In praise of the ‘Member’s Only’ jacket (sort of)
I was struck with déjà vu the other day when in a local Kohl’s I spied a rack of ‘Member’s Only’ jackets. I hadn’t seen one in years. My last memories of the MO jacket were of my dad wearing his long after it fell out of fashion. For those unfamiliar with the iconic 1980s windbreaker, it was the American fashion industry’s answer to the question: what does one wear to a Cold War? Its military styling — it’s cut like a bomber jacket, complete with epaulettes and a front label resembling a military ribbon — was highly symbolic of Reagan-era cold warrior mentality. No other piece of men’s fashion better commodified U.S. foreign policy or made a clearer statement of where its wearer stood versus the Evil Empire. We were at war and in need of proper attire; and in hindsight it was a war worth having. Being a member of a ‘Member’s Only’ club that helped bring down the wall is something in which to take pride.
I don’t know how well the MO jacket is selling these days. Poorly, I hope. It’s not that I have anything against the fashion challenged, or the companies that make and sell the MO jacket — it’s just that I can’t help but think of what the return of the MO jacket might come to symbolize today: an uncritical recommitment to the Bush/Obama War-on-Terror. This at a time when a re-evaluation of post-9/11 policies should be undertaken (call it change, Mr. President). The U.S. over-reacted to 9/11 and exaggerated the threat of Muslim terrorism. It’s time we admit our mistakes (foreign wars, the Patriot Act, the Dept. of Homeland Security, the TSA, etc., etc.) and correct the damage done to our civil liberties. If, however, we adopt a permanent ‘terror warrior’ mentality similar to our cold warrior ethos, what falls may not be a wall but the coliseum — and sully the only redeeming quality of the Member’s Only jacket in the process. Tragic.
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Yeah, we were so tough on terrorists the first time they tried to blow up the World Trade Center….. They decided to do it again, as well as a few embassy buildings and a train or two. Heck, lets just recruit them into the military and look the other way when they get a little radical, whats the worst that could happen, a dozen or so dead soldiers? Today in the news NATO is safeguarding terrorists…. Why would they be wanting a sitdown meeting to end hostilities? In my experience the guy winning the fight does not have to tapout or throw in the white towel, it is usually the guy losing that all of a sudden wants to make nice.
@JohnM: Your uncritical assessment of the U.S. response to 9/11 only works to confirm my fear. Thanks for helping to prove my point.