Last August 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse traveled from Illinois to Kenosha, WI. Considering himself part of a militia whose goal was to "protect life and property," Rittenhouse allegedly killed two people. Militia activity is apparently on the rise across the country, with leaders making explicit attempts to target young males for recruitment. Some can apparently be persuaded to kidnap a governor whose "crime" is attempting to protect her state's residents from a raging pandemic.
I'm pretty sure that when I was seventeen years old my main concerns in life were: (1) what do I have to do to get girls to like me and (2) will I be able to get into college? (and probably in that order too.). I did follow what was going on in the world, and I certainly rebelled against authority, but the idea that I would pick up a military style assault weapon to "protect" a used car lot from being vandalized, and that I could somehow be persuaded that my fellow Americans in the streets were my potential enemies would have been too absurd to even cross my mind.
The deep differences between 17-year-old Kyle and 17-year-old Tony makes sense when you consider the moral state of the country since he's been born. Since 2001 we've been at war continuously, either through explicit invasions of other countries or legally suspect drone attacks. Mountains of bipartisan propaganda and indoctrination support those efforts to this day. The unmistakable message sent to young people this century has been that bullying and extreme violence are perfectly legitimate ways to deal with anyone on the "other side" you consider to be the "bad guys." My hope for Kyle Rittenhouse is that some day he comes to the realization that he and the people he shot at were actually on the same side, and that he was manipulated by a woeful cast of characters whose bullshit and bluster he probably mistook for principle and courage.
Seriously, are we really that shocked that the methods used to denigrate entire populations overseas would finally be used to sow division in the homeland? Like school shooters, young Kyle clearly saw himself in a kind of "us" v. "them" struggle of good against evil with no room for gray area. We militarized our police departments and (too many of us) shrugged our shoulders and offered thoughts and prayers while the schools became literal battlegrounds. So I suppose it should be no surprise that some youth themselves have become militarized. Good job America.
I thought about this while listening to folk singer Ed McCurdy's classic 1950 tune "Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream." McCurdy's tune was like a prayer for peace:
Ed McCurdy: Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream
Last night I had the strangest dream
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war
I dreamed I saw a mighty room
The room was filled with men
And the paper they were signing said
They'd never fight again
And a million copies made
They all joined hands end bowed their heads
And grateful prayers were prayed
And the people in the streets below
Were dancing round and round
And guns and swords and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground
No comments:
Post a Comment