a whole new generation emerged in the Middle East

Life You've probably read this -- the thing already has over five hundred comments -- but just in case. After noting myself on Twitter after this week's events that Adam Curtis could make a fourth episode of The Power of Nightmares to bring his narrative up to date, he's written a column for The Guardian which does much the same:

"As journalists and Predator drones searched for the different al-Qaida "brands" across the regions, and America propped up dictators who promised to fight the "terror network", a whole new generation emerged in the Middle East who wanted to get rid of the dictators. The revolutions that this led to came as a complete shock to the west. We have no idea, really, who the revolutionaries are or what, if any, ideologies are driving them. But it is becoming abundantly clear that they have nothing to do with "al-Qaida". Yet ironically they are achieving one of Bin Laden's main goals – to get rid of the "near enemy", dictators such as Hosni Mubarak."

It's not every day that first words out my mouth in the morning are "Oh, fuck..." but that's how I began my Monday.

Yesterday as I read the record of events (or record of events as they were known then) and commentary, I was quite ambivalent, perhaps having lately convinced myself that everything we're told even by journalists is essentially different degrees of fiction, often because they can't help it, but often even though they can, and that so-called non-fiction still has it's own narrative design.

Which contrasts with my reaction to 9/11, when I could barely function emotionally for nearly a fortnight despite not being directly connected to it in any way other having watched it on television and being unable to comprehend once again what humanity is capable of doing to itself.  As I said here at the time:

"The bus to the station was deathly quiet again this morning. Apart from a baby crying. It is getting easier to live now, although everything is still in the back of my mind. I simply can't understand why this has affected me, whilst my co-workers and people I see about seem to be able to get on with their lives efficiently. My Mum said it was because of 'The way you are.' I wonder what that means. I think I'm mostly filled with forboding about the days and months ahead. Even in Liverpool this will never go away -- everyone is connected somehow. I was one of the few to volunteer to take calls tomorrow during the three minutes silence, for those who don't want to respect it (although I can't imagine who). I think the thing which will stand after this is 'persepective'. Suddenly, all of the little niggling things which seemed really important on Monday just don't seem to matter now. It occured to me earlier I haven't listened to any music since Tuesday morning. I should go do that."

I was working at the RBS credit card centre then.  There were no calls during those three minutes anyway.