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5.07.2004
Oi, the Prison Thing (updated: Added quote from The Guardian 5-8-04 11a.m.) Some things are so hard to talk about. I've been hesitant to do much live analysis of the Iraqi prison situation because there is so much noise on this issue already. I wanted to have something new to contribute. " I was in the wrong place at the wrong time" That, from Lynndie England, the girl seen with the cigarette dangling from her mouth while pointing out the Iraqi man who had obviously been forced to "handle" himself for the camera. I wonder if the Iraqi in the picture would not say the same thing? The storyline here has already been established: A few bad actors; they do not represent the majority (Rumsfeld: "99.9%") of the troops serving in Iraq; they do not represent the military, the DOD or the Pentagon; we would not have acted in such a manner. We would never be in the wrong place at the wrong time? You may have noticed that I have been won over to what I refer to as "the institutional view" of events. Individuals of all varieties are all basically the same. Caucasians, Asians, Arabs, Blacks, Latinos etc. have no innate racial programming that commands them to be good or evil. The evidence for this is none other than our own American society. Look around you, we no longer assume that certain races cannot intergrate into American society and live by the collective values held by most of us. We believe that the institution of American society is more powerful than ethnic, or racial programming. That this is a fairly recent event and that there are still people that believe otherwise is a little embarrassing. Humans are social beings. We operate within a social framework. We rarely put our acceptance in our immediate social environment in jeopardy. So we have to assume that those acting in the Iraqi prison were doing so under what they perceived to acceptable social circumstances. Was it simply following orders or does it go deeper than that? For the individuals in the photos it may go no deeper than that, but at some level it does. At some level there were people that felt that what they were doing was not only condoned, but acceptable behavior. But why they would have that impression when we, sitting here at home, can so clearly see that it is not? Some of the blame I feel can be laid at the people that feel that our righteousness protects us from those same forces that cause others to commit acts of evil. We are not immune. Its like sending your teenager into a situation where there will be drinking, drugs, and sex armed only with platitudes that they "would never do such things". How many times must that fail before we learn that its better to just avoid situations where you will "be in the wrong place at the wrong time". Human fallibility is well established. Kudos to those that can stand in the face of peer pressure and authority and declare their moral convictions. I can only hope that I would be so strong. But I would rather not test myself. You set yourself up for certain failure by refusing to admit that you might succumb to institutional pressures. None are sooner blindsided than those that never look to see if trouble is coming. That we are so shocked by the actions of those in the Iraqi prison is evidence of our own illusion about our motives in Iraq. The framework for thinking about Iraq is all mixed up. On one hand you have the strong conviction that the invasion of Iraq is connected to 9-11. We have even witnessed people decorating their trucks with designs mingling the Iraq invasion with 9-11 imagery. It is in this context that the torture of Iraqi prisoners is acceptable. It was in this context, created to bolster support for the invasion that allowed people to accept Iraq into the greater "war on terror" despite the slim evidence that they were connected in any way. I feel this context is fueled by a hidden racist (or anti-Muslim) presumption. How else could we sell the invasion when on paper its obvious to see there is no connection? "The feeling among US soldiers I've spoken to in the last week is also that 'the gloves are off'. Many of them still think they are dealing with people responsible for 9/11". On the other hand you have the story of liberation. We are there to bring a better institutional framework to the Iraqi people that so that they no longer feel pressured to act in ways that will endanger the world or create more hatred for America. Under this construct our troops are free to act in ways that help the Iraqi people. Stories of kindness and generosity, while oftimes overshadowed by stories tragedy and violence are coming out of Iraq. We should embrace that and go with it. Sadly, the reason it has been so devastating to have the prison pictures surface is that it only strengthens the image of America as an occupying force there to oppress the Muslims and punish innocent Iraqis for the actions of fundmentalist terrorists, an image established before the buildup for war. Or have we already forgotten the predominate framework established during the buildup for the Iraqi invasion? I haven't, not after having numerous angry drivers yell out calls for revenge and invocations of 9-11 during my streetside protests of the war. There was a very strong connection between Iraq and revenge for 9-11. "Have you forgotten 9-11?" I was asked on more than one occasion while protesting the Iraqi invasion. It was a small crowd that supported the invasion on grounds of liberation, at least before the fighting began. In the minds of many Americans invading Iraq was retribution for 9-11. It would heal our wounds, patch our pride. Kick some ass. That this would ultimately lead to these pictures, and these actions is a surprise? | |
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