Cashing in on fear
February 3rd, 2007 by Wil Robinson
A perverted and twisted love triangle has developed between capitalism, Islamophobia, and the so-called “war on terror,” paving the way for corporations to profit in more than just the defense industry. Any product that can wrap itself in red, white and blue while simultaneously evoking images and memories of Sept. 11, 2001, does so in the name of the almighty dollar, with little real concern for national security.
Below the superficial logos and ideological corporate propaganda there is a bigger picture. With the paranoia having now spread across every inch of America, this same profit-taking disguised as patriotism can be seen in many places.
It comes from the same capitalist greed that created the Hollywood movie “United 93,” and took artistic license with the known facts and lack thereof surrounding the airline that crashed in a Pennsylvania field on 9/11.
It is inherent in the T-shirts and bumper stickers that proclaim the owner is not a terrorist by publicly proving their love of country through their purchase of 9/11-related memorabilia. Some corporation is raking in profits from the sale of such items, as are the many companies that produce the yellow ribbons stating support for the troops. The magnets are required regalia for any SUV to try and compensate for being a gas-guzzling luxury truck whose only off-road experience is driving over parking curbs outside of shopping malls.
The 24-hour media outlets increase their advertising revenue with sensationalistic newscasts, catchy logos and slogans that remind Americans in mere seconds of the horrors of 9/11. The so-called “war on terror” has been a gold mine for CNN, FOX NEWS, MSNBC and others, providing the metaphorical car wreck on the side of the road that you can’t look away from.
The newest company trying to increase revenues by manipulating a jingoistic Americanism rooted in the hatred and anger of 9/11 is a gas station in Omaha using the name Terror-Free Oil Initiative. The station claims to use oil only from Canada and the United States, eliminating any supply from Middle Eastern countries. They believe such a move will lead to American energy independence, and therefore, an end to terrorism.
On the surface, it seems sensible that such a gas station exists. According to conventional wisdom, if the U.S. could extract itself from the need to import oil from the Middle East, the region could be left to self-destruct or thrive on its own. But the real motive has nothing to do with “American patriotism,” and is simply exploiting a tragedy for profit.
The most tasteless and embarrassing part is the logo - a collage of images including the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, and the now-famous United Airlines Flight 93. The petrol stations themselves are cloaked in the American flag.
There is also a problem with the station refusing oil from any Middle Eastern country. This ignores many other countries in the region that don’t support terrorism, and effectively labels everyone in that part of the world as a terrorist. Therefore, a name like “Terror-Free” isn’t really truthful, and in fact, a name like “Islam-Free” might be more accurate.
And while the oil may be from the U.S. and Canada, many innocent civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Somalia might not agree with the name “Terror-Free.” U.S. military campaigns are based on the imposition of “terror” in the population in order to force submission.
But creating a gas station whose oil supply is geographically independent, even if every gas station followed the lead, will do little to make America safer from “terrorists.” U.S. foreign policy that supports corrupt and despotic regimes across the Middle East and elsewhere sows the seeds of terrorism.
“But wait,” say the neo-cons and conservative Christian hawks, “They hate us for our freedom! They hate us because we’re infidels. They want to convert us or kill us!“
Really?
Japan is a developed country. Japan has the freedoms and economy that we are told Muslims envy. Japan is almost completely reliant on Middle Eastern oil. Japan is virtually 100 percent Shinto or Buddhist - definitely classified as “infidels.”
Yet they are not targeted by “terrorists.” Why?
Tags: oil, War of Misinformation, media, Muslims, islam
I don’t believe they hate us for our freedoms, or want to convert us or kill us. They just want us out of their land. It was the same with the Roman, Ottoman, and British Empires; and the American Empire will fare no better. These people have a cultural history that is 25 times longer than ours, yet, would we not ‘fight to the death’, any invaders of OUR soil?
Add to that, America’s unrequited love for Israel’s Zionist Regime, is it really any wonder they hate us?
Excellent post, Wil. Extremely well written.
BT-
You hit the nail on the head - “Empire.”
An interesting book - “Dying to Win” by Robert Pape, looks at EVERY suicide terrorist attack going back to 1982, and found that overwhelmingly (almost exclusively) the attackers came from land that was occupied by a foreign presence.
Seems religion is more of an excuse - a rallying cry - for the anti-imperialist movement rather than a reason…
“Seems religion is more of an excuse - a rallying cry - for the anti-imperialist movement rather than a reason…”
Wow!!………Can I use that?
I wrote a post in October about how the “clash of civilizations” is really an excuse for both sides using religion as an excuse, rather than a reason, to rally both sides to war.
“The Distraction of Civilization”
http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/?p=33
Wil… Excellent post bud… Powerful words…
Regards
- fc
Excellent post. Yes, it all comes down to the cash in the end. This is politics at its slimiest.
Doesn’t the fact that Terror-Free Oil annual franchise fee is $1 (http://www.terrorfreeoil.org/franchise/) blow your war profiteering argument out of the water and make you look like a moron? It is probably not a bad idea to research the subject before providing your scholarly opinion.
Terror-Free Oil–
While I can certainly agree that it is admirable that the franchise fee is so low, the fact remains that the company SELLING the oil FOR A PROFIT is hoping to maximize their investment by exploiting the fears of the public.
While “Terror-Free Oil†itself may not be profiting from such a venture, it is certain that someone is hoping to increase their revenues from the mere fact that they can play on fears and overhyped Islamophobia.
So no, it doesn’t “blow my argument out of the water,†though I do appreciate your comment.
However, your “look like a moron†phrase turned your otherwise intelligent comment into a tactless personal attack, as such labels are usually the first tactic used by those that resort to name-calling when their arguments aren’t strong enough to stand on their own.
Great points. The notion of terrorists ‘attacking because of our freedom’ is pure nonsense. “War on terror” branding just enforces the terror, ironically, for political or monetary gains.