No Need To Imagine

I have said before that, while most things don't bother me too much these days, some things nevertheless instantly infuriate me. The Montreal Canadiens infuriated me, instantly, this past Saturday night. Before their hockey game against the Seattle Kraken, they played John Lennon's Imagine. They did it to show support for Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

Are you kidding me? There's a joke, a very bad one, in there somewhere, isn't there? Several jokes, I, uh, imagine.

You don't think so? Then allow me to explain.

To begin with, Lennon's song says 'Imagine there's no countries' before a sporting event featuring a team named, for all practical purposes, after a country. That's such delightful irony that it must have been intended as humor.

But let's continue to imagine no countries. There might not be a Ukraine in the next few weeks, so the joke must be that Soviet, er, Russian leader Putin is doing what he can to aid the ringing in of the ex-Beatle's dream world.

Imagine no religion. Well, Putin apparently has none, so there's another of John and Yoko's visions coming true.

Imagine nothing to live or die for. Well, I guess the whole war is Ukraine's fault then. The Ukrainian people dare to believe they have something worth living for, and therefore worth dying for. They deserve to be imagined out of existence. It fits the narrative of the song, does it not?

Imagine all the people living for today. Well, Putin certainly is, while Ukrainians die for today. Another unforced error by Kyiv.

Imagine no hell below us. Well, the Ukrainians don't have to do that. Hell is all around them.

Just so you do get it, and just because I'm mad enough that I want to be a total smartass right now, I'm quoting Lennon's song and offering explanations for the rank stupidly behind it as applied to real world events. Do you understand that?

Because if you don't, keep singing. An attack on your smug self righteousness will surely come upon you someday to explain it more powerfully.