Is it just me?
I can’t seem to take sides in this War. I can’t seem to care there is a war going on.(I am not even sure I should call this a war, but that’s beside the point) I mean, here I am, in a country that itself wages a long-drawn-out “war” with a neighbour over a piece of land, half of whose people don’t know what’s going on, and the other half don’t bloomin’ give a damn. How fair would it be for me to make comments about the President of a country, even though he might be a moron, a savant, or just a bumbling warmonger? I can scream “President Bush! You asshole! You are wasting lives and hurting the economy!!!” As if that’s going to matter. Instead I think about Neville Chamberlain, pre-World War II British Prime Minister, and him trying to placate Hitler just as he was coming into power, and going all-out on an anti-war stance. People sided with him then, and later when Hitler stormed across Europe, everybody was of the opinion that Chamberlain sucked big-time and peace was for wussies, up and at them, boys. You can’t blame Bush. He’s taken his lessons from History. And of course, Mom.(The bad guys are to be punished, beta. Eat this gaajar ka halwaa, finish off the pie, and go sock’em! )
I don’t think I am comparing Saddam Hussein to Hitler either. Jeez! This is all so funny, how can I have an opinion about a guy whom I have read about in newspapers and bad-guy novels? Honour Among Thieves, anyone? That had Mr Hussein stealing the Declaration of Independence to shame Bush Sr, and a band of intrepid adventurers going all out in a race against time to grab the stolen Doc. (For that matter, there was another Archer story about some carpet merchant, ex-Saddam Hussein minister. The same villainous portrait of the Iraqi president. But that’s jingoism for you )
So we have the two World Leaders screwing around with normal life as we know it. There might be nothing normal about life in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Like I said, I don’t freaking KNOW. And I’m not too sure if I ought to care, because my life here in Hyderabad, India is going on quite hunky-dory. And before people start screaming that I am callous, and I am uncivilised and I am a blot towards humanity, allow me to further say that even if I care, even if I worry and tear my hair out about WHY this war is happening, or what’s going to happen to those poor Iraqi civilians, or who’s going to bury those wretched American soldiers who got shot down, it wouldn’t matter!!! The war might get over tomorrow, or it might get over in a month, or it might continue for five years. But I am not gonna care. Unless a nuke drops on my office building, or in my backyard, or I get run over by a car tomorrow morning, under which circumstances I might be too far gone to give a damn….or somebody I know gets killed in the war, or because of it.
I sound like such a loser. But that’s just me, I guess.
Its heartening to know that you at least thought about the war. Many dont. War is thoughtless and dumb is all I can say, regardless of who the perpetrator is. Though no one I know is dead yet due to the war, the professor I was the TA for has been arrested. Imagine the amount of pain his family, peacefully settled in the US must be going through. I can imagine that and so , I hate the war. This war, at any rate, is uncalled for.
I meant the professor I am the Teaching assistant for. I forget that his absence does not mean that the course is not there any longer.
This kind of “collateral damage” is damaging enough. Good thing I am on a fellowship, else , in the absence of the course, i would not be receiving my salary as a T.A.
So , war affects our lives in more ways than one. Say if I were not working as a TA, I wouldnt have money to buy you comics or have high speed internet and that affects you too :)
I get your point.
It’s nice saying “wars suck!”, but they will be around, no doubt. Megalomania and stupidity combined leads to a lot of needless slaughter and sorrow. I say “needless”, because death is inevitable for everyone, and death and destruction wouldn’t really matter to me unless it’s people close to me who are involved. Is that the same with everyone or is it just me?
Am I making any sense here?
That was very well written. As for the war, i think as a country, we have already gone a long way down the road of apathy over the last many years. and that includes me. iraq? hell, somebody fix kashmir first.
hell, somebody fix kashmir first.
Bang on target, buddy.
But who will? No, don’t bother to answer that. Just talking to myself….
I repeat – war is futile
> The war might get over tomorrow, or it might get over in a month, or it might continue for five years. But I am not gonna care. Unless a nuke drops on my office building, or in my backyard, or I get run over by a car tomorrow morning, under which circumstances I might be too far gone to give a damn….or somebody I know gets killed in the war, or because of it.
No, it is not you. All of us feel the same. At least from the inside. We talk about the war and the wrath all the time but it does not really matter to us. At the end of the day you will be happy if you have a great day at work or I will be joyous if I manage an A in Software Engineering paper and so on. Only the soldiers and their families or the civilians who get affected directly can feel the vehemence.
Taking Sadam or Bush’ side does not make sense. At least not to me.
Re: I repeat – war is futile
Very true.
For a couple of days, I was really feeling like a freak…detached from everything, cricket, war, whatever – doesn’t matter to me. So it’s not just me…
But again, I really wonder if war is futile or not. Or is it just a fulfilment – that deep at heart every male human being wants to go out and “have an adventure”,”slay the enemy”, “be a hero”….what better way to do it except through war?