements, both direct and hidden, and marketing had permeated all aspects of our national life. Today, the market economy has become a Marketing Economy and we are probed and twisted to buy at deeper and deeper levels of our being. But now, as even that has run its course, the economy can continue to increase only by expanding into other countries - hence the Global Economy.

Never mind that some people in those countries see this as a flashing, dancing, sardonic black mass which seduces their children and threatens their national stability, security and moral values. Never mind that some see this expanding economy now washing into their homes as a form of Economic Imperialism, or Economic Terrorism.

This becomes cause, on our part, for that amusement, impatience, disdain, instruction, testing and consequences already spoken of but now quickened because our economy is in trouble. Now it becomes an enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm.

In short, perhaps President Bush really did not misspeak when he called this war a Crusade.

©John Womack, 2001