Those Stupid Yellow Magnetic Ribbons

I did a lot of driving over the holidays and saw scads of various flavors of "Support Our Troops" magnetic ribbons plastered on cars and, of course, gas-guzzling SUVs. I wonder about the motivation of people who feel a need to purchase these things. They are certainly not expecting the proceeds to benefit the sodiers or their families, or they would be sending their donations directly. Maybe they believe these to be some kind of immunization against having anyone in their family sent over there to kill innocent people or to be killed. Or maybe it is just another way for them to jump up on their "holier-than-thou" pedestal. While I am sure that some folks have honest intentions when purchasing and displaying these ribbons, I would also say that these folks are also just not intelligent enough to recognize that these are just another money-making scam that preys on the weak and those most susceptible to "fantasy grief".

Maybe they should consider the words of social critic Benjamin Melançon, "Coward's yellow is the right color for anyone who hasn't done anything for our soldiers except put a ribbon on their rolling monument to fossil fuel dependence." He adds, "And not even stickers, but easily removable magnets, as if ready remove and no longer 'Support Our Troops' when the war gets too unpopular."