the business of the west

"The logos for five generations of Americans now has been the mercenary writing on the wall that is commercial advertising - we're so deep into that most kids can't get to the idea of it not being an essential part of reality. Children are seduced by the marketers of things on television from before they're capable of coherent speech. Seduction is the business of the West." readthewholething

Crediting this sort of thing

"We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy -- but not without purpose. We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who are driven by a perverted vision of Islam -- a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. And we have learned that their goal is to build a radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and other civilized nations. The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and the calling of our generation."

as something other than a tale told by an idiot becomes an illusion less easy to sustain when the masses are elsewhere:

ABC's controversial 9/11 movie drew a sizable audience of roughly 13 million viewers Sunday night, but that number was dwarfed by comparison with NBC's big showing for pro football, which seems to have drawn 22 million-24 million viewers on the eve of the five-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks.