The war in Iraq has done untold damage to America's image abroad.
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The war in Iraq has done untold damage to America's image abroad. - Casualties are definitely down. Other places suddenly seem to need more urgent attention. News coverage is shrinking, as is public interest. All of which may help explain the breath of optimism one can now detect in Washington, and even in some other places, about the war in Iraq. "It will all come right in the end, wait and see," is an expression I've now heard more than once. Other versions of this include "The surge is working," and "Why don't the mainstream media tell the truth about our successes in Iraq?"
I find myself spending a lot of time reading about and thinking about the war in Iraq. I grew up with the Vietnam War -- a constant worry on my shoulder because I was almost certain to be drafted once I finished college but, mercifully, Richard Nixon ended the draft shortly before I would have been inducted. The Vietnam War colored all of our thinking in the early 1970s -- on college campuses, in the small towns of mid-west America, in the inner cities where the vast majority of the soldiers -- poor black Americans -- were drafted.
Part of what I think about is how we, as Americans, are perceived. I am not sure it is important in life to worry about what others think, but I do think it's important for us to think about how other citizens of the world view Americans and our policies. What do we stand for? And are our policies -- our actions -- an embodiment of what we believe? And are we behaving to others as we want to be treated?
And I also think about the many young men and women who are over in Iraq, in 100-degree temperature, in sand storms, in Humvees barrelling down narrow roads worried that a road-bomb might go off at any moment.
And I think about your generation -- all of you participating here and all of you going to high school and middle school. How will this war affect your lives?
The story link above will take you to an interesting commentary on Slate magazine. The idea is that maybe we think we're gaining some on the insurgents in Iraq but we are losing, every day, in the arena of world perception.
Does it matter? And does it matter to you? I am interested in your thoughts.
- ggevalt's blog
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Middle class Americans worry
Middle class Americans worry about one thing (and perhaps, the most morally important thing) right now, they worry about the troops. They don't see news reports on the war on Iraq and think 'Hm, I wonder if this will affect how other countries view us...'. They think 'Oh God, I hope they (daughter/son/cousin/friend/mother/father) are okay.'
Personally, I think that every move made by every American that is published on any kind of world wide news sources affects the way we are veiwed. Not just the war, but that little tidbit posted about Mr.So-so shooting his wife and child, or John Doe who won the 50th annual Virginia Hot Dog Eating Contest. While there are good things posted as well- most of the world already knows about how 'awful' America is, so they look for all the dirty laundry we blatantly throw around.
America is a country cut in half, my generation especialy. For ever kid my age I see joining a volunteer group, I see another one smoking weed and doing nothing. We have alot of responsibility, we need to be the generation to start cleaning up the idea of America. This war, past wars and the general ignorance projected from the American people needs to be cleaned up.
It'll take a long time.
*rolls up sleeves*
Lets get started.
-----
The Ship Is Sinking, Sailor Let Go!
awesome
thanks for the response.
g
each person shares
each person shares something, something important. the people, the troops we send over to Iraq, they are us, we are them. We are Americans. For every breath i take someone is dying, somewhere. Here there, in Iraq, but why, why do we send people like us into places like that, full of death and destruction? Do we really think we can make a difference? We worship celebraties like we do gods, we take lives like we take breaths. If humans are all the same, then i am sorry for each and every life i have taken. Each American soldier i have killed, each Brittish Soldier, everyone and anyone in Iraq, or anywhere else. I appologize for humanity, for imperfection that haunts us. Why do we try, why not give up hope? this war stains the souls of many, if i could gaze upon the world, upon humanity and see the beauty of souls like the stars illuminated in the darkness of the sky, then would i see some damaged, fading, some blinking slowly out of existence? I thikn yes. Someone somewhere said "War is Hell" We've had war since the beginning of time, since the beginning of time we have let blood spill, red stain the earth because blood isn't worhe the effort, if it isn't our blood. THere are many reasons to stop the war in Iraq, many many many many reasons, so why are we there. As Americans we sell the idea of freedom, yep, that's us, the FREE states, the Golden Streets, the Happy endings, but we need to step up for freedom, or it isn't worthe the trouble. can people be free, can we live without prejudice, without hate to cloud our minds? Can we prove that these states will always be open for the seekers of freedom? Can we open our doors to all who need us? Are we willing to pay the ultimate price for the freedom of others, is it that precious? Because with each word written here someone has died for freedom. Will we avenge those we have killed, can we? Will we, as Americans, bring what we have promised? Is freedom attainable?
~Special
An unexamined life is one not worthe living.
~Socrates
Why do we have war?
It's so easy to dismiss this question with "human nature." Like it's preprogrammed into us to kill members of our own species--more than that--neighbors--people like yourself--people who under any other circumstances could be your friend. Like there's some gene or chemical or psychological signal that triggers the desire to kill, and kill again, end a life, stain the sand red with death. Can a human mind by itself do that? A mind in its purest form--A child, a baby, just born, no bitterness, no hard shell: could it kill? No. It couldn't. Not a mind as pure as that. It's not just human nature.
But then what does kill? What's behind the gun? What's there, aiming, shooting--destroying an existence just like itself? Suicide of the soul and annihilation of another's. Is any bit of land worth that? Any disagreement, mistake, desire for revenge?
Why is war the best way of solving problems? Couldn't anybody come up with anything better? Anything? Anyone? No?
Yeah, that's why.
Why? Good question. I
Why? Good question. I noticed that a lot of people use the verb "stain" when describing death and blood and killing. is that because when we take a life, a spark, a soul it is something that imprints in the deepest of our being. "Stains" us to no end. is it something we can never wash away, never remove only cover up. yes, stains, stain the hands the eyes, the mind and the soul.
What a great deterent.
If it does stain to kill.
~Special
An unexamined life is one not worth living.
-Socrates
Stain
The blood stains your skin, and the death stains your soul. You can't remove it like you'd take off a stained piece of clothing. Wash all you like, it'll never come off...
I won't wash away my stains.
I won't wash away my stains. i will wear them proudly like a sign. For my stains define me, and my stains will bring an end to what has left its mark upon my body and soul.
~Special
An unexamined life is one not worth living.
-Socrates
I think
I think we'd better clarify what "stains" means: for a moment there I though you were admitting to murder.
And yes, I understand, and agree. Being in a war changes a person immensely and one cannot and should not be required to hide it. The experience becomes part of a person.
I am a murderer
Yes, i am a murderer.
Nah, i'm just saying that we all make mistakes, and we as humans kill, there is no avoiding it. I will flaunt my imperfection like a great new outfit, becuase maybe when people see they will change.
We shouldn't just not be required to hide it, but we should be required to walk around with it hanging from our necks. Another great deterent.
~Special
An unexamined life is one not worth living.
-Socrates
Yes!
Everyone has imperfections, and when people avoid them they can only talk on the surface of things (which explains the utter shallowness of many conversations in general). And if all our sins (for want of a better word) were out in the open, people would think more carefully about what they do. Would you commit murder or adultery if you had to walk around with a sign or a T-shirt proclaiming it for all to see?
It's the next new trend: Mistake signs. Can you imagine the marketing pitch?
Chose from up to 400 imperfections including
-I'm a coward
-I once shoplifted
-I lie
-And more!
Or for a limited time you can order personalized specific accounts of your sins. Call now...
I'd call!! That is the
I'd call!!
That is the reason i have just now decided to seak to people as if they already knew my deepest darkest secrets, maybe it'll work!!
And so, speaking like i said i would, Usagi i hope you are a better person than i.
~Special
An unexamined life is one not worth living.
-Socrates
Sorry
I have my fair share of deep dark secrets. If everyone did have to wear their mistakes, I would go stand near the convicts so mine wouldn't seem so bad by comparison.
And to relate it to our original question gg posed; wouldn't it be great if all our politicians wore their worst secrets for all to see?
Only then how would we ever get a President?
The politician who wrote
The politician who wrote their deeds in black ink on black paper, i'd probably vote for him, or her, if they were smart enough to do that. or maybe i'd vote for the one who held their deeds proudly with a smile and said by far their greatest imperfection was the inability to change.
~Special
An unexamined life is one not worth living.
-Socrates
Proudly, yes, but inability
Proudly, yes, but inability to change? So they'll keep on making the same mistakes?
As for black ink/black paper: I would admire their creativity and intelligence but still want to know what they're hiding!
can we change? good question
can we change? good question number 2, well Usagi you just keep spewing them, all these questions this late at night.
~Special
An unexamined life is one not worth living.
-Socrates
good point, g
I think that as far as foreign policy goes, cultivating a postive American image abroad should be priority number one. Both the 9/11 attacks and terrorists our military is fighting today are realities because people hate us, Americans. Have we ever stopped to ask why they hate us? And what can we do about it? As far as national security goes, you are generally always more secure when you work to keep your neighbors from hating you. Not that I'm saying we should eliminate the military completely, but maybe we could try something other than this 100% brute force approach?
I think you have a really good point, Geoff. Do we have to have people across the globe toting guns in armored humvees? Could we have them in classrooms, helping build needed infastructure, and generally building good relations with our earthly neighbors instead?
The Peace Corps beckons...
i just listened to a radio
i just listened to a radio show (yes, i am a nerd, but you learn neat stuff from radio, you'd be suprised. i highly recomend This American Life, that's what this story is from.) where a muslim family living in the u.s. (the mother was an american, that father was raised on the west bank and moved here w/ his wife,) were harrassed following 9/11. they were just a normal family to everyone else until a year after 9/11 when the school district (somewhere unidentified in the u.s.) taught the kids in her class that muslims wanted to kill all the christians. This little girl was in fourth grade and all her friends are being taught, essentialy, that she is a terrorist who wants to kill them all.
within the space of seconds, she had no friends. This little girl had been one of the most popular girls in her class everyone loved her, they always knew she was muslim, but when the were taught the district lesson saying what it did about muslims, they started calling her aweful names, asking her questions or ignoring her. and after the teacher prooved to be predjudce against muslims, and the school board refused to do anything about it, this little 9 year-old went into a deep depression, and basically dropped out of school for the rest of the year. While the father, whose wife had convinced him that their kids would not have to deal with this in america, and that they shouldn't live in the west bank, decides he can't take it any more and goes back to the west bank, leaving his wife and five children here.
it was heartbreaking to hear this girl and her mother tell the story. the daughter said she tried to make everyone understand that muslims were not all bad. just like americans aren't all bad, but they wouldn't listen. the cultural divide was just to big. listening to this story, you relize that our image abroad has gone into decline elsewhere, maybe if we went to iraq this would happen to us. muslims image abroad has also gone into decline, and some americans are hurting these people who they know, who live in their naighborhood or whatever just because of an aligation against them. if iraqs told you you were a filthy american because you killed some of their people, wouldn't you try to tell them not to hate you, because it wasn't nessecarily your fault we are in iraq and people are dying.
it's the same with the muslims who are suddenly find some people hate them here because of 9/11, they tell us that not all of them are bad, and that they are just like us.
maybe if we want to be seen differently, to change our image, and be understood, we should try listening and understanding others, and maybe veiws will be changed. maybe it would be a little easier to work for peace.
~moya
(wow, i am sorry that is so long! i didn't really realize until i was done...)