 |
| Fake Mink Rug is a weekly cartoon by Duncan Hill blog kindness is the new way www.hilldogg-visionary.blogspot.com and duncanhill.co.nz It is funded by donation.No donation is too small or large. Or its free if you are too broke at the moment. Click on this link http://eepurl.com/CCq8T - its mega-easy to sign up |
Monday 17 April 2017
from the Fake Mink Rug archives
The legitimacy of violence and the good ol' soldiers of the decent world
We continue to try to make out that soldiers and armies will act legitimately and with ethical behaviour. The deputy prime minister of NZ, Paula Bennett recently defended the actions of our SAS without knowing anything about what happennned that day in Afghanistan.And attacked a book she has never read, calling its author Nicky Hager a left wing conspiracy theorist. What I take from that is that she (and others) believe the SAS to be some kind of moral paragons. That they would not be capable of shooting civilians, or even mistakes.
In my opinion,that is a dangerous viewpoint. In history there is always the attempt to legitimise war and its minions.The belief its ok till kill certain people if we decide they are bad enough. As if drones will only kill bad guys when they explode on a village meeting in Pakistan. As if its ok for the 'good guys' to kill others and the 'bad guys' its not ok.
The belief is echoed in mainstream public media such as movies- and also in gaming- where we are encouraged to identify with the good guys and then, by some sleight of hand, its ok to eliminate 'bad guys' (and gals). And even have a drink or have sex shorttly afterward. The trick is, it means nothing to frag someone, if theyre a bad ass. Recently, the targets have moved to things like zombies and aliens and even half robots who we identify as bad, but somehow different and therefore killable.
Civilians have always been targets. Our wonderful liberated enlightened and ethical British relatives bombed a civilian city, Dresden, in the second world war. The morally superior Americans unleashed the new super weapon on a Japanese city of men women and children, not soldiers.
We need to be vigilant about the type of thinking that justifies (or doesnt even need to, under assumption) killing civilians, and assumes that 'our' soldiers will act with waving flags of ethically superior behaviour.War is an illness and the belief that using force solves problems in the long term and leaves its victors in great shape, is a kind mass psychosis.
In my opinion,that is a dangerous viewpoint. In history there is always the attempt to legitimise war and its minions.The belief its ok till kill certain people if we decide they are bad enough. As if drones will only kill bad guys when they explode on a village meeting in Pakistan. As if its ok for the 'good guys' to kill others and the 'bad guys' its not ok.
The belief is echoed in mainstream public media such as movies- and also in gaming- where we are encouraged to identify with the good guys and then, by some sleight of hand, its ok to eliminate 'bad guys' (and gals). And even have a drink or have sex shorttly afterward. The trick is, it means nothing to frag someone, if theyre a bad ass. Recently, the targets have moved to things like zombies and aliens and even half robots who we identify as bad, but somehow different and therefore killable.
Civilians have always been targets. Our wonderful liberated enlightened and ethical British relatives bombed a civilian city, Dresden, in the second world war. The morally superior Americans unleashed the new super weapon on a Japanese city of men women and children, not soldiers.
We need to be vigilant about the type of thinking that justifies (or doesnt even need to, under assumption) killing civilians, and assumes that 'our' soldiers will act with waving flags of ethically superior behaviour.War is an illness and the belief that using force solves problems in the long term and leaves its victors in great shape, is a kind mass psychosis.
Runner
Click
whores are getting clicks,
like
the flower who wants more
water
and sun,
The
line of pixelated fields, and beyond them,
sound of guns stems bursting prevail-
the
boom and crack of a forest coming down.
While
she is in simultaneous water and sun liquidly sifted
Through
starving leaves like hands that once did grasp and fight.
Symbols
see their own conjecture;
projections
of mountains
on
deserts.
Gigantic
myths of connection given some kind of protection
for
a mind shaped against the curves of nature.
But
you, you have an indwelling crystal in your head
and
that’s how my mother righted her vertigo
and
that’s how you know where you’re going, this night,
on
the run.
An
upright animal with a Nuchal ligament in place to keep the head still in a race;
Not
made for spiritual enlightenment,
you
were made for distance running.
The
water smells you and seeks you out thirsty.
The
teeth rattling full of magnesium from shellfish;
The
steady and deep eye and its distinguishing 7 shades of green
Verdant
horizon built for an iris, over which the systolic blood pressure
sets
with that bleeding sun,
beating
down tree and tangle.
Following
her is the smiling moon with his
frequency
of earth,
density
of freedom.
The
water racing through hand beyond you
to
petals’ wait,
and
nothing sustains while we believe in gain.
Hydrogen,
elemental, and bits of dirt
in
the crevice of toes compounded in the night run.
The
wind breathes you as you adjust for gusts;
It’s
the smell of pine needles and broome
leading
you blind and homeward
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)