War has never solved anything. Except the absence of stupid bumper stickers.
Was surfing one of my favourite forums while eating breakfast (it’s like the Times), and happened to read one forum member’s signature that never fails to irritate me:
“WAR HAS NEVER SOLVED ANYTHING, except ending slavery, fascism, communism, Nazism….”
I finally decided to say something about it (on the forum), but here it for posterity:
For starts, I’ll be a pedant and point out that: slavery is still going strong in several places around the world (Sudan, for instance), and in most places ended with laws changing, not a war; that the fascist regimes in South America (and many other places) didn’t end due to war and were much younger than WW2; that communism regimes have never fallen due to war*; and I would argue that Nazism hasn’t, unfortunately, been stamped out (neo-Nazi marches, Synagogue vandalism and arson in Europe, etc).
Actually, that’s mostly what I wanted to say, but there is the larger issue that force of arms cannot stamp out an idea or meme (“-ism”s), unless you kill everyone spreading that idea (and destroy every medium in which the idea is stored).
Slavery in the southern US officially ended following the Civil War, but it was several generations before it ended in effect- it was similar everywhere in the world where slavery was declared illegal around that time.
*To be fair, the Commies got kicked out of Afghanistan. …
I sort of wanted to write more, but I was (and still am) running late.
September 13th, 2007 at 7:38 am
I’m looking forward to some of the drooling right-wingnut replies that you’ll certainly get.
But they’ll probably mostly be simplistic and thought-avoiding accusations of Anti-Americanism. As if there was something inherently wrong with that!
September 13th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Sadly, no one is really responding. I didn’t expect to get any negative responses from the older (and wiser?) denizens, but I was hoping Zhyla would see it at least.
What was that about BF being banned that Raiph posted?
September 14th, 2007 at 5:21 am
The BF thing is probably nothing more than his account having been shelved after prolonged misuse.
Funny, I would have thought one of the forum’s more prominent pompous blowhards would have got himself embroiled. Who knows, perhaps there’s a new wave of thoughtfulness sweeping Dumbyaland, in the aftermath of the obvious failure of various gung-ho overseas escapades?
September 14th, 2007 at 5:22 am
When I typed “misuse”, I was actually thinking “neglect”, funny how these little slips can occur, eh?
September 14th, 2007 at 6:39 am
It’s funny, but I’m pretty sure that the US pulling out of Iraq is going to be worse for Iraq than if they stay. Alternatively, if it never stabalises, we might as well get the inevitable over with.
September 15th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
I have a good solution to Iraq.
Oh wait, I forgot. We haven’t invented time machines yet.
September 19th, 2007 at 4:57 am
Aaaarrr, ye scurvy bilge-monkey.
It be that time o’ the year again, when all salty sea-dogs break open a cask o’ rum an’ talk like a pirate.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Speaking of Iraq, Gywnne Dyer’s latest is pretty good (Sept 17)
http://www.gwynnedyer.net/articles2007.htm
Oh, whoops, I meant to say “Listen up ye rotted land lubbers! Bend yer good ear t’wards the sea stories of the great Pirate Captain Gwynne Dyer. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum”.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I like irony and stuff, so I smile to myself whenever I hear the phrase “war on terrorism” because it’s almost like they’re implying that war can put a stop to hurting people!
Yeah, it seems war is never over because there will always be differences and the only way to resolve those is with violence. War doesn’t solve anything.