avatarDaniel Lee

Summary

The article "The Weapon" argues that the true threat lies not in objects like knives or guns, but in the individuals who use them, particularly those weaponized by ideology and misinformation.

Abstract

The text emphasizes that conventional security measures fail to identify the real danger, which is the human carrier of violence rather than the tools they might use. It suggests that common items can be turned into weapons by individuals whose intentions are malicious, while security often focuses on confiscating harmless objects. The author criticizes the prevalence of misinformation for profit, citing examples like Fox commentators and Joe Rogan on Spotify, as the most dangerous weapon that undermines society. The piece concludes with a nod to Woody Guthrie's lyrics, which echo the sentiment that robbery can be committed not just with guns but also with seemingly innocuous instruments like a fountain pen, and that the true outlaws are those who cause harm without direct violence. The author also mentions their personal stance against Spotify, implying a boycott due to its platforming of harmful content.

Opinions

  • The author believes that the focus on object-based security is misguided, as it overlooks the human agency behind violence.
  • Misinformation is portrayed as a legal and profitable weapon that is more destructive than physical tools.
  • There is a critique of media figures and platforms that prioritize profit over the public interest, effectively weaponizing information.
  • The article suggests that societal harm can be inflicted in ways that are not immediately obvious or directly violent, such as through economic exploitation.
  • The personal decision to cancel Spotify indicates the author's stance on accountability for media companies that disseminate harmful content.
  • The inclusion of Woody Guthrie's lyrics serves to underscore the author's view that the most damaging outlaws are not always the ones who use physical weapons.

The Weapon

Is passing through unnoticed, following all the rules

photo by author

Rules can’t detect the real weapon because the real weapon is not the knife nor the gun, not the corkscrew nor the knitting needle, the weapon is the person.

For the weapon, a credit card can open an artery. Security takes away an old woman’s hatpin. An old man’s corkscrew and pocket knife.

These are ornaments. The weapon is the person passing smoothly through security with the five ounce liquids in a zip lock bag.

(This is not a version of “guns don’t kill people.” Of course they do. But most objects being confiscated are ordinary and benign, and concentrating on everybody distracts from focus on the person who has been weaponized by ideology. The most dangerous weapon, the one bringing us down, is misinformation for profit (the weaponized credit card), and it is perfectly legal, whether it is a Fox commentator or Joe Rogan on Spotify. If there’s enough money in it, the public interest be damned.)

Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered I’ve seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen.

And as through your life you travel, Yes, as through your life you roam, You won’t never see an outlaw Drive a family from their home.

(Woody Guthrie, Pretty Boy Floyd)

P.S. We canceled Spotify. To hell with them.

Shadowgnosis, Adelia Ritchie

Open Kimono
75 Word Poem
Poetry On Medium
Security
Rules
Recommended from ReadMedium