The sense of relief that Bostonians felt once it was clear that the alleged perpetrators had been rendered incapable of causing further damage to their city is understandable; it is a genuine tragedy when working people come to identify with the state, rather than their own struggles, as their best protection against the growing decomposition of society. And the media barrage around the bombing will serve above all to sweep under the carpet the reality that this tragic event expresses: it is a sick society that produces young people who can see no future other than self-immolation and the anonymous murder of their fellow human beings.