July 13, 2004
Something to Think About
Given the revelations around the hype and hyperbole that took the US into a preemptive invasion of Iraq, reflecting on the following quote might be in order (thanks Bill for sending this along):
“Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag people along…Posted by rowan at July 13, 2004 10:16 PM | TrackBack | [eMail this article!] |Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.”
Reich Marshall Hermann Goering at the Nuremberg Trials
I received this from a veteran from of mine in North Carolina, thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Bill Whitlatch at July 13, 2004 11:21 PMHuns at the border:
In as much as every society appears to be susceptible to this ploy, what is there about our society that would or should exempt us from being so duped? Nothing that I see. I often wonder where our arrogance comes from, with its underlying assertion that we should somehow be 'better than that'? Even a casual and brief observation of real life shows a massive discrepancy between what ought to be and what is. It seems we spend much time rediscovering the obvious.
It is ironic that you would choose the words of a NAZI to support your pacifist views given that WWII is perhaps THE textbook example of the folly of pursuing pacifist policies in the face of a belligerent tyrant.
Sometimes (far more often than not) threats are real. Sometimes pacifists ARE unpatriotic—and wrong.
Posted by: Meaty Fly at July 14, 2004 6:59 PMI am baffled by Meaty's interpretation. I read the quote in terms of how to use propaganda to sway people into supporting "the powers that be" into wars they would not choose to engage in. How you get from that to supporting "pacifist policies" is a leap I don't follow. It's about deceiving (and frightening) people into compliance with an agenda they would not choose.
Posted by: rowan at July 14, 2004 8:56 PMI assumed you were attempting to draw an analogy with the current war.
Posted by: Meaty Fly at July 15, 2004 9:45 AM