Into New York for dinner with the wife tonight. Walking along in mid-town afterwards when we happen upon a crowd staring up into the sky as if watching somebody like Superman, Spiderman or Obama swooping between the tall buildings. I look upwards to see what the fuss is all about. To my horror, I discover two sides of the Empire State Building bathed in red, white and blue while the other two sides are in white, red and white.
‘Aren't those the Japan colors?’ I ask,
‘Yeah they are,’ says wife. ‘It’s so cute. I read something about this today. It’s to promote the women’s World Cup final tomorrow.’
‘Japan?’ I shout, incredulous. ‘Our arch enemies. The country that attacked us 70 years ago. The country that builds way more reliable, economical and enduring cars than us. This is ridiculous.’
I march straight across the street into the foyer of the Empire State whereupon a security guard, recognizing how agitated I look, steps in front of me.
‘Can I help you sir?’ he asks.
‘I hope so. I need to speak to somebody about this act of treason being committed by your building.’
‘I don’t know what you mean sir.’
‘You don’t know what I mean? Let me spell it out for you. A squad of crack, elite soccer commandos from this country are going into battle with the ladies from the land of the rising sun in Germany tomorrow and your building is proudly displaying the Nippon colors for all to see. Way to show your support for our girls overseas!’
‘We’ve had no complaints so far, sir, and the tourists seem to really like it.’
‘The tourists? Well, I’m an American and I’d like to register a complaint. This is, as the great Winston Churchill said about Pearl Harbor, a weekend that will live in infamy for the Empire State Building.’
At this juncture, wife starts tugging my arm and dragging me back out the door. I don’t mind leaving. I think I made my point. Just for emphasis though, I hiss at a group of Japanese tourists on the way out.
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