I am amused by the popular military-camouflage clothing style worn by both men and women. From kindergarten cadets to shopping-mall commandos, millions of Americans seem caught up in some desire to appear to be warriors, committed to defending suburbia from the menace of crab-grass or some other safe threat. Such people remind me of the macho types who have tattooed barbed-wire (not the real stuff) on their upper arms, giving the appearance of toughness, so long as it is painless. As small children – during World War II – many of us dressed up in army uniforms, although I don’t remember older kids or adults doing so. Apparently, only childish minds were attracted to the practice.
One sees variations on this theme even amongst active military types, who appear in public not in full-dress military attire, but in camouflage fatigues, as though just in from the front-lines. An army general, speaking on C-SPAN this morning from the Pentagon, was so clothed. I know that Washington, D.C. is a dangerous place, but did this man have to fight his way through the terrorist-infested jungles of Rock Creek Park to get to his press conference? Shall we next bear witness to George W. Bush emerging from the White House in his spotted fatigues to preach of the “virtues” of duty and sacrifice?
9:42 am on June 13, 2008
