Appropriately, in researching for this post, it was
extremely difficult to find sources that spoke freely about the history of silencing
antiwar voices. The articles that do refer to the phenomenon generally opt for
slithery language and none fail to add repeatedly that the government faces
very tough decisions and always tries to do what is best for the country, even
if her citizens neither understand nor agree. Upon looking at Antiwar’s website, my stomach dropped at the sight of
a massive grid of headlines, organized by country, all detailing some horrific
thing the US has done internationally. I grew up hearing about “the war in Afghanistan”
and “the war in Iraq,” surrounded by backwater Christian conservatives
and their indoctrinated children. My parents didn’t talk to me about the war,
so my peers were my main source of wartime news, which was exactly as factual as one
could expect from children.
I remember the distinct feeling that this must be a
significant time to be alive, as I’d heard about the famous wars of yore and my
grandfather had even fought in one. I figured there’d be a big parade or
something when the troops came home, like my grandfather had described his
return from Vietnam (It would be many years later that I found out that it was
more of a public shaming than a celebration, due to the strong American antiwar
sentiments regarding the Vietnam War). The war never seemed to end. I truthfully
don’t think I know all the wars we’re currently fighting nor where because of
the incessant, indecipherable drone of war-related news.
Before this class, I hadn’t even thought about antiwar
voices being silenced—school always made it out like Communist governments were
the only ones who silenced opposition. Even in this class my friend whispered, “It’s
giving Communism,” when Dr. Smith asked if the Fed punishing dissenters
reminded us of anything. I think the whole Communist bit, the whole McCarthy
thing, is simply a ploy to distract the public from the comparative flaws in
our own system so that the government can keep doing what they’re doing and conflate
it with moral issues. They do the same thing with the War on Terror—which I
believe is supposedly what’s still going on in the Middle East—Ukraine, and
Gaza. The government continues to remind us that
Putin is committing war crimes in Ukraine and must be stopped, but this is merely
an obvious way to justify involvement, given the US’s history of ignoring and
committing war crimes or even buying the data that resulted from them, in
Unit 731’s case. I’d always felt a strange sense of shame
when I got mad about our country being so violent all the time, so I feel
validated now, knowing that this feeling is not a product of bad character but
rather of sound mind.
Dr. Smith’s words about how the US government makes reasons
to be at war in order to give them more control rings true, especially now
after doing some research and finding terrifying information and quotes from
our leaders like
Bush in 2001: “Our war on
terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there.
It will not end until every terrorist group
of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” This statement is so
disheartening because I know that there will
always be “terrorist”
groups with “global reach” and, if this statement is representative of future presidents’
views, this war will never be over.
I think it is so important that antiwar voices be heard because
it goes back to the marketplace of ideas. If the government limits what ideas
are permitted to appear it essentially monopolizes the idea space, which I’d
consider a form of attempted brainwashing. To involve another First Amendment
principle, the premise that states that we are more likely to become tolerant
if we can see intolerance around us and, as a society, deem it unacceptable
should be applicable here: if the government suppresses antiwar expression, isn’t
it more likely to incite dissent? Repercussions may be a while down the line
for the Fed, considering how good of a job they’re doing making sure people don’t
get to hear these ideas, but I think, on our current course, a massive manifestation
of public dissent is guaranteed.
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