Rundle 08: Russia bombs the theme park of American supremacy

Friday, 15 August 2008

In Savannah, Georgia, US correspondent Guy Rundle writes:

As anything other than a freakshow, Las Vegas is inevitably a disappointment for anyone over the mental age of 12.

You arrive still half-expecting the raffish sand-blown 50s playground of the Rat Pack with casinos that, if scarcely modernist masterpieces, were actual real buildings -- and you are greeted by the largest theme park in the world, where every effort has been made to disguise the fact that the town lives off vices that are adult by definition.

(snip)

The Georgian situation isn't that, but it's a kinda rehearsal. As soon as Georgia's unbelievably stupid -- and not coincidentally American-educated -- president tried to consolidate "Georgianness" by laying into two autonomous provinces of people Stalin had omitted to deport en masse to Siberia in his culturally genocidal period of regional "tidying-up", the Russians went in; occupied the province and then the strategically important Georgian city of Gori; made menacing noises about marching to Tblisi; accepted a cease-fire in so far as it suited them; and now, declining to follow the US on the road to hell by occupying the place and getting interns to run the apparatus of government, appears to be withdrawing, the point made.

The US, in what seems to be a deliberate attempt at national humiliation, has limited itself to providing relief to Georgia -- in other words, it's helping Russia by doing the social reconstruction it should be paying for. It's a decent thing to do, but, hey, great way to make yourself the Russian bear's bitch (a female bear is a sow, apparently, which is disappointing).

Despite the fact that the world's policeman has instantly made itself over into being the global girl scout, ever ready with a bandaid and a brownie song, the US media couldn't help but spin this as some sort of moral victory -- "Georgians will be there at the airport waving US flags" said one report, expressing once again the view of global affairs as a high school prom writ large, this endless, needy desire to be liked no matter what you did or failed to.

(snip)
The paradox of course is that the major American politican willing to join the Georgia boys in their delusion, at least part way, is John McCain, the oldest boy in the world. Though it should be noted that he seems a deal less aggressive than he was, though any connection between this and the fact that Cindy McCain's right arm is in a sling is surely coincidental. Still, good things those couches on the Straight Talk Express are an easy wipe vinyl. M'esteemed colleague Charles Richardson can rest assured that Mr Hanoi Hilton is being regularly soothed.

http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20080815-The-theme-park-of-American-supremacy.html