Our generation's gut check
Mark, this may surprise you to hear this from me but I don't necessarily think that our generation is really any weaker in our resolve than previous generations. I understand that argument and even sympathize with it to an extent, but ultimately think that it's a little too easy. We are certainly different than previous generations, and Lord knows we're more opinionated too, but as to being stronger or weaker, well . . . I think we're probably stronger than even we yet realize.
The difference I think is something like this: unlike the WW2 generation and previous ones, we live in the era of the non-stop 24-hour news cycle. Unlike the 1940's, there's no time for reflection before we see inflammatory images splashed across our screens and newspapers. There's no time for reflection or attempt to put things into any kind of historical perspective. We see pictures of Abu Ghraib and immediately think back to movies like "Platoon" and all the old baby killer myths about Vietnam without acknowledging the ugly truth that war is a bad business and that it always has been. However, as hard as it is to think clearly in this environment, especially with a news media that isn't as neutral as it claims to be, we seem to be doing a pretty good job. Despite the relentlessly negative spin put out by CBS and the New York Times on the war's progress, and the shrieking of the Michael Moores of the world, I don't think we'll puss out (a-la Spain and The Philippines) and quit the battlefield.
Despite the cacophony, I think the images of people leaping from the burning towers are still fresh enough in most peoples' minds that we'll manage to keep the fortitude to see this thing through to the bitter end, no matter how many soldiers and marines we lose, or how many poor civilians we have murdered. That's just war, guys. It's horrible and heartbreaking but if this is the price that we have to pay to ensure that we never have to endure another 9/11, then we have to do it.
We have seen the teeth of the alligator and we remember it.
The difference I think is something like this: unlike the WW2 generation and previous ones, we live in the era of the non-stop 24-hour news cycle. Unlike the 1940's, there's no time for reflection before we see inflammatory images splashed across our screens and newspapers. There's no time for reflection or attempt to put things into any kind of historical perspective. We see pictures of Abu Ghraib and immediately think back to movies like "Platoon" and all the old baby killer myths about Vietnam without acknowledging the ugly truth that war is a bad business and that it always has been. However, as hard as it is to think clearly in this environment, especially with a news media that isn't as neutral as it claims to be, we seem to be doing a pretty good job. Despite the relentlessly negative spin put out by CBS and the New York Times on the war's progress, and the shrieking of the Michael Moores of the world, I don't think we'll puss out (a-la Spain and The Philippines) and quit the battlefield.
Despite the cacophony, I think the images of people leaping from the burning towers are still fresh enough in most peoples' minds that we'll manage to keep the fortitude to see this thing through to the bitter end, no matter how many soldiers and marines we lose, or how many poor civilians we have murdered. That's just war, guys. It's horrible and heartbreaking but if this is the price that we have to pay to ensure that we never have to endure another 9/11, then we have to do it.
We have seen the teeth of the alligator and we remember it.
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