CONFRONTING THE ROMANCE OF VIOLENCE:OUR
SOCIETY AS A CULT OF MILITARISM.
A Presentation for the Conference of the EUROPEAN
NETWORK FOR PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS, 20/21
October 2005, European Parliament, Brussels By
Theresa Wolfwood Summary “At
Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas and other places anti-war protesters
congregate these days the refrain can be heard: We’re against the war
but we support our brave soldiers.” William Blum
“The hunter crouches in his blind 'Neath camouflage of every kind This grown-up man, with pluck and luck Is
hoping to outwit a duck.”
Ogden Nash “In
order to understand a thing, one must change it.”
Maria
Mies In
the information for this conference, the organizers ask: What can the
peace movement do to resist the grave and growing threats to civilised
life? What strategies might be most effective? What should our priorities
be? Our Conference in Brussels in October provides a timely forum for
activists from different countries and movements to share their various
perspectives on how to respond to the many challenging questions we face. The
great threat to creating civilized life is the cult of violence that is
the matrix of our separate lives and the events that connect us. Margaret
Thatcher is quoted as saying there is no such thing as society. We all
know that is a lie; but do we know how our Eurocentric society and many
others are held together by the acceptance of the legitimacy of violence.
This is the toxic soil that has spawned "Full Spectrum
Dominance". I
think it is time we examined our romance with violence, within and outside
the peace movement. It is time we look behind that picture and discover
and understand the human longing for peace and to plan how we as a
movement can be the vision of that possibility. Introduction.
Questions are hard, but it is worse to remain silent… ….We must see all, and say all to satisfy the dead who died with such indignity….”
James
Kirkup -
No
More Hiroshimas. Spokesman
Books. UK. As a woman I stand somewhat outside the mainstream of society even though I was raised to believe in all the good values of imperialism – the superiority of the British, the honour of the military and the concept of the just war. Maybe the sight of my overworked mother making bandages for distant soldiers started my doubts. And at university I was exposed to other students who had different ideas about the cold war, the concept of freedom and injustice at home. I also came smack up against white male dominance in science at a time when feminism and sexual harassment were unknown, even in language. In my studies a man named Gilbert LaBine was held up s a model. This prospector made a name and tidy sum when he “discovered” uranium & other radioactive minerals in Canada’s north. Canada’s Mining Hall of Fame says, “LaBine richly deserved the title as Canada's Mr. Uranium; he was invested into the Order of the British Empire in 1946, and was made a member of the Order of Canada.” http://www.halloffame.mining.ca/halloffame His
discovery (helped by the native people who took him to the outcrops of
rock he showed them) gave the USA military a secure source of uranium, up
until then controlled by Belgium, it was mined in the Congo. It was used
in the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Canada is today the
world’s major exporter of uranium. We seldom hear of the results of
uranium mining which created a village of widows in one northern community
where men were used as coolies to pack out the ore. The people of the
province of Saskatchewan today enjoy good social services, thanks to
uranium mining. The sickness and death of thousands in Iraq and elsewhere
as a result of exposure to depleted uranium is not part of their health
program information. It
is not only the lack of connection but the culture of militarism that
makes this acceptable. Ties of peace are only periods of preparation for
war; Rosalie Bertell points out that after the WW2, there was no
disarmament, unlike after other wars in history. The arms race continued
and still does, with a brief blip in 1991. Canada’s military spending is
at an all time high and so is that of many countries. This
tolerance, this assumption of militarism and the right to commit violence
in the name of the state would not be possible without the cooperation and
cooption of the major forces of society. Our education system, religion,
the media, and popular culture reinforce the ties that bind us in a cult
of violence disguised as glory and patriotism. One blatant form of romanticizing violence is the oxymoron military peace-keeping, yet another way to control poor countries in conflict, and make them safe for profit. At the same time, increases in military budgets are justified by the explanation we are helping the world to make us feel good about our munificence. Appropriate development aid, control on arms sales, solidarity, just trade and peaceful conflict resolution would really help the people in conflict areas. Our
Society Of
course we have a society that shapes and moulds us: Mrs Thatcher just did
not want us to challenge it. Remember she used to say: there is no
alternative. That was a big lie; this meeting today is a response to that
lie and many others. By examining the matrix of violence and militarism we
can respond with a vision of peaceful, not just alternatives, but new ways
of living and organizing society. The Peace movement has the
responsibility to not only inform and analyze, but to be a model for a new
way of social organizing – before it is too late. I believe it is never
to late to work for the transformation of society. In
school history is taught as a series of battles; generals are glorified.
At schools and universities in many countries the state is allowed, even
encouraged to recruit for the military. Canada recruits children from the
age of twelve as cadet-soldiers; we will not and cannot sign onto the
international convention on child soldiers. Joining the cadets is
presented as a a sort of free summer camp, the fun of group travel and the
lure of flying lessons or other skills. For older students the military
presents a way to get university education free. No one questions why
summer camps and free education are not possible for all young people in
one of the richest countries of the world. And
there is always the thrill of being in a band; learning music and parading
in front of an admiring public or greeting important visitors. How many of
us feel a rush when we hear the drums and pipes of a marching band;
designed to instil bravery in those about to kill and die? I have always
wondered why a government welcomes foreign dignitaries with a row of stone
faced young men clutching guns, why not be greeted by kindergarten
children and teachers or cleaners with brooms; do we consider soldiers
more important than childcare and health workers? Universities
across Canada, always short of funds as governments continually shrink
education budgets are thrilled to sponsor military research. Our
government uses our taxes for the military to buy scholars’ time and
intellects, the USA military also sponsors research in Canada. Findings
are usually secret, in spite of the claims of administrators that academic
freedom (to take money from the military) is a sacred value, but the
knowledge created is not available for the public. This is happening with
much corporate-sponsored research as well, the results belong to the
funder. And scholars love the perks of conferences, awards, special
schools and chairs funded by the military and industry which is often
closely related to the military. In the halls of academe where the
questions of ethics and morality of a society should be considered, there
is no discussion of the morality of aiding in illegal wars, and crimes
again humanity and the earth. There
is an intimacy in much of the violence we experience. When
I visited Odessa 10 years ago and stood looking down the famous steps, I
could see the Cossack pushing away the baby carriage in the classic film
“The Battleship Potemkin.” In the film about Diego Garcia comes the
image of US soldiers rounding up and killing with their vehicle exhaust
pet dogs of the soon to be exiled peoples.
It is these vivid fragments that often create the reaction to the horror
of violence. And many more films romanticize war; WW2 is now a major
industrial product of Hollywood. Is corporal punishment still permitted in your schools? The
UK poet, Adrienne Mitchell says in, National Pride
Haiku, if
smacking children were
an Olympic event England
would take the gold. If that is no longer true,
it is because people like you stopped it. Yet
as a result, probably of the constant glorification of violence in popular
culture, violence in schools is still common among students. There are
organizations now that work to create peaceful conflict resolution classes
and empowerment in schools. I would like you to see the work of Hetty van
Gurp. The peace movement has yet to seriously examine the violence of
popular culture and its appeal to young people. We are beginning, for
instance, to learn about the close links between the entertainment
industries and the military. The media romanticizes the bravery of
soldiers, the power of unquestioning patriotism and the awe of
technological death machines. The media rarely covers the myriad of
peaceful events around the world, peace brigades, conflict peacemakers and
those who empower themselves to stop violence in their communities –
like the government of Rio de Janeiro who used soap opera stars to
convince men to give up their arms – which they did when they were
confronted with the unromantic concept that maybe guns were a compensation
for mall penises and poor sexual performance. Funny and successful! Not so
far-fetched; in military training in the USA soldiers are taught a jingo
that they have 2 guns, one for killing, one for fun. Economic
Reality Undoubtedly
many young people are attracted to military life and military industries
for economic reasons. For young men in the majority world, unemployed,
unskilled with little status, the military life is one of power and
excitement. Since there is little public discourse about the morality of
killing for a living, even indirectly by working in arms factories, it is
easy to be attracted to secure work in these insecure times. Taxes,
subsidies, government agencies, easy loans feed the military industries
and starve industries that work for renewable energy, public housing and
education. Again a Mitchell poem: Back
to the Happidrome. “..Tear
the face off the human race-
with British Aerospace
it gives employment…” In
war ravaged, now globalization-ravaged, Mozambique, people are terribly
poor, but some groups have combined these issues into a stunning solution;
rewarding people to turn in stashes of armaments – which are later
destroyed and the materials used for many things, including sculpture. A
speaker from on of these groups that gives farming and other useful
equipment in return for weapons told me: “Maintaining a Culture of Peace
Requires an Economic Solution.” Here
the peace movement has to make connections. We have to work to create a
just and equitable world where the labour of life is rewarded with
economic security and status – be it garbage collection, nursing or
farming. So, why not? The massive budgets of the military and its
disconnection from accountability means they are free to woo young people
for dirty work. Our
governments have given incredible powers to large corporations through
many international agreements and institutions – from the World Trade
Organization, to the International Monetary Fund (known in Africa as the
Infant Mortality Fund) to strip our lives of public services, the commons
of resources and knowledge. In return we have been reduced to commodities
ourselves. Vast numbers of people have no meaningful work, farmers and
villagers are driven from their lands by wars, dams and industrial
development to benefit the rich. Life for the dispossessed of many nations
offers little hope; hence the ease with which they are persuaded that
their plight is caused by a different ethnic or religious group and hatred
is easy to arouse. Even women, in a perverted form of feminism and
desperation are willing to kill for a living. In a massive perversion of
International Women’s Day and its purpose, women in the Russian army
were given perfume, flowers and a card by the president. We
give away our birthright when we adhere to these international giveaways.
Yet many countries are beginning to say NO. In Latin America, the deadline
for signing onto FTAA, Jan.1, 2005, passed without a whisper and several
countries –Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela kept their pens at home. In
Canada, the injustice of the USA in refusing to honour NAAFTA, an
agreement it rammed down our throats, is an example to the world and a
wake-up call to Canadians. We are beginning to understand another
ramification of “Full Spectrum Dominance.” We see the many attempts to
overthrow the government of Venezuela ads well as long standing efforts to
destroy Cuba – the only country in the hemisphere with free education
and healthcare for all. When all these economic and political efforts –
all forms of violence – fail, military violence is threatened and used
– Colombia to Iraq. But people who understand the connections between
the violence of military dominance and the violence of economic dominance
are amazingly resilient and in forming the new global resistance are
challenging full spectrum dominance everywhere. Many, like Wangari Maathai,
Nobel peace Laureate, now understand the connection between global
resource depletion, conflict, poverty and climate change. Women Rosalie
Bertell believes we can overcome our addiction to violence by changing our
core values; as any of us have in the issues of children’s rights,
animal rights, and the right of differently gendered people. Once we
recognize our addiction to the romance of violence we can work to change
it. But
I keep returning in my mind and heart to the most intimate and accepted
form of violence – and the most prevalent. I ask you, as I ask myself,
if a man can treat with violence, sometimes even murder, those who are
closest and most intimate persons in their lives, then is it not easy to
understand why they are willing to torture, injure and kill strangers?
Women are the main victims of violence in the world from the home to
warfare. Yet, in our society still, this violence is often a matter of
humour, in others it is the romance of religious purity. If we can
understand the rage and power posturing of individual men, we may
understand why so many men are willing to go to war. The peace movement
does not often address the issue of power, We need to…soon. Last
summer I visited the memorial in front of Vancouver’s bus/ train depot.
to the 14 Montreal women, murdered in 1989, While I walked the circle of
benches and read the donor names on the bricks, I read on one brick in the
circle: “In
memory of the women of Vancouver’s Eastside. We dream of another world
when the war on women is over”.
There is a war on women in the home and on the street, in the
forests and deserts of war and the peace movement must recognize it. Conclusion We
in the peace movement are beginning the complex and necessary work of
connecting all kinds of violence. We are taking our place in the new
global movements of the world, of people who do not want power for greed
and dominance but power sharing for a new and urgently needed way to live.
Peace activists will have to embrace democracy and rights advocates,
environmentalists, artists, education and psychology workers for peace. We
will soon realize that the way forward for citizens of peace is to work
for peace in every aspect of life. I would like to close with the
inspiring words of Rosalie Bertell again. “The
continuity of life, the call for making things better for the next and the
next generations blots out all hesitation…We have to be part of
something larger than ourselves, because our dreams are often bigger than
our lifetimes.” REFERENCES
& READING LIST Periodicals Alternatives
Journal, Canada
www.alternativesjournal.ca
Canadian
Dimension. Canada. www.canadiandimension.mb.ca
New
Internationalist, UK/Canada. www.newint.org
Peace
News. UK www.peacenews.info Press
For Conversion! Canada. www.coat.ncf.ca
The
Whole Circle. Canada. www.bbcf.ca
Books ADDICTED
TO WAR: Why the US Can’t Kick Militarism. AK Press. USA & UK
www.akpress.org
EMPIRE
NO MORE! Ken
Coates. 2004. Spokesman Books, UK. www.spokesmanbooks.com
FREEING
THE WORLD TO DEATH: Essays on the American Empire.
William Blum. 2004. Common Courage Press, USA. MISSING
SARAH: A Vancouver Woman remembers her vanished sister.
Maggie de Vries. 2003. Penguin. Canada PLANET
EARTH: The Latest Weapon of War. 2000.
Women’s Press. UK ROSALIE
BERTELL: Scientist, Eco-Feminist, Visionary. Mary-Louise
Engels, 2005. Women’s Press, Toronto, CANADA THE
SHADOW KNOWS: POEMS 2000-2004. Adrian
Mitchell. 2004. Bloodaxe Books. UK THE
SUBSISTENCE PERSPECTIVE:
beyond the
globalized economy. Maria
Mies & Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen.
ZED BOOKS, London, UK & New York, USA.
THE
SUICIDE BOMBERS. Ed.
Ken Coates. The Spokesman. # 87. 2005. www.spokesmanbooks.com
WOMEN
AGAINST THE IRON FIST: Alternatives
to Militarism 1900- 1989. Sybil Oldfield, Basil Blackwell Ltd. Oxford,
UK. Films/Videos
STEALING
A NATION.
2004. John Pilger. www.pilger.carlton.com
If we learned in all the sentimentality of the reporting of the
Tsunami tragedy of December 2004, that lives could have been saved if the
USA military had passed on the warning from its gigantic base on Diego
Garcia, we have John Pilger to thank. TEACHING
PEACE IN A TIME OF WAR
Directed by Teresa MacInnes.
Produced by Kent Martin & Peter d’Entremont.
Montreal, PQ: National Film Board of Canada, 2003. 54 min. In
Canada phone: 1-800-267-7710. International
see: www.nfb.ca
This
film is the story of a remarkable Canadian woman, Hetty van
Gurp, who founded a growing organization, Peaceful Schools International.
The daughter of a man disturbed by his experiences in WW2, Hetty changed
her life when her 14-year-old son, Dan, was killed at school by a bully.
She gave up regular school teaching and decided to devote her life to
teaching peace.
VILLAGE
OF WIDOWS.
Peter Blow,
Lindum Films, Peterborough, ON Canada lindum@sprint.ca.
Few Canadians know that Canada provided most of the uranium for the
bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Few of us know
the devastating effect that the uranium ore extraction had on the
Dene people of Great Bear Lake.
Other
Information WORLD
PEACE FORUM
Vancouver,
BC, CANADA. June 23-28, 2006. To
get involved or for further information, contact the World Peace Forum
Society at:
Tel.1-
604 687-3223
Fax:
1- 604 687-3277 www.peace.ca/worldpeaceforumvancouver.htm
E-Mail:
admin@worldpeaceforum.ca
1000
WOMEN FOR THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2005:
www.1000peacewomen.org. THE
BARNARD-BOECKER CENTRE FOUNDATION
website is
the site of some of my quotes and ideas. www.bbcf.ca
Theresa Wolfwood,
Barnard-Boecker Centre Foundation, Victoria, BC, CANADA
bbcf@bbcf.ca
www.bbcf.ca
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