06 February 2005
Stuck in Dallas
A six-hour wait hasn't been too joyful. In amongst all the deep-fried stodge thinly disguised as food, I finally managed to find a piece of fish on one menu, which even came with vegetables, although those had been boiled to near liquidity.
Back in the lounge, the Superbowl (or is that two words?) spent two hours threatening to start, during which there were endless scenes of the most maudlin and grotesquely self-serving patriotism. The remarkable language of the Declaration of Independence was read out, half a sentence at a time, by a long string of people, 95% of whom were black. If one's information on the USA only came from television, one would have a completely different idea of the country than the reality. There isn't a single black person in the (well-populated) business lounge here, and only a handful in the main concourse, whether passengers or staff.
The introduction to the 'game' was heavily larded with references to military personel serving overseas (shown live from various bases, all stiff-jawed and resolute for the camera), and veterans of previous battles were trotted out (or almost carried along in some cases) for a moment of glory while the players fretted to get started. In the glorification of its military, its incorporation into everyday programming, and the constant drip drip drip of 'love our motherland' messages amounts to a manipulation of public feeling as crude as any in China. I asked out loud what all this militarism had to do with sport (not that American football has much to do with sportsmanship either) and the only reply I received was, "You're not from the U.S., are you?" When I pointed out that geographical origin didn't have much to do with the question, I was just ignored. I'm just one of the envious millions unfortunate enough not to be born in the greatest country in the world, I suppose.
When the game started, nothing happened either--I think there was something going on between the advertisements, but it was too brief to tell.
But the good side of all this is that I can't wait to get on a 12-hour flight. And that is a rarity.
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