Los fenómenos culturales distintivos de una ciudad se convierten en el "sales pitch" dirigido a la percepción global de su entorno

I've always relied on the strageness of kindness

La frontera es un lugar donde la gente acostumbra pasar al otro lado

(Okey, lo acepto: Boy George nunca ha sido el mejor poeta del mundo ni muncho menos. . .)

Para poder comprender estos tiempos tan freakys y belicosos, con el bush chupandose el dedo por las noches y sonando en armas de destruccion masiva, podemos volver, como buenos cínico-nostalgico-melodramaticos que somos, a la decada de los ochenta, a la letra de esta bella tonada de The Culture Club:

The War Song
War war is stupid and people are stupid
And love means nothing in some strange quarters
War war is stupid and people are stupid
And I heard them banging on hearts and fingers
War!

People fill the world with narrow confidence
Like a child at birth, a man with no defence
What's mine's my own, I won't give it to you
No matter what you say, no matter what you do

Now we're fighting in our hearts
Fighting in the streets
Won't somebody help me?

War war is stupid and people are stupid
And love means nothing in some strange quarters
War war is stupid and people are stupid
And I heard them banging on hearts and fingers
War!

Man is far behind in the search of something new
Like a Philistine, we're burning witches too
This world of hate must be designed for you
It matters what you say, it matters what you do

Now we're fighting in our hearts
Fighting in the streets
Won't somebody help me?

War war is stupid and people are stupid
And love means nothing in some strange quarters
War war is stupid and people are stupid
And I heard them banging on hearts and fingers
War! War! War!

After the bird has flown
He walked ten thousand miles back home
You can't do that to me, no, you can't do that to me
You can't do that to me, no, you can't do that to me

War!

In this heart of mine, I'll find a place for you
For black or white, for grown-up children too

Now we're fighting in our hearts
Fighting in the streets
Won't somebody help me?

War war is stupid and people are stupid
And love means nothing in some strange quarters
War war is stupid and people are stupid
And I heard them banging on hearts and fingers

No more war
say no more war
say war
Senso hant-ai**
Senso hant-ai**
Say no more war

** "Senso hant-ai" is a Japanese anti-war slogan that roughly translates as "We're against war"