Quick Reactions

Its pretty well known that people on the web tend to react quickly. Someone can write a piece (thoughtful or ignorant, doesn't matter) that's forty-eight paragraphs long, and they'll get responses based on the first couple of paragraphs. Sometimes even less than that. I've done it. No one's done it to me, which is likely because a) I have a small readership, and b) I don't tend to write about controversial things (Islamic London notwithstanding).

So its probably not too surprising that when I saw an article about how the FBI is asking students not to travel abroad, I had a reaction to it before I'd even read the whole thing. The logic behind it actually isn't all that bad -- that being, if you're involved in research into something that, collectively, this country would rather others didn't know about, at least the details, don't put yourself someplace where other people of malicious intent are likely to find out, and gosh, abroad is just such a place. There's reasons not to go along with the FBI on this, but what struck me what that I immediately thought 'those idiots'. I was ready to stop reading, right there.

Similarly, when I read an article about how the practice of airshows isn't defensible, I didn't even have to read the part about "As July 4th approaches, it may well be time to consider whether patriotism and the defense of national borders is in fact an outmoded concept." to think 'what a fruitcake'. And when I read the tagline --

Lucinda Marshall is a feminist artist, writer and activist. She is the Founder of the Feminist Peace Network, www.feministpeacenetwork.org. Her work has been published in numerous publications in the U.S. and abroad including, Counterpunch, Alternet, Dissident Voice, Off Our Backs, The Progressive, Countercurrents, Z Magazine , Common Dreams, In These Times and Information Clearinghouse. ....

-- I didn't have to get past 'feminist artist, writer, and activist' before thinking 'intensely fruitcakish'. I'm not opposed to feminists, I like writers, and activism is not a bad thing -- but seeing all those in a row, particularly after reading the soundbite of the title (Rethinking Patriotism'), I had absolutely no use for this person. She could be giving away sex, drugs, and rock n'roll; she could be offering eternal life and good looks, too -- didn't matter. I had decided on her, and I was moving on.

Which makes me wonder: why do we decide so fast? Why do I decide so fast? Is it because I don't have time? Because I only think about some things, and I react without thinking to the others? (Chocolate ice cream? Good. Feminist writer activist? Bad) What does that say about me, if its true? Do I -- do we -- just react to trigger phrases, these days? I know, thats a defense mechanism against overload ; still, I'd like to think we, collectively, and me, singly, can do better than that, at least, occasionally. We can give the time to think carefully about a topic, sometimes; read it all the way through, sometimes.

Can't we?