This hits me almost every time I listen to or read the news…
We’ve got our government going around and making excuses for the ways prisoners are treated in places like Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, while simply not apologizing for what’s happened… and I guess it really makes sense. Why are we in Iraq in the first place? To me, it looks like we’re there to exact America’s unfocused rage and vengeance on a place that, to us, looks like it could use a little beating up. In this way, America as a whole looks just like a solitary soldier who’s filled with blind patriotism and is taking it out on a solitary prisoner, by making him defecate on himself or whatever you’d like to hear about what’s happening in these prisons.
So our army recruits these dumb, uneducated Americans to go and beat people senseless over some false sense of pride that we’ve instilled in them, and our government doesn’t even think twice. What I’m saying it that it’s probably because our country as a whole is acting like one of these dumb, uneducated American soldiers.
Revenge is such a primitive concept. We’ll hold grudges forever. Supporters of this war obviously don’t see it, but this is a perfect example of revenge being taken out on the wrong people, and even so – if it was taken out on the right people, what would that do? We’re spreading even more hatred by doing so, case in point, the emerging Iraqi civil war between the Shiites and the Sunnis, something almost unrelated to what our goals are… whatever those might be.
Call it karma if you like, but I just like to call it cause and effect – our nation is greatly suffering because of what we’re doing to other nations. Nothing good has come of our hatred and sense of “justice.” It’s becoming more apparent every day. The economy, worldwide support, PUBLIC OPINION POLLS, you name it. I feel bad about the fact that it’s come to affect me and those about whom I care, but given what our country’s doing, I completely understand why it’s happening. There’s no reason why not.
Oh well.
To be fair, kicking the crap out of somebody after you get hit feels good, and reassures your masculinity. Like the Afghanistan war felt good, because we showed the world that when someone hits us we go find them, or, failing that, someone who happened to be friends with them, and we utterly devastate them, killing them in droves and destroying all their stuff. And then we take a deeeep breath, and start to clean up after ourselves. Afghanistan is acctually doing very well, and I think I’d now, with only slight hesitation, call afghanistan a victory and a success. For the most part the Afghan people are glad that we came, glad that we stayed, and are happy with the way we’re helping them run things now.
Iraq, on the other hand, was largely unprovoked. Each time we get hit we’re only allowed to pick one country to take out our frustration on. And it has to be reasonably related to whatever happened to us. For example, next time we get hit, and there will be a next time, we should pick another country, say, Saudi Arabia, and turn those yellow sands into a smooth shiny black obsidian sea. And then we take a really deep breath, and help the Saudi people establish a representative government, with a solid infrastructure, and a secure social structure. And if we don’t force them to be our allies, then they will be our allies. Because if we give them what we can and help them and ask for nothing in return (except maybe a couple of military bases out in the desert, or something), then they will see that we’re a benevolent nation (albeit with some razor-sharp teeth), and they’ll WANT to be our friends, because we’ll be the biggest kid on the block who looks after his friends.
I kinda forget where I was going with all that, but there ya go. Whee.
-S
You’re being sarcastic, right?
Nope, not to my knowledge…
Don’t you think it’s sorta funny to make rules about revenge?
Not really, I’m a big fan of honour, and most honour codes have rules for vengance.
THE RIDICULOUS THING IS THE IRAQ WAR WILL GET ABOUT AS MUCH COVERAGE IN HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY BOOKS, IN 100 YEARS, AS THE BARBARY WAR GETS TODAY!!! ACCORDING TO THAT MEMO KICKING AROUND THE UK CONDOLEEZA BEGAN TRYING TO MAKE THE CASE FOR INVADING IRAQ TO THE BRITISH 6 MONTHS AFTER 9/11, YET SOMEHOW RUPERT MURDOCH AND THE OTHER NEWS GIANTS DON’T SEEM TO MAKE AN ISSUE ABOUT OVER HERE!!!! AND BTW THE MESS WE’RE IN, DON’T THINK THE NEXT GUY IS GETTING US OUT OF IRAQ IMMEDIATELY, FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS WE’LL BE SENDING PEACE KEEPING TROOPS TO IRAQ, PEOPLE DON’T GET IT, DEMOCRACY IS BORN FROM REVOLUTION OF THE PEOPLE NOT WAR!!! DIDN’T WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE DAMN COMMIES!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I’d prefer to think that it’s because there are actually smart, sophisticated people at the top and they know more than we have access to so they make decisions that aren’t necessary obvious to the public – the “genius policy” theory.
Afghanistan might have counted as “revenge” but Iraq doesn’t make much sense in that context, unless your thesis is that Bush is dumb and wants to be like daddy. Bush may be dumb but he has his pick of the smartest people in government, so unless you think him so moronic as to be incapable of taking advice the case could be made for the invasion and rebuilding of Iraq as part of a longer-term strategy with bold, impressive directives. Something like “Improve stability, democracy, and US support in the Mid-East” would work here. Although Iraq isn’t stable, the ruling government is both democratic and supportive of the US. Time’s running out for stability, too….it is definitely the big question mark for the year ahead and the main issue on which the war is criticized lately.
And I bet we’d both be lying if we said that our politics weren’t heavily influenced by the parental units.
Don’t give me the “Bush as a person is dumb” bit – I know that and I love telling people that too. People can be smart but still have fucked up morals, though, is what I’m getting at. I’m not calling the invasion of Iraq direct revenge for the WTC attacks, I’m calling it part of our looming feeling of vengeance in that our country feels like it must go and do more than the other “side” did.
ALSO and if by “influenced by the parental units” you mean “I have quite different opinions about a lot of things than either my mom or dad” then okay.
My point was just that your opinions are never entirely your own, even when in protest of a percieved majority.
I don’t know why I bother with political commentary, it’s all just a wash of emotions to most people.
Yeah, I only meant that Afghanistan was revenge. =)