Friday, April 30, 2004
Prescience
What is there to feel, other than dejection and rage, over the newly released stories and photos of American soldiers abusing captured Iraqis? Indeed, the evidence speaks for itself. Having just returned from an amazing one man musical play entitled Gershwin Alone, I was still filled with American pride when I entered my home. Then I made the mistake of logging online and reading more on this story which was, at least for a few hours, blissfully forgotten.
I suppose I could write a long and heartfelt treatise on how this small minority of thugs doesn't represent all Americans -- state the obvious on how the vast majority in this country are wonderful, caring, and decent. Or I could go the other way, and blast the media (especially the European press) for their lack of balance in coverage on the issue, with the guilt of the Americans playing tricks on inmates seemingly greater than the actions of Saddam's death squads themselves. But everyone knows these things. Everyone's having the same thoughts. No need to repeat them. Better writers than I have no doubt already done so.
My mom wrote a ludicrosity article on March 16th of this year, which had the following observation:
"The atrocities that are done to a soldier by the enemy are nowhere near as appalling as the monstrous things the soldier himself becomes when in a position of dominance over said enemy. That is why war needs to be eradicated from the human psyche -- not for the physical harm it does to them and to us, but for the harm it does to our souls, to our spirits. It is the mob mentality in the arena of a sporting event 100-fold, with weapons, and hatred, and unrestrained violence."
Ordinarily I don't share her general anti-war stance. I think that some wars, including this one, can do more good than harm. But I think I'll let her paragraph stand alone for now. It's okay to have regret and compassion for these American soldiers, too -- not just their Iraqi detainees.
What is there to feel, other than dejection and rage, over the newly released stories and photos of American soldiers abusing captured Iraqis? Indeed, the evidence speaks for itself. Having just returned from an amazing one man musical play entitled Gershwin Alone, I was still filled with American pride when I entered my home. Then I made the mistake of logging online and reading more on this story which was, at least for a few hours, blissfully forgotten.
I suppose I could write a long and heartfelt treatise on how this small minority of thugs doesn't represent all Americans -- state the obvious on how the vast majority in this country are wonderful, caring, and decent. Or I could go the other way, and blast the media (especially the European press) for their lack of balance in coverage on the issue, with the guilt of the Americans playing tricks on inmates seemingly greater than the actions of Saddam's death squads themselves. But everyone knows these things. Everyone's having the same thoughts. No need to repeat them. Better writers than I have no doubt already done so.
My mom wrote a ludicrosity article on March 16th of this year, which had the following observation:
"The atrocities that are done to a soldier by the enemy are nowhere near as appalling as the monstrous things the soldier himself becomes when in a position of dominance over said enemy. That is why war needs to be eradicated from the human psyche -- not for the physical harm it does to them and to us, but for the harm it does to our souls, to our spirits. It is the mob mentality in the arena of a sporting event 100-fold, with weapons, and hatred, and unrestrained violence."
Ordinarily I don't share her general anti-war stance. I think that some wars, including this one, can do more good than harm. But I think I'll let her paragraph stand alone for now. It's okay to have regret and compassion for these American soldiers, too -- not just their Iraqi detainees.
