The buzzing noise of a drone never ceases. A missile screaming into your house is hard to miss. Gun fire. The door kicked in. These are not subtle gestures. Yet Norman Solomon’s new book is called War Made Invisible. What?
Of course, the people whose government is the leading war maker and weapons dealer mostly have nothing to do with war. Most of them are not in the military. Most of them do not work for the weapons business. Most of them cannot name most of the wars currently happening. And most of them do not know that their nation is the leading weapons dealer, base builder, coup instigator, drone killer, and war wager.
The people of the United States do not directly experience the bombings, the destruction, the darkness of electricity gone, the hunger, the homelessness, the poisoned environment, the endless violence and bitterness. War looks a lot like a video game or a movie. And, in fact, most people see a lot more video games and movies than even sanitized news “reports” on wars.
Numerous wars are never “reported on” at all by U.S. corporate media. Congress Members learn of wars, sometimes, only when US troops require funerals. But mercenaries reduce that problem. So do robots. So do proxies.
Of course, there is a war holiday every time you turn around, and sporting events begin with publicly-funded war celebrations before thanking US troops for watching from 175 nations. The whole culture is militarized — armed to the teeth, guarded and metal detectored, the language of militarism normalized, discarded veterans on the streets and in the prisons. Borders are war zones. But this is all viewed — if that’s even the word — as normal and inevitable, not as any indication that there is any war underway. In US culture the word “war” most often refers to something unrelated to war — a war on Christmas, a war on privacy, a war on woke, etc.
Actual wars are waged without public debate, without Congressional debate, without Congressional authorization or awareness. Congress dumps over half of the money it appropriates each year into the war machine, but pays very little attention to what happens to it. In a video last week, a leading progressive Congress Member declared that he supported shipping weapons to Ukraine for a war, but that he did not know the meaning of “Donbas” or “Crimea.”
Why should he? Every single Democrat and every single Republican in the US Congress supports the war machine. Why learn the subtleties of a debate that will never be held? Corporate media attention to war is not in proportion to its percentage of discretionary spending. It’s usually not there at all, and when it is we’d be better off without it. (There’s also no reporting on what percentage of federal spending goes into war, so it’s not as if people know and accept that either.)
Ukraine is the special, chosen war. It’s in US corporate media. The reporting even includes victims of war in a way that many of us have wished media outlets would report on victims of numerous other wars. But there’s nothing on what led to the war, on US government opposition to ending the war, or on the evils of more than one side of the war. The victims are reported on, but not counted. The scale of the senseless destruction is not made clear. The risk of nuclear war is evaded. The notion that war may not be perfectly legal gets a brief mention (finally!) in reference to one side. The idea that cluster bombs, shredding the flesh of little children, may be anything less than pleasant enters the US media as Russia uses them, and departs as the US government proposes to supply them to Ukraine.
Norman Solomon gives us some insights into how this picture-worse-than-blindness is generated, how journalists who step out of line are dealt with, how those who toe the line are rewarded, how whistleblowers are punished, and how spinning is spun. Any mention of people dying in Afghanistan on CNN was required to include a discussion of September 11, 2001, as a complete justification. Wars that are one-sided slaughters of distant people are made invisible by not considering those people to matter. US media consumers think that in US wars the victims are about half made up of US troops. Yet the same people would be outraged by any suggestion that a mass shooter in a US shopping mall had suffered roughly as much as his victims.
Dubya banned US caskets from the airwaves. Biden declared the United States to be at peace. Many might wonder whether it hadn’t already been at peace for all the years stretching out between that trouble a longtime back in Iraq and the new appearance of war in the world in Ukraine. But whatever happened in Iraq must not have been George W. Bush’s fault, since he’s as welcome in government and media circles as Henry Kissinger, and far more welcome than anyone who’s opposed any wars. If anyone’s been made into a celebrity or even a holiday, like Martin Luther King Jr., they are simply stripped of any antiwar history and presented as more-or-less Santa Claus who once made a cheerful speech about how everything was right in the empire.
The use to which we should put Solomon’s book is to understand how war is made invisible and to begin to make it visible. The reason to do so is discernible in all the massive efforts that go into making war invisible. That wouldn’t be done if not for a very serious fear — the fear that if people only saw war they would put an end to it.
David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is executive director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson’s books include War Is A Lie and When the World Outlawed War. He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org. He hosts Talk Nation Radio. This originally appeared at WorldBeyondWar.org.
Bring back the draft! Americans would experience the horrors of war once again, and maybe this time they’d say “enough!”
Never worked before. History’s battlefields are littered with dead conscripts. There’s no reason to think that subjecting a bunch of poor slobs to military slavery—which very few of them will have the courage to resist—will do anything to improve matters in the world. (“B-b-but Vietnam!” Oh, sure! It ended alright. But not before two decades of conflict, well over a million deaths and incalculable misery for many millions more . . . much of it courtesy of obedient draftees.) But as long as I’ve been coming to this and other antiwar websites—and that’s 20+ years now—I’ve always seen these dumb comments (some of them, presumably, from bitter, misanthropic boomers who just want “these damned kids” to feel the same pain, fear and hopelessness they felt fifty years ago) about bringing back the draft being the key to peace.
But really, if compounding human suffering can end human suffering, why not just go straight for the jugular and advocate for thermonuclear war? That would really show those non-combatants what it’s all about.
“compounding human suffering can end human suffering…”
You hit the nail on the head. Two wrongs don’t make a right, and one wrong never makes up for another, it just adds more negative Karma to the mix.
Vietnam is in fact a perfect example of why we need to reinstate the draft. College campuses and much of the country were in open rebellion because of the Vietnam war, and it was precisely because people were subject to the draft. Now Americans don’t give a damn about all the U.S. wars for empire, because only people financially desperate enough volunteer for the military. As former Major Danny Sjursen put it, people have to have “skin in the game” in order to actually give a damn.
And BTW, I wouldn’t call comments advocating for reinstatement of the draft “stupid.” That description is more apt for comments like yours, that don’t take into account the issues that I raised, and instead falsely assume nonexistent motives for those of us who advocate for the draft. I’m as anti-war as anyone, and it’s clear as day to me that without the draft, the anti-war movement in the U.S. will continue to be dead.
Israel has a draft. Russia has a draft. Ukraine has a near universal draft. You really want the US to be like these paragons of liberty and peace?
I’m with you. As long as we’re insulated from feeling the horror of war intruding into our daily lives, antiwar movements are not a priority.
The draft is 100% involuntary servitude, or, in other words, slavery, and, as such, is not only reprehensibly immoral, it is prohibited by the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution.
Those who advocate for the draft and those who advocate for aggressive warfare share the same mentality, that other people’s lives and values are theirs to use at will for the purposes of the enslavers, with no consideration of the slave’s own lives, values and purposes.
As to the practical aspects of the draft, you think it is all too easy to foist an unnecessary war on Americans now? Just wait till the feds have an unlimited source of cannon fodder.
And besides, those in power know a draft is bad for business. Hard to throw wars when you’re forcing people to fight them.
Here’s the big Dick(cheney):
“We are fortunate to have a group of men and women, an all-volunteer force, who voluntarily put on the uniform and go in harm’s way for the rest of us” Cheney said.
Correct. Contrary to the understanding and position of the people arguing against the draft here, the draft was ended because the ruling class and military/intelligence/industrial complex knew that it was creating massive opposition to U.S. wars of empire.
Well said, brother!
War is also moving away from use of large masses of infantry. Not that infantry will ever go completely away, but we’re moving more and more into remotely controlled, and eventually robotic/AI-powered weapons platforms, and away from “boots on the ground.” In the future, war casualties will probably be almost entirely civilian, and the military casualties will mostly be e.g. drone pilots whose HQ takes a missile hit.
The draft is really geared toward “we need a lot of people who can be trained for six weeks, handed a rifle, and sent into action.” That’s not the way war works now.
“Here’s the big Dick(cheney):”
Just to clarify — he IS a big Dick, not he HAS a big Dick.
Exactly! Also, let’s not forget that they blamed their ban of pictures of caskets on the families of dead soldiers.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-families-want-photo-ban/
“Those who advocate for the draft and those who advocate for aggressive warfare share the same mentality, that other people’s lives and values are theirs to use at will for the purposes of the enslavers, with no consideration of the slave’s own lives, values and purposes.”
Wrong regarding my position, as is obvious. The purposes of having a draft are, first and foremost, to make people in danger of being harmed or killed in war so that they have a much higher tendency to oppose war — for the umpteenth time, look at the massive rebellions during the Vietnam war — and also to fairly share this sacrifice if we would ever need to defend our country, as unlikely as that ever is.
The war continued all the way through the “massive rebellions,” resulting in the death of millions of Vietnamese and tens of thousands of Americans.
And if it is ever brought back for a war, that war will continue through any “massive rebellions” short of actual revolution, too.
Enslavers don’t care about the lives of those they enslave, or about the opinions of those who oppose slavery.
Yes, but at least there were rebellions. Now there is silence. Rebellions at least give us a chance to stop the war, silence gives us none.
I’m in favor of making college education free. Many of my friends and neighbors went into the military because they couldn’t afford college and didn’t have other options.
There’s no way of actually making college education free. Even if all professors were enslaved, they’d still have to be fed.
The issue is who pays, and how.
“Free” college education is a proposal that taxpayers pick up 100%, more or less, of the tab instead of only most of it.
Which, if we’re going to to keep “public” universities and community colleges, doesn’t seem like a terrible idea even to me.
Of course, but $100 K per college student is still cheaper than sending them to war.
Many other countries have free college, including poor ones like Cuba. There is no excuse for it not being free in the U.S., the richest country in the history of the planet.
No countries have free college. Education is a scarce resource, and therefore has costs.
You’re nitpicking about semantics. When people say “free” college, they mean that the students don’t pay tuition. Furthermore, if money is your chief concern here, just take it from the military budget and/or tax the rich for it.
It’s not that “money is my chief concern here.”
It’s that words mean things, and lazily using the word “free” to describe something that, using one of your examples, constitutes the single largest government budget line in Cuba, hides the meaning.
Not too long ago, I heard some especially stupid politician assert that “we” need to “invest in” “free” college education. If “we”
are “investing” in it, “we” are paying for it. And it’s incumbent upon “us” to consider how much “we” are willing to “invest,” and how, and why, rather than merely waving our hands and saying “free” like it’s some kind of fucking magic spell.
Agreed.
The lad’s crawl came to a sudden halt with the realization it was a tiny projectile that ricocheted off the gravel. It burns like hell, but his friend is right there, just within arms reach. He reaches out only to be rebuffed, “it’s too late” the friend moans then repositions his arm to take some pressure off the chest, face down. The lad takes out his phone and begins typing, “I’m wounded, too”. “Hang in there” comes the response. He puts the phone down and looks to his downed friend who’s now beginning to rattle.
!!CRACK!!
A white hot lighting rod thrust through ribs, spine, and sternum; the enraged thunderstorm is crackling, surging, seething through every nerve and vessel; savagely overturning his body, crashing like a mountainous volcanic demon wrecking and sundering, burning and crushing, leaving only blackness in its wake. Noo, noo he rattles softly, watching the most beautiful moments of his short life, as the dark maelstrom consumes, and his own dying lament goes unnoticed in the din of battle.
You sometimes wonder about just how old these writers are who bemoan corporate media.
Corporate media is dying, the numbers reflect that and people are finding new ways to inform themselves.
The powers that be have realized the public do not believe them anymore hence this current use of the justice system to go after a political opponent and the censorship via the fascistic government and social media collaboration.
You do not get so overtly fascist unless you are losing control and people do not believe you nor trust you.
It’s obvious the people no longer believe the corporate media anymore and are informing themselves through other means given just how low poll numbers are.
You’re confusing the platform with the source. Most Americans still get their news from corporate propaganda machines. See https://letter.ly/where-do-people-get-their-news/
It doesn’t matter whether the platform is TV, a phone, a desktop, or whatever. What matters is the source. Hell, just look at the Pavlovian reaction that almost all Americans had to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If they had gotten their news from objective sources instead of the corporate propaganda machine, they wouldn’t have reacted that way.
The author was speaking of “broadcast news”
When was the last time you sat through a whole CBS, ABC, or NBC newscast?
That is my point.
You are getting to wrapped up in the public’s mood initially and the popup polling when they were asked about something they had no idea about.
Today where is the public?
Especially those who have bothered to inform themselves about a war far away.
Biden is losing to the guy he managed to beat the last time (with a lot of help from his friends) and now he’s losing to him as he’s a war President.
The public has now informed themselves, war support is waning and Biden’s poll numbers are getting embarrassing.
All while broadcast news audience numbers continues their decent into CCN territory.
Jeff even your link (Pew studies are “OK” for our purposes but they are not “research” quality) share consumers derive their “news” from the TV at a 35% level but the author neglected to share the breakdown of sources (if available, this is a Pew study not a academic one) but given what is available outside of just broadcast news that number lowers further.
So Jeffery….you provided us with something that kind of bolstures my point about the populace not deriving their news from broadcast news sources….thanks.
At 35%, the plurality still get their news from TV, and the large majority still get it from corporate/establishment/mainstream sources.
BTW, only my late mother called me “Jeffry,” and there’s no second “e” in my name.
Jeffry, 35% added to nothing is not a plurality but nice try I guess.
The polling numbers in regards to public support of that war is waning even in media hack polling like your Pew poll.
In good polls with decent questions the support really sucks which demonstrates just like your Pew poll, unlike what the author postulates about the ability of “broadcast news” to move the majority of public opinion is not true.
June 10, 2023 The Hegemon Will Go Full Hybrid War Against BRICS+
The Hybrid War 2.0 against the Global South has not even started. Swing states, you have all been warned. U.S. Think Tank Land hacks are not exactly familiar with Montaigne: “On the highest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own bottom.” A said
https://strategic-culture.org/news/2023/06/10/the-hegemon-will-go-full-hybrid-war-against-brics/
https://www.globalresearch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/brics-us-nato.jpg
“If anyone’s been made into a celebrity or even a holiday, like Martin Luther King Jr., they are simply stripped of any antiwar history and presented as more-or-less Santa Claus who once made a cheerful speech about how everything was right in the empire.” WOW!!!! Well said, brother!