R.I.P. Peace Movement
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Let us all be frank here, many of the so-called “peace activists” in this country are not really against wars, they are against losing wars.
It would be perfectly valid and reasonable for anyone to raise that as a self-proclaimed peace activist, an Iranian in U.S. and someone with enough audacity to consider himself a “progressive”, why I am no longer participating in any anti-war rallies, such as the ones held yesterday. I say no longer as I did for a while, even to the point of helping in organizing a few but have since lost all interest.
My complete explanation would take much more than this forum allows but here is the basic version; there is no such thing as a peace movement in U.S. or more accurately, it is so diminutive and inept, it is often hijacked for promoting a narrow agenda and occasionally even used by the most regressive elements in this country.
To explain further, let’s look at the numbers. The last “anti-war rally” in my hometown of Los Angeles, an area that is the second largest in this nation with a population of over 14 million and certainly one of the largest urban regions in the world, managed to bring out a few thousands on an optimistic estimate.
Less than one percent of this area’s people felt the need to protest being lied to for going into a war. For having billions of their common resources wasted on false promises. For the dignity and reputation of their country being marked to promote viewpoint of a select group. For having hundreds of thousands of world’s population killed by their armed forces, most of them non-combative and unarmed civilians. For thousands of their own young to pay for an unnecessary and illegitimate war with their limbs and lives.
Not even one in a hundred cared enough to take part in protest and that should not surprise many.
Let us all be frank here, many of the so-called “peace activists” in this country are not really against wars, they are against losing wars. For that, had the war in Iraq been going the Cheney-Bush way and we were “winning”, a very large portion of that few thousand wouldn’t even care. Which leaves us with a very small core group, perhaps best described as professional activists. That includes the core believers as well as those within the labor movement and political organization who “organize” for a living.
But is there a solution? I believe there is and that solution starts with education. That’s why I’m here typing away at my keyboard instead of out there with a placard. I need to get my voice out to define WHY war is not the answer and HOW fear mongering is leading us towards more confrontations. That, in my opinion, is where the current activists have failed so far and unless it changes, they can expect an even smaller role to play in any future developments.
If lies have led us to where we are today, truth should set us free. For the peace movement, the truth starts with a look within and admitting it has failed to the point of self-annihilation.
[...] Chili wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt… to raise that as a self-proclaimed peace activist, an Iranian in US and someone with enough audacity to consider himself a “progressive”, why I am no longer participating in any anti-war rallies, such as the ones held yesterday. … [...]
Stop US Wars » Blog Archive » RIP Peace Movement
2 Aug 08 at 11:52 pm
A guy I know who has been an activist for many years just said he had a headache and couldn’t go. The bottom line is that just about a dozen Iranians showed up in down town LA to show their opposition to a looming war on Iran. The rest were probably at a West LA restaurant or a coffee shop waiting to see who pulls up in what car. Maybe if the organizers had prepared better and offered free chaii and shirini afterwards, there would have been a better turn out!
antiwar
3 Aug 08 at 1:23 am
Excellent post as usual…….
Nobody...
3 Aug 08 at 4:47 am
Dear Antiwar; This wasn’t an Iranian event and in fact one of my criticisms towards organizers was their inability or lack of desire to reach out to the Iranian-American community. Also, the event was not held in downtown but was at 1300 N Sepulveda Blvd, (across from the Getty Center), very much in “West LA”. Thank you though for pointing out how little we as a community have done in owning the issue and leading by example.
Pedram
3 Aug 08 at 2:01 pm
I appreciate your blog. Good words.
Physical protests are good for comradery; but, when was the last time the criminal corporate media televised one — much less, in an objective or positive light?
Exposing the lies in the so-called mainstream media whenever possible is a worthy and fulfilling task; but let’s not reward them for lying us into our own demise and the demise of innocent people the world over. For example: I personally refuse to give hypertext attribution to corporate media lie machines such as AP, Reuters, the NYT, et al. (Why give their websites the satisfaction of all those easy hits? They certainly don’t deserve the nod; nor do their grubby, profiteering corporate sponsors.)
The Internet (”blogosphere” and indy media) is taking over. Newspapers are going down, as are cable-TV tabloids. Keep doing what you’re doing here. All together, we are making a difference — slowly but steadily.
Regards,
Dan Alba
3 Aug 08 at 6:11 pm
Dear Pedram,
The event WAS held in Down Town at Pershing Square!! The only few Iranians that showed up other than the “professional peace activists” were a rag tag bunch called “khashm” who came there to oppose the peace rally armed with their regime change slogans (I hear they are old school monarchist on the payroll of the state department). For a moment it confused the attendees to why Iranians were there opposing a peace rally against war with Iran but within moments of their arrival they were quickly driven away from the rally sight with the help of police for not having a permit, breaking in the line of peace gatherers and basically agitating an otherwise peaceful demonstration. The organizers including many of us tried various ways of reaching Iranians. The radio/TV stations would not announce it unless we gave them money and no one, I mean no one in the Iranian American community in LA wanted to have anything to do with it. It clearly showed to the war mongers that if they go ahead and bomb Iran no one American or Iranian really gives a sh*t as you pretty much state in your blog!
antiwar
3 Aug 08 at 11:29 pm
Dear Antiwar; After more research and very sadly, it would appear that we are both correct. While the primarily Iranian coalition under StopWarOnIran.org umbrella was holding a Pershing Square “rally”, a coalition of groups including Westside Progressives, Code Pink-LA, Women in Black and LA Jews for Peace had decided to gather at Leo Baeck Temple on Sepulveda. There were also smaller actions planned for San Pedro, Sherman Oaks and Long Beach!!
Perhaps more evidence as to the toothless nature of the anti-war/pro-peace movement.
Pedram
4 Aug 08 at 10:21 am
We’re at the bottom of the 11.5 year sunspot cycle which means the sun is not sending out all that radiation that increases negative ionization on earth - like it does at height. So we aren’t seeing that mass of activist of 2000-2003. Give it a couple more years and people will be marching again. Or maybe finally seceding from all their big militaristic nation states! :-) see carolmoore.net/articles/sunspot-cycle.html
Carol Moore
25 Aug 08 at 8:05 am
Hi. We are still opposing wars in the Seattle area; here on Rose Hill we’ve been bannering every week for more than a year with NO IRAN WAR in 12-inch letters; alongside US OUT OF IRAQ.. The message most urgent now, is clearly, U.S. OUT OF AFGHANISTAN. But Pedram–you’re absolutely right in your final 2 paragraphs; Wars are caused by public beliefs and attitudes, and those are determined over the long term, by the institutions of mass culture (schools, media, and the pulpit). There is no other way to stop wars than to have the best most persuasive message AND to establish it in all three of thse core institutions. To this date, all the good people have failed to express our top-level assessment or definition of the human existence or our alternative grand strategy for humanity and the nation. This takes lots of highly talented people, and money. We are too under-resourced at this point and so, we are destined to lose for the forseeable future, sad to say. –See diagram at my website. Todd.
Todd Boyle
25 Aug 08 at 2:56 pm