Shortly after the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, there was a period of mourning where we as a nation chose to reflect and decide exactly how we were going to react. Patriotism experienced a resurgence the likes of which have been unseen since the second World War. As expected, it was only a matter of time until the wonderful corporate interests in America would take that patriotism and sell, sell, sell.

For example, take a commercial that was on TV about two weeks ago. They were offering the deal of a lifetime. One could purchase one of those car window-mounted American flags that prior to September 11, one would expect to see football team logos on. In addition, you could get a limited edition “United We Stand” flag. Plus, if you ordered within 10 minutes you also could receive three removable window stickers of American flags waving in the breeze. Imagine all of that great stuff, made in China or Korea, that you could just pick up the phone and buy for the reasonable price of $49.99 plus gouging fees, handling, excise tax, surcharge, shipping, routing and dancing fees.

It is rather sick to think that there are people out there who revel in finding a way to make money regardless of the morality of the manner in which it is done. Then again, that is nothing new to American capitalism. I also tend to really dislike all the corporate advertisements about how Heinz catsup feels sorry for those lost and that they support the country. It is blatantly capitalizing (literally and figuratively) on tragedy and death. If anything, it seems to degrade those people who lost their lives and their family members and friends.

Additionally disturbing is the continuing commercial the New York Stock Exchange continues to run over and over. The blatant hypocrisy of the commercial should offend and baffle any well-educated individual. In it, the observer sees American flags waving and the stock exchange opening for the first time after the attacks while the narrator speaks about freedom and democracy and how no matter what happens the opening bell will ring for freedom. Now, I think the freedom they speak of should be clarified. Freedom to exploit others for the profit of the few, freedom to expand markets forcibly, and the freedom to repress ideas contrary to those mentioned above.

This kind of opportunistic advertising for American capitalism is very strange. While it’s understandable that they are trying to make people feel more confident about the stability of the stock market and its nearly divinely-inspired unending and inevitable triumph over all adversity, it brings up more questions.

Why is there an advertisement for a system of socioeconomics? The stock exchange is a central tenement of modern capitalism. Advertising for it is advertising for capitalism, as if we have another option we can go out and choose today. It’s not really like deciding what brand of shoes to buy or what kind of breakfast cereal to eat. I don’t think people get up in the morning and say, “Gee whiz, I wonder if I want to live in a capitalist or socialist system today? Hey I’m feeling saucy, I’ll just go wild and choose feudalism.” It doesn’t work like that. Is capitalism so frail that we need to advertise for it?

With anthrax scares and the nation at war and the anti-terrorism bill out there, the purpose of advertising and media to hype up the general public is important to our national interests. Solidifying public opinion in the direction the government wants it to go is important to propagate a system marked by dramatic inequalities. During times of crisis and times of war the state is at its peak, and its ability to get the people behind its actions are necessary for its survival.

The reason we see companies taking advantage of this is because it’s a central part of the political and economic system. If war is an eventual kick-start to a struggling economy, then why not take advantage of it when it presents itself, right?

After all, as long as the war is in some foreign nation half a globe away and the people who are really suffering in it are those the general public cares very little about, then is the nation really getting hurt? Plus, it brings people in this nation closer together, even if we lose some of our people in it, so that’s OK, right?

I think the answers are clear.