Comments on: The testimony of the dead http://submitresponse.co.uk/weblog/2003/03/30/the-testimony-of-the-dead/ Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:55:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: leon http://submitresponse.co.uk/weblog/2003/03/30/the-testimony-of-the-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-478 leon Sun, 30 Mar 2003 16:54:10 +0000 http://mottram.textdriven.com/weblog/?p=342#comment-478 <p>But isn't The Observer's position of trying to downplay the oil and resources reasons for the war in favour of the "good" reasons for the war implicity dismissive of those who don't want war at all? And a means of accusing them of missing the point, so to speak? I don't know.</p> <p>I'm now thinking that they might be meaning something different: the US' headlong charge into this has been so relentless, so obviously imperialistic, and has given so many people grounds to challenge its legitimacy, that the war is in danger of being exposed as being about what it's actually about, rather than being about what we're constantly told it's about. Which again, I think, has an implicit air of "Look, if you'd just swallow the propaganda and not worry your pretty little heads about trifling things like ethics and unilateral militarism, you'd all be a lot happier." And that's certainly not what I ever bought The Observer for.</p> But isn’t The Observer’s posi­tion of trying to down­play the oil and resources rea­sons for the war in favour of the “good” rea­sons for the war implic­ity dis­mis­sive of those who don’t want war at all? And a means of accus­ing them of miss­ing the point, so to speak? I don’t know.

I’m now think­ing that they might be mean­ing some­thing dif­fer­ent: the US’ head­long charge into this has been so relent­less, so obvi­ously impe­ri­al­is­tic, and has given so many people grounds to chal­lenge its legit­i­macy, that the war is in danger of being exposed as being about what it’s actu­ally about, rather than being about what we’re con­stantly told it’s about. Which again, I think, has an implicit air of “Look, if you’d just swal­low the pro­pa­ganda and not worry your pretty little heads about tri­fling things like ethics and uni­lat­eral mil­i­tarism, you’d all be a lot happier.” And that’s cer­tainly not what I ever bought The Observer for.

]]> By: Jack http://submitresponse.co.uk/weblog/2003/03/30/the-testimony-of-the-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-477 Jack Sun, 30 Mar 2003 15:40:28 +0000 http://mottram.textdriven.com/weblog/?p=342#comment-477 <p>That 'Too many people...' line is peculiar, as is the whole leader - the Observer position seems to be that the war is good/acceptable/inevitable but also that US motives are suspect, and therefore more emphasis should be put on the 'good' reasons for war. I don't think they're implying what you infer as an attack on those 'too many people' though, just that The Observer want Blair to somehow transform a war about resources and US dominance of the Middle East into a war about democracy and humanitarian aid, as if a doublethink change in public perception can actually make the war just... </p> <p>But, yeah, I find it most unsettling that The Observer is taking this broadly speaking pro-government, pro-war stance. It's like Tommy Sheridan turning around and saying, 'You know what, I actually think that Poll Tax was a cool idea'</p> That ‘Too many people…’ line is pecu­liar, as is the whole leader - the Observer posi­tion seems to be that the war is good/acceptable/inevitable but also that US motives are sus­pect, and there­fore more empha­sis should be put on the ‘good’ rea­sons for war. I don’t think they’re imply­ing what you infer as an attack on those ‘too many people’ though, just that The Observer want Blair to some­how trans­form a war about resources and US dom­i­nance of the Middle East into a war about democ­racy and human­i­tar­ian aid, as if a dou­ble­think change in public per­cep­tion can actu­ally make the war just…

But, yeah, I find it most unset­tling that The Observer is taking this broadly speak­ing pro-​government, pro-​war stance. It’s like Tommy Sheri­dan turn­ing around and saying, ‘You know what, I actu­ally think that Poll Tax was a cool idea’

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