Et tu, Barbaro?

In regard to the thoroughbred Barbaro’s being euthanized, Harvey Araton opines in today’s New York Times that our supposed cultural obsession with the horse is perhaps due to the fact that “Barbaro, as the fallen champion, was reminiscent of a country that was seriously wounded on 9/11 and has been wobbly ever since. Maybe the horse’s medical roller coaster struck a chord at a time when a great American city, ravaged by nature and neglect, still can’t stand up. Maybe only in such context can we rationalize such widespread passion for the health of a horse that has exceeded that for any single American soldier killed or wounded in Iraq.”

Or maybe it has something do with the fact that we live in a country in which we’d rather watch a game show host—who, by the way, is mysophobic to the point of having shaved his head and refusing to shake hands with any of his disgusting, germ-infested contestants—try to look serious as he stands before twenty-six live mannequins with briefcases, while contestants, the studio audience, and audiences across America lose control over their bowels because the monkey on stage is one step closer to winning a game of statistical probability… wow, this sentence is getting long.

The point is that America needs to get its priorities straight: horses, briefcases, and the war in Iraq are all temporary; Tina Fey’s adorable nerdiness and ineptitude at finding true love on 30 Rock are eternal. Sure, in “real life” she’s “married” and has a “child,” but that doesn’t change the fact that we are both from Pennsylvania, have Greek mothers, wear glasses, and are destined for each other.

(Thanks to Noah Rachlin, King of Kings, for bringing the article and quotation to my attention.)