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Rambling. Somewhat politically connected. All personal.
I watch the news. I read the news. I pay attention to what's going on in the world. I listen to the opinions and pontification that appears equally in the news, the workplace, webpages, live journals and local restaurants and bars.
Everyone has an opinion. And most of them have an "I am right and only a complete moron would disagree with me" type of an opinion. They write all their little essays and articles and they go to great lengths to illustrate how right they are.
And most of them suffer from exactly the same problem: they paint the world in very bold strokes of black and white.
There is a protest group down by the courthouse every weekend or so, and they had a big rally a couple of weeks ago. Lots of signs: "No war for oil". I'd love to jump in and join them, but the cynic in me wants to know how many of them drove their cars to the rally and will head home to nice warm houses and use all those wonderful products made from petroleum. And then I'm a little confused as to how much oil we actually get from Iraq and how much more we will get once we go to war.
I'm all for this live and let live ideal. Only for that to work, both sides have to want to "live and let live", and I'm not really sure that's the case. There is a fairly large Mennonite/Amish community around here. They operate two wonderful stores where I buy bulk spices and all those really nifty food items that big supermarkets don't carry. I can get Occident flour from them; it makes great bread. They have been part of the community for many years and they never say that, in order for them to continue with their life and lifestyle, the rest of society has to stop existing. They don't seem to feel that "American Culture" just by existing poses an insurmountable threat to their beliefs.
I really hate the media. I really do. I can dredge up some respect those outlets that are up front about their angle and beliefs. I don't agree with them and I generally get pissed when I read them, but at least they are obvious. It's the so-called "unbiased" media that bugs me. During the Gulf War I remember reading a rather indignant account of a reporter who was upset because the "Military Censors" wanted him to change a word -- one word -- in his copy. He used it as an example of how the "establishment" was micromanaging the public's opinion. The reporter had chosen a word that had many negative connotations and the censors wanted to change it to a much more positive word. The problem word -- and I really wish I could remember the exact wording problem -- implied a casual disregard for human life, if not an outright enjoyment of the horrors of war. Now, I'm not going to get in to trying to defend military censors here. No, what I found interesting was how indignant this guy was because "the government was trying to "manipulate" public opinion when obviously that was his job.
Then there is this whole "Human Shield" brigade that is heading over to the war zones to lay themselves out on targets in order to.... well, to die, I suppose. If anyone can really explain it to me, I'd be amazed. Do they really think that non-Muslim, non-Iraqi people are more valuable then Muslim, Iraqi people? Do they think that if a government is so willing to wantonly kill innocent women and children they would stop at killing a few dissenters? Do they really think that the Iraqi government sees them as anything other than good publicity, this conflict's "Hanoi Jane", if you will? Do they really believe that American Public will actually be more upset at their deaths? Do they really think we are that bigoted and evil?
I guess I'm not cut out to be a pacifist. If you're in an apartment building and you hear sounds of abuse and beatings coming from next door, what do you do? Do you call the police, anonymously place that call for help that brings intervention? Would you call if you had to leave your name -- and would that answer depend on how big and bad the guy was who was going to be arrested? What if you knew that there would be a fight and confrontation? Would that change whether or not you call the police? What if the police were people you loved and cared for and they were going into harms way? Or what if there were no police and you had to do it all?
There is a term: "Sins of the world" and a concept that we all carry the sins of the world around with us. I think the "sin" we carry with us is the acceptance of evil because we are afraid of the consequences of fighting it. We add to it every time we say "Those things happen" or "That's not my concern -- it's their private family business" or "They don't really want help". And we add to it every time we are unwilling to do what needs to be done because it is hard and ugly and dangerous and doesn't fit our little whitewashed vision of what "right" is.
You know, I don't know what the answer is. But you know what? Whatever the answer is, it's not going to be easy, because life isn't easy. There isn't going to be a comet falling from the sky and taking out the government of your choice.
And the next person that tells me that the answer is easy, is going to get punched.
I watch the news. I read the news. I pay attention to what's going on in the world. I listen to the opinions and pontification that appears equally in the news, the workplace, webpages, live journals and local restaurants and bars.
Everyone has an opinion. And most of them have an "I am right and only a complete moron would disagree with me" type of an opinion. They write all their little essays and articles and they go to great lengths to illustrate how right they are.
And most of them suffer from exactly the same problem: they paint the world in very bold strokes of black and white.
There is a protest group down by the courthouse every weekend or so, and they had a big rally a couple of weeks ago. Lots of signs: "No war for oil". I'd love to jump in and join them, but the cynic in me wants to know how many of them drove their cars to the rally and will head home to nice warm houses and use all those wonderful products made from petroleum. And then I'm a little confused as to how much oil we actually get from Iraq and how much more we will get once we go to war.
I'm all for this live and let live ideal. Only for that to work, both sides have to want to "live and let live", and I'm not really sure that's the case. There is a fairly large Mennonite/Amish community around here. They operate two wonderful stores where I buy bulk spices and all those really nifty food items that big supermarkets don't carry. I can get Occident flour from them; it makes great bread. They have been part of the community for many years and they never say that, in order for them to continue with their life and lifestyle, the rest of society has to stop existing. They don't seem to feel that "American Culture" just by existing poses an insurmountable threat to their beliefs.
I really hate the media. I really do. I can dredge up some respect those outlets that are up front about their angle and beliefs. I don't agree with them and I generally get pissed when I read them, but at least they are obvious. It's the so-called "unbiased" media that bugs me. During the Gulf War I remember reading a rather indignant account of a reporter who was upset because the "Military Censors" wanted him to change a word -- one word -- in his copy. He used it as an example of how the "establishment" was micromanaging the public's opinion. The reporter had chosen a word that had many negative connotations and the censors wanted to change it to a much more positive word. The problem word -- and I really wish I could remember the exact wording problem -- implied a casual disregard for human life, if not an outright enjoyment of the horrors of war. Now, I'm not going to get in to trying to defend military censors here. No, what I found interesting was how indignant this guy was because "the government was trying to "manipulate" public opinion when obviously that was his job.
Then there is this whole "Human Shield" brigade that is heading over to the war zones to lay themselves out on targets in order to.... well, to die, I suppose. If anyone can really explain it to me, I'd be amazed. Do they really think that non-Muslim, non-Iraqi people are more valuable then Muslim, Iraqi people? Do they think that if a government is so willing to wantonly kill innocent women and children they would stop at killing a few dissenters? Do they really think that the Iraqi government sees them as anything other than good publicity, this conflict's "Hanoi Jane", if you will? Do they really believe that American Public will actually be more upset at their deaths? Do they really think we are that bigoted and evil?
I guess I'm not cut out to be a pacifist. If you're in an apartment building and you hear sounds of abuse and beatings coming from next door, what do you do? Do you call the police, anonymously place that call for help that brings intervention? Would you call if you had to leave your name -- and would that answer depend on how big and bad the guy was who was going to be arrested? What if you knew that there would be a fight and confrontation? Would that change whether or not you call the police? What if the police were people you loved and cared for and they were going into harms way? Or what if there were no police and you had to do it all?
There is a term: "Sins of the world" and a concept that we all carry the sins of the world around with us. I think the "sin" we carry with us is the acceptance of evil because we are afraid of the consequences of fighting it. We add to it every time we say "Those things happen" or "That's not my concern -- it's their private family business" or "They don't really want help". And we add to it every time we are unwilling to do what needs to be done because it is hard and ugly and dangerous and doesn't fit our little whitewashed vision of what "right" is.
You know, I don't know what the answer is. But you know what? Whatever the answer is, it's not going to be easy, because life isn't easy. There isn't going to be a comet falling from the sky and taking out the government of your choice.
And the next person that tells me that the answer is easy, is going to get punched.
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no subject
Date: 2003-03-04 10:29 pm (UTC)From:I mean, yeah, I've called the cops on neighbors. Particularly the one where the woman was screaming, "Get your hands off me!" I've called the cops and had them show up, and called and had them not show. And yet - this was at the old place - there were other times when I wondered if I *should* be calling, and didn't. Because you can't just *know* what's going on.
And yeah, there are times when you can see what's going on and do something about it - me, I'm all for blackmailing people into not picking fights with each other, like the time the upstairs neighbor was shouting obscenities at the neighborkids, who were riding a bike with no brakepads past and hitting the brakes so they made this horrible squealing noise. The upstairs guy's yelling was only egging them on, and the combination was getting on MY nerves, plus I feared the upstairs neighbor really was violent. So I picked up my camera, walked out, and snapped a photo of the kids. Then I walked back in, after glaring at the upstairs neighbor who was trying to cheer me on.
The kids left, and he shut up.
I wish that sort of thing ALWAYS worked, but alas, usually there IS no sweet solution to conflicts.
And I really wish folks would stop pretending there WAS.