The News Media Need to Be More Excited About Death and Destruction (And So Do You)!by
Bill Barnwell
Have the mainstream news media shown sufficient excitement about the war in Iraq? Not really, according to most pro-war sources and individuals. In fact, I get emails all the time from angry conservatives informing me that the "liberal media" are talking down The Troops with their skeptical news coverage. They further explain that not only is this harmful to the sensibilities of The Troops, but that the "liberal media" is actively trying to weaken national morale and lower our image to the rest of the world. Presumably, I guess, because they are just a bunch of left-wing sissies and hate George W. Bush. Huh? Have we all been in the same country for the past year and a half? Have I missed something? Where has all this skeptical news coverage been? Other than the prison scandal stories, just how many skeptical pieces of reporting have you seen from mainstream outlets? The Abu Ghraib stories have been many, but the unfortunate reality is we just keep finding out about more and more abuses that some of The Troops committed. So that story is keeping itself alive by new revelations. Is it inappropriate to report on the very real abuses that have taken place within some elements of the military? Yes, and apparently it’s downright treasonous according to many huffing and puffing conservatives. In response to reports on the prison scandals, many outraged keyboard warriors offer sentiments like this: "This is a Time Of War! You don’t talk down your Country! Losers! Wimps! Traitors! Support The Troops! Stop being so negative!" Other more reasonable individuals will argue that the amount of attention given to the prison scandals is inappropriate since they deal with only a few bad apples in a bucket of good ones. There are several problems with that reasoning though. First, contrary to what was first believed, the abuse did indeed extend to more than just "a few bad apples," including now we are even finding out intelligence officers who ordered abuse. These were not just a few isolated incidents. Second, while it is certainly true that the abusers are a small minority when compared to the rest of the armed forces, the fact is that awful things were happening at the hands of more than just a few "liberators." The fact that most soldiers rightfully don’t enjoy sexually, physically and psychologically torturing prisoners is not a reason to act like this is no big deal. This is certainly deserving of the attention it has received. Had it not received the outrage and attention it has these atrocities may have gone unpunished, or at least not been adequately dealt with. As a result, this cancer would continue to spread in the military. Why would we want that? Third, are we to assume that just because this is a Time of War that there is no room for deserved introspection and being critical of abuse and tyranny? Would angry pro-war folks just assume that such matters were swept under the rug? While these folks talk a lot about National Responsibility and being Moral Leaders, their tepid dismissal of real moral issues and problems in the prosecution of this war shows that they are speaking out of both sides of their mouth. OK, so other than this alleged overemphasis on Our Bravest torturing people (which, as I’m told is really no big deal, especially compared to what Saddam did. Nice moral rationalizations!), where is all this negative reporting that has pro-war people so ticked off? Have we been watching the same news programs? Because the vast overwhelming material the American news media have ran involving the war has been very restrained, supportive, and even in many cases gushing. From the time this war started, the media accepted every administration talking point about the need to invade. Even before the war, when there was good reason to believe that the WMD issue was a sham (which it has thus far proven to be), the brave skeptical media did not question it. Even as the administration purposely and implicitly hinted that Iraq had a role in 9/11 (without coming right out and saying it, but they knew exactly what they were doing and it worked), the bold and courageous news media offered very little perspective on the matter. Since the war has ended, the news media have done next to nothing to report on the fact that everything that was predicted about Iraq and their alleged threat to us have proved to be untrue. During the war itself the media was whipped up into full military frenzy. The Troops were glorified. (After all, they were fighting to defend our very rights and freedom. In fact, had this war not been waged, we’d very likely have no first amendment rights right now and would all probably be living in straw huts.) Soldiers and flags were displayed all over the television screen. Displays of patriotism abounded. Dissenters of the war were vilified, not taken seriously, or not given a voice. And Fox? Oh boy. They’ve been anything but "fair and balanced" throughout this whole thing. Other than a few token liberals who express mild opposition to the war, the network on a whole has been bombastically foaming at the mouth from even before the invasion took place. The other cable news stations and major networks have not been far behind in war enthusiasm though. The race to see which station could be more patriotic and more fawning of The Troops and Bush’s war has been close. Alas, it simply has not been enough for the angry "Let’s Invade The Whole World" crowd. After all, the media keeps talking about those prison scandals. They also keep reminding us that reshaping Iraq hasn’t been quite so easy and that there are insurgent attacks. And heck, once in awhile, they might even feature commentary from some guy who isn’t even for the war! Can you believe that?! The truth is the mainstream media have not been skeptical enough. Understand that I’m not saying to be "fair" the news media should only promote my opinion or start their segments with silly statements like, "Today in Iraq, two more evil American soldiers killed a few more innocent nice Iraqi civilians in this evil war that only idiots support." That is not what I’m saying. I don’t support bias from either side. Just asking for a little "fair and balanced" coverage. The reason people were so angry at Michael Moore for "taking advantage" of a grieving mother in Fahrenheit 9/11 and featuring her story and her heartbreak is because it put a human face on the war. Pro-war people do not want you to see grieving moms who lose their 19-year-old kids because it might actually make you think. They don’t want you to see maimed or disillusioned soldiers. They don’t want you to see innocent civilians who have had their homes blown up or their lives ended. They don’t want you to know that some of The Troops are capable of doing evil things. They don’t want you to pay attention to the WMD scam. They don’t want you to see that taking over a whole country and imposing our way of life against its will is not easy. They don’t want you to see the results of such folly and the problems it brings along the way. They don’t want you to see anything that would make you think for yourself. They don’t want you to get a glimpse of the horrors of war. They would prefer you sit in the comforts of your middle and upper-middle class homes, sheltered from all reality, pounding your chests and waving your flags as the destruction rages on. This outrage at the media and anyone else who is not 100% on board with the War Party demonstrates that the war enthusiasts have a real problem with dissent and freedom of thought. They want you to be completely devoted to the war and completely devoted to the State. Those who are not totally on board will face accusations of anti-Americanism, treason, idiocy, and a host of other things.
Yippeee! August 27, 2004 Bill Barnwell [send him mail] is a pastor in Swartz Creek, Michigan, and a Master’s of ministry student at Bethel College. Copyright © 2004 LewRockwell.com |
So
you better get excited, and you better get excited about the war
quick. Bombs, death, destruction, tanks, guns, blood, lies, atrocities,
oh yeah! Get with it, news media and common people. Not only will
you be slandered if you don’t, but you have something else you need
to begin getting excited for. The neocons have a new war they want
to start…On to Iran.