Post by aihughe38 on Nov 16, 2011 23:58:41 GMT -5
Eng III Pd 8
AM Voices MP 1
Silence is the enemy
“Overthrow the effigy/The vast majority/We're burning down the bargain of control. / Silence is the enemy/Against your urgency/So rally up the demons of your soul” (Know Your Enemy – Green Day)
In this day and age, information is available to assist individuals in making informed decisions based on all aspects of an issue. Somehow, however, decisions are habitually made based upon fear instead of rational thought. This is a result of society’s inability to view conflicts as more than two-sided, and is used by individuals to promote uneducated discussion. American society reflects the theme of “Us versus Them” by reducing opposing viewpoints to simplistic battles of good and evil instead of just a clash of opinions in order to prevent real conversation on the issue.
In times of an international conflict, Americans are encouraged to view the issue as a matter of morality in order to gain popular support for entrance into the conflict. In past instances like the United States’ entrance into World War Two, it brought an end to the indisputably evil actions of Nazi Germany. However, doing so has been detrimental in more recent conflicts due to the fact that current matters of contention are no longer “black-and-white”. This was exemplified in George W. Bush’s statement at the start of the Iraq War that “[e]very nation… has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” Because of this stance, serious tension was created with allies of the United States, including France, which refused to take part in the war. Although they opposed terrorism, American politicians immediately associated those nations with the evil forces wishing to harm America, even asserting that there was a need to “
unish France”. As a result of this portrayal of opposing nations as evil, Americans immediately disregarded France’s viewpoints, and instead increased their support for war. By preventing an open dialogue within the US about what unified actions could be taken instead of an invasion, the leaders of the US were able to commence the Iraq War quickly and with widespread domestic support. However, doing so came at the cost of the alienation of numerous international allies, and possibly prevented an alternative solution to the largely unsuccessful eight-year war.
The association of morality to conflicts also plays a large role in the handling of domestic conflict. The tactic is particularly popular amongst prominent politicians to sway the general populace to support their policies. Sarah Palin used this method of persuasion during the health care debate when she argued “[t]he America [she] know and love is not one in which [her] parents or [her] baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's ‘death panel’… Such a system is downright evil.” By calling Obama’s health care bill evil, Palin shifted the focus of the issue to a battle between good and evil. Linking morality to opposition of the bill, and evilness to support of the bill, not only strengthened the resolve of Palin’s supporters but also forced others to side with her viewpoint, lest they be accused of being evil themselves. However, using this tactic meant the more realistic parts of the debate, like its economic significance, were not focused on.
While successful to recruit supporters, using the argument that one side is more morally correct ignores a more intelligent discussion of the issues. It is only through a discussion of all aspects of an issue that Americans can come to a reasoned conclusion about what is in its best interests.
Word Count - 600