(no subject)
A huge regret of mine, although certainly not one under my control by any means, is that I wasn't around for the Vietnam and Korean wars. It's kind of silly, yes, but I would like to be able to compare this media reliant war in Iraq to those times in the sense that caring used to take place in a completely different way. What I mean is that right now there is a real war going on and people are really dying and suffering all the time, and most people in this country are aware of that on different levels - more aware if you know someone over there and less aware if all you know of is what's being pumped into your living room via satellite. I fall into the latter group, I know it's happening but I don't know much of the specifics since I can't usually follow the media lingo on such affairs, they could be speaking another language and I could better understand. On the other hand, even though I have no first hand evidence, I think that during Vietnam there were large groups of people who legitimately cared that such a foolish war was stopped, and made that known in an obvious way.
Another current "most people" statement is that apparently some majority of the population is not in favor of this war, or at least that's the last I checked. But what is being done about it now by the public, the "Americans"? Many many people are too busy with themselves (not their families, not their jobs, but them-selves) to give it a second thought. And then there is another huge group of us naysayers who give it a second thought, yes, but then all we do to act on it is complain about it. "Bush is an idiot" statements aren't doing a single creature any good. What's different now than 40 some years ago is technology! Now we can all take part in surveys and newsgroups and message boards and BLOGS, just like I am right now, and bitch about war instead of going out and being real living people with a name to a face who hate what's going on. There was a organization of a few anti war protests in January through the country and news reports deemed them "pathetic" since no one had the time to show up. (By no one I mean some thousand did show up but compared to protesting past, that's pathetic. Luckily those people who did go create a third group of the people who are opposed to this war and are willing to do something about it.)
It's hard to be the minority who has to outspeak the majority I suppose. I'm glad there are people who are getting their voices heard and wonder what it would be like to join them instead of being the one to sit here and write this, being one of the complainers. And then what if the huge numbers of people showed up to those events on the scale did in the 60's, after all, is not the population increasing at an alarming rate, shouldn't there be more? As we all are quite aware whether we know from experience or word of mouth, things are not the same today. Things are more violent all around, possession and use of marijuana is a crime (which getting off the streets is FAR MORE IMPORTANT than stopping foolish killing not only in Iraq but ah? here in the USofA? or stopping your neighbors kids from starving or from aiming to cut back pollution. Obviously.) What's going on? Have we lost the ability to care about humanity like we did in the past?
Or.
This is a quote from something I read, which I haven't thought enough about yet but it made me wonder and I thought I'd share.
"Maybe, deep down or not so deep down, the American public realizes the problems of our time are not remotely like Vietnam and the comparisons to that war being made by these aging protesters (Dick Gregory?) have nothing to do with the world situation and everything to do with them." http://www.rogerlsimon.com/mt-archives/2007/01/yesterdays_war.php
What do you think that means? Do you think it's true?
Another current "most people" statement is that apparently some majority of the population is not in favor of this war, or at least that's the last I checked. But what is being done about it now by the public, the "Americans"? Many many people are too busy with themselves (not their families, not their jobs, but them-selves) to give it a second thought. And then there is another huge group of us naysayers who give it a second thought, yes, but then all we do to act on it is complain about it. "Bush is an idiot" statements aren't doing a single creature any good. What's different now than 40 some years ago is technology! Now we can all take part in surveys and newsgroups and message boards and BLOGS, just like I am right now, and bitch about war instead of going out and being real living people with a name to a face who hate what's going on. There was a organization of a few anti war protests in January through the country and news reports deemed them "pathetic" since no one had the time to show up. (By no one I mean some thousand did show up but compared to protesting past, that's pathetic. Luckily those people who did go create a third group of the people who are opposed to this war and are willing to do something about it.)
It's hard to be the minority who has to outspeak the majority I suppose. I'm glad there are people who are getting their voices heard and wonder what it would be like to join them instead of being the one to sit here and write this, being one of the complainers. And then what if the huge numbers of people showed up to those events on the scale did in the 60's, after all, is not the population increasing at an alarming rate, shouldn't there be more? As we all are quite aware whether we know from experience or word of mouth, things are not the same today. Things are more violent all around, possession and use of marijuana is a crime (which getting off the streets is FAR MORE IMPORTANT than stopping foolish killing not only in Iraq but ah? here in the USofA? or stopping your neighbors kids from starving or from aiming to cut back pollution. Obviously.) What's going on? Have we lost the ability to care about humanity like we did in the past?
Or.
This is a quote from something I read, which I haven't thought enough about yet but it made me wonder and I thought I'd share.
"Maybe, deep down or not so deep down, the American public realizes the problems of our time are not remotely like Vietnam and the comparisons to that war being made by these aging protesters (Dick Gregory?) have nothing to do with the world situation and everything to do with them." http://www.rogerlsimon.com/mt-archives/2007/01/yesterdays_war.php
What do you think that means? Do you think it's true?