"Down on the World"

I was blasting Down on the World by Social Distortion, as loud as my car speakers could handle this morning. I like to play angry music while driving to work, you see. I figure between that and punching the occasional heavy bag at the gym, I can work all my frustrations out in an attempt to remain a productive and contributing member of society.

Now, I'm a middle-class white chick from the suburbs, so I can't really say that I've ever experienced much in the way of hardship. I had my share of teen angst and I just knew that my mom was out to ruin my life when I was 16, but then I grew up and realized that I didn't have it so bad.

When the song was over, I switched on the news and heard that today is the 65th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The presenter also reported that today marked the first time that the United States was represented at the memorial service held on site. My first thought, of course, was "shouldn't we have been there before this?"

I know and understand the historic arguments about why the decision was made to drop the bomb in the first place. Maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time. But not showing up to pay our respects for the 140,000 people who died from that blast until now just seems wrong.

I forgot all about my personal animosity towards my corporate masters and started to wonder about all of the people we, as a nation, have pissed off over the years. Are there still people in Japan who want retribution? What about the people who continue to blow Americans up all over the world? Is it because Truman thought he was doing the right thing 65 years ago? Is it because in modern times that we have always had the coolest and most destructive toys on the block?

So, back to Mike Ness, his growly voice, and his angry lyrics...

"There's a world of guilt written on my face 
and I feel ashamed for the human race
I've been forsaken
And I'm down on the world again"

I wouldn't call my mood upbeat an happy today. We've been hacking and blowing each other up for as long as H. sapiens sapiens has been making tools.

This was all running through my head as I stopped for coffee. When the fine citizen in line ahead of me started to bitch about his cappuccino having too much froth, I understood for a split second how violence is possible.

*sigh*

There are much bigger things to worry about, but you're going to ruin some one's day because you think she deliberately shorted you on coffee? Really? How hard your life must be. Guess those 140,000 souls who died 65 years ago have nothing on you.