I do not subscribe to cable or dish, so my viewing of Comedy Central, MSNBC, Food Network, or anything else is by and large limited to what these networks make available on podcast or live streaming. I guess this last weekend, MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes caused quite a stir on his show, when he discussed the ways in which we remember our fallen soldiers might contribute to the glorification of war, and thus help to perpetuate our involvement in the conflicts that make heroes of ever increasing numbers of our young men and women through their deaths. Our usage of the word "hero", Hayes asserts, contributes to our understanding of war as a glorious thing, and justifies our lengthening of conflicts.
Many have interpreted Hayes as begrudging our fallen soldiers the title of "hero". Fox News and other media outlets were eager to encourage people to reach this conclusion. As usual, any such interpretation demands a deliberate effort to miss the point of Hayes' discussion and to obfuscate its context. Nevertheless, the fallout has been sufficient that Hayes has issued a statement apologizing for his remarks.
I find this to be a sad development. Hayes' point was not to begrudge the heroism of our fallen soldiers. He merely suggests that in our zeal to make sure that their sacrifice was not in vain, we tend to engage in conflicts that produce ever increasing numbers of heroes and leave broken lives, families, and homes in their wake. I find this very difficult to argue with, and Hayes' discussion reflects my viewpoint well.
The Memorial Day holiday is always a matter of conflict for me. On the one hand, I find myself in awe of the sacrifices a relatively small group of people have made to preserve life as we know it. (Whether this is always the case is a matter for discussion, too, but this is the message we have all almost constantly received). On the other hand, I find myself depressed that many of the men and women in the military are from backgrounds of poverty, having joined to achieve a better life, while serving their country on the way. The military offers training, opportunities for education, and the chance to break the cycle of poverty, but all too many of our young men and women die in combat before gaining these benefits. Do these folks and their families deserve our gratitude and our sympathy? Absolutely.
Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, and other similar holidays come with a certain air of cynicism for me, even without considering the commercial extravaganzas that have been made of them. How many veterans' combat-related illnesses and injuries--mental or otherwise--are inadequately cared for? How many veterans wind up homeless? The answer to both is disturbingly high. I also remember the number of people my age who were clamoring for war in Afghanistan and Iraq was much higher than the number who were volunteering for military duty. On a very cynical level, it seems like we can demand sacrifices of other people, care inadequately for their injuries for most of the year, set aside a few days of gratitude, and call it even. Just as long as we "support our troops" and label anyone who disagrees "un-American".
Many have interpreted Hayes as begrudging our fallen soldiers the title of "hero". Fox News and other media outlets were eager to encourage people to reach this conclusion. As usual, any such interpretation demands a deliberate effort to miss the point of Hayes' discussion and to obfuscate its context. Nevertheless, the fallout has been sufficient that Hayes has issued a statement apologizing for his remarks.
I find this to be a sad development. Hayes' point was not to begrudge the heroism of our fallen soldiers. He merely suggests that in our zeal to make sure that their sacrifice was not in vain, we tend to engage in conflicts that produce ever increasing numbers of heroes and leave broken lives, families, and homes in their wake. I find this very difficult to argue with, and Hayes' discussion reflects my viewpoint well.
The Memorial Day holiday is always a matter of conflict for me. On the one hand, I find myself in awe of the sacrifices a relatively small group of people have made to preserve life as we know it. (Whether this is always the case is a matter for discussion, too, but this is the message we have all almost constantly received). On the other hand, I find myself depressed that many of the men and women in the military are from backgrounds of poverty, having joined to achieve a better life, while serving their country on the way. The military offers training, opportunities for education, and the chance to break the cycle of poverty, but all too many of our young men and women die in combat before gaining these benefits. Do these folks and their families deserve our gratitude and our sympathy? Absolutely.
Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, and other similar holidays come with a certain air of cynicism for me, even without considering the commercial extravaganzas that have been made of them. How many veterans' combat-related illnesses and injuries--mental or otherwise--are inadequately cared for? How many veterans wind up homeless? The answer to both is disturbingly high. I also remember the number of people my age who were clamoring for war in Afghanistan and Iraq was much higher than the number who were volunteering for military duty. On a very cynical level, it seems like we can demand sacrifices of other people, care inadequately for their injuries for most of the year, set aside a few days of gratitude, and call it even. Just as long as we "support our troops" and label anyone who disagrees "un-American".
Thanks
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