"If what I say is right, the whole US government should end up behind bars."
- former German government minister Andreas von Bülow, says
This piece makes the case for a strong connection between child abuse and the predeliction of our leaders to go to war, rather than work things out in non-violent ways.
While I agree with the author's main premise, I will mention a few other factors that may also play a role in the marked reduction of child abuse over the past 5 decades.
For much of that time, Roe v Wade (January, 1973) has been the law of the land. Estimates vary, but millions of unwanted pregnancies have been prevented from becoming equally unwanted children since then. If you're unlucky enough to enter the world to a (most likely single-parent) family who sees you as an impediment to college or career, or just another "mouth to feed," the odds are you'll have a less than rosy view of the world in such an un-nurturing environment. You will spend your life seeking stabilty and security from anyone who promises it to you. Conversely, you may end up promising it to your equally abused followers.
It's also true that, during the same approximate period (adding in the 60s), the CIA's ginned-up War on Drugs has resulted in the mass incarceration of a few million black and brown males (to the giddy delight of the prison-industrial cabal). Removing this much testosterone from the poorest mating pool in this society has had, no doubt, as marked an effect on the reduction of unwanted kids as Roe.
That said, I agree with author's 2005 take on this trend. Everything I've seen informs me that the curve towards authoritarianism is on a severe downward slope that accelerates more each year. A few harbingers that this is so:
Despite all the noise from the Fundy Dominionist Right, polls and census data reveal a marked increase in self-identified "no preference" when it comes to religion. From around 5% in the 80s, to the upper teens today. I've even seen polls that have it over 20%. That's a lot of humans: 60,000,000+. And you only need around 10% to gain momentum (the beehive theory).
Recent polls of Senior college students reveal far less judgmentalism - certainty is a "tell" of an authoritarian mindset - regarding minority classes among us. Majorities of the under-30 cohort (Millennials) are adopting a live-and-let-live stance towards gays and lesbians. Abortion, gay marriage and the hounding of immigrants are non-issues to a substantial minority among the same group.
Authoritarianism is not just a top-down problem, it is also a bottom-up one. Without legions who agree to render themselves powerless and "submit," authoritarian leaders have no one to lead. In order to have an army, you really need all parties involved to follow orders; to never question authority.
Freethinker types and others who "question authority" every chance they get are the last type of people you want on the battlefield. Any commander would rue the day he hears "You want us to do what"? "Are you nuts? That could get us killed"!
So, the author really does have a point. Once every single one of us "questions authority," we'll simply be incapable of waging offensive war. Self-defense is always justified.
When you have finished digesting the info in this summary, I encourage you to also read a few of the many fine articles in the footnotes.
NjW 465
Nigel Watson freethinker 727.493.1990 skype orbizen2
Blog: ORBizen Memo http://orbizenmemo.blogspot.com/
"There is no greater disaster than greed." – Lao-tzu
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." - Krishnamurti
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