Pro-war sentiment narrowminded, ignorant

I opened up Friday’s edition of The Daily Free Press and smiled, being somewhat used to newspapers airbrushing over the realities of the huge anti-war movement that can be found in Boston and across the globe. I came across something interesting in a quote from a pro-war student in ‘750 from BU join city-wide anti-war efforts’ that brought a few questions to mind about the puzzling body of people that support this war (March 21, pg. 1). Hopefully this can be cleared up because it doesn’t make much sense to me.

I protested on Thursday, and I can’t tell you how peculiar it was to be marching past some of my peers that took to staring from the sidelines, with a look of surprise that something like this was actually going on. Walking past the School of Management, I felt eyes on me mixed with hate, scorn and what I can only describe as the in-the-gut response when the popular girls gather and sneer at you in the hallway of junior high. Why such animosity? The quote from Brian Chaitoff the next day summed it up.

Why should I be mocked? The narrowmindedness and ignorance of his comments made me wonder if the whole pro-war side is this stupid. I love this country because you can voice your opinion. I have Republican friends who, although they have obviously not convinced me, will talk about the war and back their arguments up with hard facts and justifications that led them to be pro-war. But as long as those supporting the war give such doofball responses as ‘I think many do not know the history. They’re a bunch of hippies,’ Republicans and pro-war people will be given the SUV-driving, gun-slinging, racist, rich, no-brained idiots that most people on the left see them as.

What history are you talking about? I know the history of this country and its catastrophic relations with the rest of the world. Do you read history or historical journals? Read Lewis Lapham’s recent essay in Harper’s Magazine, look at ‘Guernica’ on the cover of the New Yorker, read Reuters, The Washington Post, Ha’aretz, The Guardian or be so brave as to read the reasons people hate this war at Michaelmoore.com, antiwar.com, United For Peace or even read the factoids on System of a Down’s website. Tell me the history of Saddam Hussein, the terrifying dictator that the United States put into power, or that of Osama bin Laden, the Afghan who we trained.

You don’t even need to go to the library or pick up a confusing newspaper and take time to process the information: open to Friday’s witty Daily Free Press column by Andy Christman (‘American letter of apology,’ March 21, pg. 3), or download Bowling for Columbine to watch the clip listing the world’s dictators and terrorists America has assisted. It will be spelled out for you, without big words or complicated text: things are not as simple as you think. If you are going to be for this war, then give me some real reasons. What do you indicate by calling protesters ‘hippies?’ One man screamed curses to the crowd on Thursday, saying ‘get out of my country, you (expletive)!’ while another, an older man, was arrested for punching a protester.

It is unfair to think that students, professors, teachers, scientists, mothers, grandmothers, intellectuals, veterans, children, artists, politicians and even the Pope belong to some minority, a ‘focus group’ as the president says. It seems that those with half-baked ideas and apathetic responses such as those from Mr. Chaitoff are far more descriptive of a slacker hippie who doesn’t know much of anything about the millions of educated and intelligent people who are anti-war. What is ignorant of saying ‘Rich lie, poor die?’ Students know that we are privileged by being in this country, and by being at such a fluffy university, we know we are surrounded by and perhaps belong to the rich. You don’t have to be poor, hungry or Iraqi to fight for their rights and the rights of the free world. Some say ‘Remember 9/11,’ and as a New Yorker who witnessed and felt the grief of the event, I do.

I also know that things like economic sanctions and war fuels anti-American sentiment and terrorism like Sept. 11. (Read what is on the back of the protester’s shirt in Friday’s article.) Some say I am anti-American, but speaking my opinion is my democratic right. I love this place, I am an American. I support and pray for our troops, and want them come home alive. Those against the war fill the streets of the globe. The protesters are Americans, and I don’t understand why we have been brushed aside as unimportant and foolish. Do you find protesters threatening and resort to mocking? I am your peer, your fellow citizen, and I’m putting my opinion out on the table; I would be thrilled if you could give me something better and concrete to believe that this killing and destruction are justified, but making fun of me leads me to think that you are diverting me from the real issues. Try thinking for a change. It’s patriotic.