The politics of heroes.....heroism dissected
- Thread starter whitewaterguy
- Start date
YOU are the very person this article applies to.
Read it, consider it from a third-party's POV.
Then perhaps you can sit at the big table and have an intelligent conversation with the grown ups.
Oh Plezzze. An article in Solon written by someone with no politico-military experience or post-graduate education and who can at best be described as a left wing gadfly.
New species? AadHominenVark?
You seem to dismiss anything written by anyone who does not share your politics.
Considering alternate points of view builds wisdom.
You seem to dismiss anything written by anyone who does not share your politics.
Considering alternate points of view builds wisdom.
You have to already be smart to consider alternate pov's and to value wisdom above ego.
Tommy by Kipling.
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. - George Orwell
And on the other side we have
People that wanted to stay out of WWII while the Nazis ran the concentration camps.
People that opposed getting involved in Iraq while Iraq was committing genocide against the Kurds.
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. - George Orwell
And on the other side we have
People that wanted to stay out of WWII while the Nazis ran the concentration camps.
People that opposed getting involved in Iraq while Iraq was committing genocide against the Kurds.
Are you stating that unless an author has a post-graduate education and writes for a major publication, they don't have the right to express their opinion or their opinion has no value? Further, are you stating that only articles published in the New York Times or Washington Post are worth reading?
The author IMHO, has made several valid points in his article:
- Simply being a police officer or a member of the military does not make you a hero.
- Putting yourself in danger to protect others (or ideals) does make you a hero (this could include lawyers, journalists, teachers, civil rights activists, etc.).
- Not dealing with problems within the military or police force diminishes the organizations and it's heros.
- Politicians who hide behind patriotism or use those organizations for political/personal gain are criminals.
- Not providing the best possible physical and mental care of our injured officers and soldiers is negligent on the part of our society.
Instead of taking cheap shots at the author and your fellow Terbites, why don't you debate his points?.
What is wrong with being a Gadfly (def: a person who upsets the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions)? Authors, philosophers, teachers, whistle-blowers, civil rights activists, etc. are all important to the operation of a balanced society. Do you really think all the "wars" in the last 50 years were all just and honourable? Isn't starting a war or military action a favourite tool of a US President when trying to fix his slumping popularity?
David Masciotra, starts off by writing that the U.S. Military does not protect his Freedom, and follows this by implying that those in the military are unworthy of respect, that those who do give respect to those who serve or have served in the military are childish and that respect equates to hero worship. Further that members of the U.S. Military should be looked at “with criticism and skepticism.”
God alone knows how he comes to the belief that every American or for that matter Canadian who gives such respect, regards every military member or member of a police agency as a “hero” (see my seventh paragraph).
He then engages in the typical left wing nonsense of saying that there is a “frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism” in the U.S.
This is followed by implying that because in a state as large and populous: 319,256,000 (about 319,141,000 of which are U.S. Nationals) as the U.S.A., that because one hears ‘every week’ of police brutality, which is a gross exaggeration of the facts, that therefore there is crisis of police brutality, even though the vast majority of people will never witness the same in person their entire lives.
He then sings the praises of Bradley Manning, who in any other state than the U.S. (due to the U.S. requirement for either confession in open court or the eyewitness testimony of two witnesses to the act) would almost certainly have been charged with treason.
It isn’t even until the bottom of his fifth paragraph that he finally makes the common sense statement which he could simply have written instead of everything above “that [although some military members and police are heroes] many of them are not heroes.”
The entire article is a straw-man: implying that the vast majority of the American public views military members and police convicted of criminal activity as heroes is utter nonsense. Finally he throws in several paragraphs devoted to a left wing pacifism.
Either way around it is quite evident that David Masciotra and a Franciscan University were a round peg and a round hole.
Now when I have several hours free, perhaps I can waste time with a critique of pacifism at any price. In the mean time may I suggest a visit to a good university library and exploring Colonial Pennsylvania during the three colonial wars from the outbreak of Queen Anne’s War in 1702 to the withdrawal of Friends from the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1756.
All but the last paragraph above was adequately summarized by the simple one word statement “Idiot!”
God alone knows how he comes to the belief that every American or for that matter Canadian who gives such respect, regards every military member or member of a police agency as a “hero” (see my seventh paragraph).
He then engages in the typical left wing nonsense of saying that there is a “frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism” in the U.S.
This is followed by implying that because in a state as large and populous: 319,256,000 (about 319,141,000 of which are U.S. Nationals) as the U.S.A., that because one hears ‘every week’ of police brutality, which is a gross exaggeration of the facts, that therefore there is crisis of police brutality, even though the vast majority of people will never witness the same in person their entire lives.
He then sings the praises of Bradley Manning, who in any other state than the U.S. (due to the U.S. requirement for either confession in open court or the eyewitness testimony of two witnesses to the act) would almost certainly have been charged with treason.
It isn’t even until the bottom of his fifth paragraph that he finally makes the common sense statement which he could simply have written instead of everything above “that [although some military members and police are heroes] many of them are not heroes.”
The entire article is a straw-man: implying that the vast majority of the American public views military members and police convicted of criminal activity as heroes is utter nonsense. Finally he throws in several paragraphs devoted to a left wing pacifism.
Either way around it is quite evident that David Masciotra and a Franciscan University were a round peg and a round hole.
Now when I have several hours free, perhaps I can waste time with a critique of pacifism at any price. In the mean time may I suggest a visit to a good university library and exploring Colonial Pennsylvania during the three colonial wars from the outbreak of Queen Anne’s War in 1702 to the withdrawal of Friends from the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1756.
All but the last paragraph above was adequately summarized by the simple one word statement “Idiot!”
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That is exactly the drivel we are fed every single day:
"Put a man in uniform, preferably a white man, give him a gun, and Americans will worship him. It is a particularly childish trait, of a childlike culture, that insists on anointing all active military members and police officers as “heroes.” The rhetorical sloppiness and intellectual shallowness of affixing such a reverent label to everyone in the military or law enforcement betrays a frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism, but it also makes honest and serious conversations necessary for the maintenance and enhancement of a fragile democracy nearly impossible."
Aardies is the prime example here of someone that never saw a police or military action he did not like, even in the face of clear police brutality, which in his world is an oxymoron. What is really idiotic, and shows lack of simple understanding of terms, is that he equates any criticism of US policies, any criticism of police behavior anywhere and criticism of any military intervention as signs of left wing leaning. Where in the world has he gotten the idea that only left wingers have a problem with police brutality and corruption. Idiotic is the only word that describes his attitude.
As the famous Danish (right wing) author wrote about someone: "The poor man must be in love with a sergeant"
"Put a man in uniform, preferably a white man, give him a gun, and Americans will worship him. It is a particularly childish trait, of a childlike culture, that insists on anointing all active military members and police officers as “heroes.” The rhetorical sloppiness and intellectual shallowness of affixing such a reverent label to everyone in the military or law enforcement betrays a frightening cultural streak of nationalism, chauvinism, authoritarianism and totalitarianism, but it also makes honest and serious conversations necessary for the maintenance and enhancement of a fragile democracy nearly impossible."
Aardies is the prime example here of someone that never saw a police or military action he did not like, even in the face of clear police brutality, which in his world is an oxymoron. What is really idiotic, and shows lack of simple understanding of terms, is that he equates any criticism of US policies, any criticism of police behavior anywhere and criticism of any military intervention as signs of left wing leaning. Where in the world has he gotten the idea that only left wingers have a problem with police brutality and corruption. Idiotic is the only word that describes his attitude.
As the famous Danish (right wing) author wrote about someone: "The poor man must be in love with a sergeant"
On the article, I would say it's pretty obvious that most soldiers don't end up being heroes. Unfortunately there are times when our democracy does need to be protected and there are times when our soldiers, either on peacekeeping missions or more warlike situations, do try and make things better for other people.
Seems pretty straightforward to me.
Seems pretty straightforward to me.
No doubt Ardi picked up a few foreclosed tenement dwellings during the crash in the States, to rent out,and spends his spare time in a plush, but also foreclosed, Republicans only, gated Florida community, fondly listening to old Anita Bryant tunes
....it's all good in paradise....thanks to higher education!
The message in the article boils down to one key theme: all governments, even those in North America propagandize the citizenry to their ends. One often used device is that of creating heroes that, in and of itself,is not necessarily a bad thing,but when used to further and promote questionable agendas, is exploitive of persons in those roles, and indeed, quite disrespectful of true heroes. Essentially, the U.S. Is no better than any other government which endeavours to shape the hearts and minds of the minions.....for good or evil
That David Masciotra despises authority, in particular the Military and law enforcement agencies.
