After hearing this song on NPR, I thought I might include it in my posts about the war in Iraq. Lately, I have been developing strong emotions on this topic. I am deeply disturbed by the evils of war. I feel that our society must end the dehumanization of the "other" and realize the destruction we are responsible for. This soldier's order to "kill it" resonates in my mind. The reference to these people; these mothers, husbands, and children; as something so impersonal as "it" is all too telling of our attitudes and numbness towards the murder of innocent people under the guise of spreading democracy.
14 years ago
Wow, that clip was awful! It sounds like it may be stretched, though. I have known quite a few soldiers, and I don't think any of them would act like that! Yes, it is war, but this is not acceptable!
ReplyDeleteIt is a clip of a veteran discussing the horrors of war and why he is against the war. The composer was comissioned to write a piece, and he used the musicality of the man's speech as motivation for the music. Yes it is awful, but it's a way to make people listen to what is going on.
ReplyDeleteI think it is definitely possible that this is the perspective of some people. When you really think about it many people have the attitude that if someone isn't like us then they don't have any worth, and I can't imagine that there aren't people like that in the military as much as we don't want to admit it. I think the most moving part of that was when the women pulled the white cloth from her pocket, it just shows that she was probably scared everyday that something like this would happen and wanted people to know that she was innocent and would surrender to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI find this very powerful. The repetition signifies that they are being told to kill over and over again. That's why they are given guns. I think the Veteran is extremely brave for speaking out against the war!
ReplyDeleteOne might want to say,"I would never do something like that," or "I can't believe anyone could do such a thing," but really, one never knows. I just commented on another blog about the Milgram Experiment. It shows that humans who think they are good people can go bad really fast. It's the same in the experiment that Diane explained in her blog. Thanks for finding and sharing that clip Carly.
What I found most appalling with this speech/music clip, was that after the woman was shot and she kept walking, they brought out like every weapon in their arsenal. One gun was too much, why did everything else need to be aimed at her? Why would everything that moves need to be killed? I don't get that thinking.
ReplyDeleteThe problem here lies in our current methods of military training. Rather than teach soldiers to think objectively there is a culture of violence and hatred that is instilled in an effort to alleviate any sort of anxiety that the soldier may feel. By thinking of the enemy/other as a non-person, we allow soldiers and other military persons to face the atrocities of war. To me this tactic is completely regressive and should never be used.
ReplyDeleteAs for whether the story is stretched or not, I have to say that war makes good people do horrific things. My father is a murderer. He was in Vietnam. He killed. Don't get me wrong. I love him. I am proud of him. I think he is one of the most outstanding people I know. But, war makes people do horrific things. And, they have to live with it their whole lives. That man will never live another day without thinking about that incident. It is honorable that young people are willing to do everything for their country. I don't always know if our country does everything in their power to serve them.
ReplyDeleteWow, how interesting and powerful! Thank you for posting this! I have heard very similar war stories before, but never presented in this manner, and I think it really made an impact. My initial thought after watching/listening was what a great "tool" this could be in a classroom. Having that musicality in there really could help capture the attention of the students, while sending such a powerful message and reiterating the point at the same time. It's a way to really get students to want to be involved and knowledgable without showing them gorry graphics, etc!
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