In an article entitled “Our Twisted Politics of Grief,” author Norman Solomon argued how war is “made easier” by devaluing the grief of others. This is why, he says, it took the coffins of U.S. servicemen coming back from Vietnam to propel opposition to the war to a critical mass and the current drone program is highly favored by a large majority of Americans.
“The ‘war on terror’ was built on two tiers of grief: Momentous and meaningless. Ours and theirs. The domestic politics of grief settled in for a very long haul, while perpetual war required the leaders of both major parties to keep affirming and reinforcing the two tiers of grief,” he wrote.
However, there is a long-term cost in that it further fans the flames of hate creating enemies abroad.
Host Carmen Russell-Sluchansky spoke with Soloman, who is the author of “War Made Easy,” to discuss his essay.
Part 1:
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Part 2:
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