You may have heard about Joel Stein's recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times saying openly that he doesn't support the troops (in contrast to a common anti-war position of "against the war, support the troops"). Various pro-war bloggers are offering him backhanded compliments for his honesty. The implication of these statements is that most anti-war people are intellectually dishonest when they claim to be supportive of our soldiers.
Jeff the Baptist thinks that this assessment of anti-war honesty is flawed:
He has officially come out as anti-troops. That makes him intellectually honest. Perhaps the other war protesters are presenting an ideology that isn’t exactly rationally coherent. Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean those "oppose the war, support the troops" protestors are being dishonest with themselves.
I think there has been a real push from the right to impose a version of what the protestors believe onto the protestors themselves. Lets redefine the protestors as dishonest because the stance they hold is logically untenable. If my experience has taught me nothing, it is that people aren’t necessarily reasonable or logical. Some people really do believe six impossible things before breakfast. Most of these people are acting on their feelings and emotion rather than their reason. They feel the war is wrong and that war is hell, but they also feel that a grudging respect for the military fighting for what they, the soldiers, believe is right. War is still hell, but soldiers are still the heroes of their own narrative.
I suppose we might be entitled to some smugness because the pro-war stance is on a sounder philosophical footing. But I don’t think we are entitled to call those other people liars just because they haven’t worked out the incoherency of their own beliefs. Joel Stein might admit he doesn’t respect the troops, but I don’t think it necessarily follows that everyone else also believes the same and are attempting to deceive us.
UPDATE: Bad link removed.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
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2 comments:
All you need to know about Joel Stein can be found in the first sentence of his biography on the LA Times web site: "Joel Stein is desperate for attention."
My two cents worth:
I feel compassion for those morally or strategically opposed to the war but who say the support our troops. It is muddled thinking that confounds them when presented with the realities told by the vets themself. I believe too many of this "intellectually dishonest" crowd have simply been led astray by more powerful opinion makers. Sadly, that is a condescending attitude on my part, but I belive it is true.
Joel Stein's confession is refreshing but only to a degree. Since he is my neighbor is national citizenship it is disturbing to know that he has declared his willingness to undermine me or anyone else who supports our government, our troops, and our war. Perhaps I should confess: I believe someone like Joel Stein, whose opposition actively endangers our troops and the mission we seek, is a traitor and I would vote that he be imprisoned for it.
Sometimes honesty is just violence in sheeps clothing.
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