Support the troops! Yay!
Mar. 18th, 2003 02:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vicarzDoes that mean stop talking about peace and commit to fighting? Or does begging our leaders to bring the troops home to their American families and American jobs without fighting on foreign soil also qualify as supporting the troops?
Why is it patriotism is so commonly becoming synonymous with not questioning authority? I would say no matter your opinion on the war, that either failing to express your opinion or discouraging others from expressing their opinion is highly unpatriotic. Freedom of speech is not meant to only toe the party line, but to question those who lead us and the decisions they make. I think the entire POINT of freedom of speech is to do exactly that - question leadership. Any leaders who don't have to defend their decisions are going to fail.
Lately it seems the pro-war elements are criticizing the anti-war elements for having the views they do, and telling them to shut up. They say they aren’t patriotic at their worst – how very base, never mind inaccurate. I don’t hear the anti-war people telling the pro-war people to shut up. I don’t hear them calling the others ‘less American.’ On those counts, the anti-war people are being far more patriotic and American than their counterparts.
I sound anti-war, as most of my friends are, but in all honesty I’m more for it that against it. I’d point out my reasons for and against – and there are strong arguments on both sides, but I feel like those points have been well-discussed already and are pointless as there is no real question that we’re about to go to war.
Why is it patriotism is so commonly becoming synonymous with not questioning authority? I would say no matter your opinion on the war, that either failing to express your opinion or discouraging others from expressing their opinion is highly unpatriotic. Freedom of speech is not meant to only toe the party line, but to question those who lead us and the decisions they make. I think the entire POINT of freedom of speech is to do exactly that - question leadership. Any leaders who don't have to defend their decisions are going to fail.
Lately it seems the pro-war elements are criticizing the anti-war elements for having the views they do, and telling them to shut up. They say they aren’t patriotic at their worst – how very base, never mind inaccurate. I don’t hear the anti-war people telling the pro-war people to shut up. I don’t hear them calling the others ‘less American.’ On those counts, the anti-war people are being far more patriotic and American than their counterparts.
I sound anti-war, as most of my friends are, but in all honesty I’m more for it that against it. I’d point out my reasons for and against – and there are strong arguments on both sides, but I feel like those points have been well-discussed already and are pointless as there is no real question that we’re about to go to war.
