Get up!
29 January 2003, 3:01 PM

This Iraq thing...
29 January 2003, 12:49 PM

I've been avoiding this topic like the plague. That's kind of rare for me. I'm usually hell-bent in teacher mode and quite willing to participate in any current debate, no matter how draining afterward. But just HEARING about this current event gives me a migraine. Still, I suppose I need to make SOME kind of comment about it here in my blog or else I'll bust.

After my lecture yesterday on "Sociology of the Internet", as part of the Department of Philosophy's Philosophy Dialog Series (which went very well, by-the-way) I walked past students on the Quad (a large central area of our campus.) There was a protest against the war that was probably the most pathetic sight I'd ever seen.

First, there's the protesters themselves in pink and yellow dyed hair, waving flowers and with hand drawn signs that say "No blood for oil" and other cliched slogans. A few dread-locked kids are beating on drums behind them.

Then there was the pro-war crowd jeering at the protesters, making whooping noises, sounding of all the world like this was the middle of a football game.

It wasn't much of a crowd actually. More like 6 or so people on each die and a vastly larger crowd quickly walking past them, half of them on cell phones. Still, it was a sad sight. And despite their difference, there's one thing both groups had in common. They're the children of the Baby Boomers and they looked more like they were doing trying out of an episode of That 60's Show than actually putting any real conviction.

Post-911 I could feel REAL concern, and a depth of feeling about what was going on in the world from these kids. Their reaction was entirely "real" for lack of a better word. They asked questions, and expressed emotions that seemed to come directly from their own generation's perspective and understanding/confusion of the situation. Whether the expressions were idealistic or bigoted, fearful or action-oriented it didn't matter. There was a sense that these kids "got it" and were sitting forwards in their chairs, paying attention.

But this time it's different and I'm baffled as to where the 9-11 realness went from this generation. (More than likely it's online rather than out there making a fashion statement - but I digress.) The protesters look like little mini-me's of their parents in the 60's with less than half the aura of conviction. The warmongers surrounding them seemed more like cheering fans of a football game. "Let's kick some Iraqi butt!" they hoot and whoop EXACTLY as if this was the upcoming homecoming game. The girls that tittered behind me as we walked through the quad sounded more like their pro-war position came more from a disapproval of the protester's fashion sense than anything else.

It was like the whole thing was a a freakin' GAME. The jock crowd against the goths, geeks and fashion rejects. I look around me and see faces that expect an event that will last a few months, cost no lives and have all the feeling of a "road trip" for the home team. I swear I would not be surprised if one of the pro-war suddenly streaked naked across the plaza while his buddies, with faces painted red, white and blue, waved foam rubber flags and tried to keep chili dog stains off their shirts. I look at the protesters and wonder why every anti-war protester MUST wear pseudo-sixties fashions.

There's no thought, no deep conviction, no depth of geopolitical debate or anything even remotely resembling intelligent thought. It's all a show, a time to dress up like mommmy and daddy did and be the cool crowd, or time to party down for another game of world whoop-ass.

It's revolting! Enough so that I find thoughtful political rhetoric from an opposite opinion than mine actually somewhat refreshing. God forbid, but the thoughtful conservative asshole actually feels "kin" in some way! I don't care if you're for or against this war, so long as you can articulate your position on it in words longer than one syllable and demonstrate that you know where Iraq IS on a freakin' map.

And then too, I'm utterly depressed about the way we're going about this whole thing. That's what makes me "against" this impending war. I had no problem with the Gulf War, nor with the military action in Afghanistan. I found my personal position on those and felt comfortable with it. But this one makes my stomach queasy.

(You know, I'm not completely against violence. I know that sounds utterly horrible to say, but I know damn well that if a friend of mine was being attacked by a mugger, car-jacker or ex-husband that I'd coming in swinging and fighting to protect them. I feel kinship with the mother bear can get pretty violent protecting her cubs - I can do the same and I feel absolutely no guilt about it. I eat meat without guilt. It's just a part of life. On the other hand, I do respect those who live non-violence and/or who are vegetarian for reasons of principle and who are thoughtful about it.)

So why am I against *this* war? Because I think the WAY we're going about it is chipping away at what makes us American, and that disturbs me.

We're attacking *first*. That's not the American way! We seem to be taking a "guilty until proven innocent stance", and THAT's not the American way!

After 911 I would have thought it most important that we hold on to what makes us American, and what makes this society unique and open, so that the terrorists wouldn't achieve their goal. In other words, I would have expected that we would hold onto our idealism even more. But it looks like that's not what's happening. Not with this President. Our economy tumbled, and our government started acting like Big Brother. We repeated the mistakes we visited on the Japanese and the Italians during WWII. Now we're saying we'll go invade a country on a suspicion. We're going to freakin' INVADE another country without them having done something bad first!

Is Saddam a bad guy? Uh, YEAH.

Does he have weapons of mass destruction? I'd be floored if he didn't.

Would his people like to see him gone? I know a lot of them would. I personally know people who've fled that country and who have horror stories about his regime.

I just wish I felt that we were approaching all of this with intelligence and American values intact. The whole thing makes me feel depressed, pessimistic and powerless - and I'm NOT naturally that way. I usually think the best of people, of the human race, and have an optimistic outlook. But right now? I think people are stupid dumb animals and there's not thing one we can do about it. I feel like American society has lost it's idealism, and its sense of being a nation of immigrants. I feel like - in general - American society has become *meaner* and self-absorbed and uncaring. And uneducated.

I can find people who don't fit depressing picture, but they don't seem to be the majority by a long shot.

And that's all I have to say about that.