Tenth Tuesday Topic
Over 1,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since three US soldiers were kidnapped in Iraq.
During that time, the predominant focus of thousands of US troops has been to locate those three soldiers.
What does this say to you about the priorities and ethos behind the Iraq War?
Labels: Tuesday Topics
2 Comments:
At least one soldier was killed trying to find them.
In essence, it's a genocide, and no one wants to do anything about it--unless you count the president of Iran.
As you've noted,
"the anti-war lobby is not that powerful."
Unbelievable, isn't it? The location of the three U.S. soldiers has definitely been the dominant preoccupation of the media for roughly an eternity now. I remember once reading a headline that read to the affect of "39 Killed in Iraq, 2 American." That really said it all for me. The 37 Iraqis weren't worthy of a special mention, but the two Americans were. It certainly takes more than 37 Iraqis to equate to two Americans, right? Sensationalism works better if the topic covered hits closer to home. And that's pretty much what this absurd level of extensive coverage of the search for three American soldiers while thousands of Iraqis die unnoticed is: a sensationalist campaign by the media. Three Americans matter more to America than thousands of Iraqis. At least on the home front. It appears this preoccupation with "similar to me" also pervades all the way into the occupation policy itself. If we are genuinely in Iraq for the benefit of the Iraqis, why are we so obsessively preoccupied with ourselves? Why does the American government blame the Iraqi government for the consequences of its own occupation? The answer to both questions is the same.
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