Spring Break
Bumper stickers: Thoughtless war statements, propaganda or both?
Alex Stephens
Issue date: 2/27/09 Section: Opinion
I'm starting to see this one bumper sticker around town quite frequently, and perhaps you've seen it too.
It reads, "Except for ending slavery, fascism, Nazism and communism, war has never solved anything."
The assumed connotation is that war has gotten a pretty bad, and unfair, reputation despite all the terrible evils it's managed to eradicate. I beg to differ.
Is it a serious statement -- maybe it's satirical? Sadly it always seems to be coupled with "Marines rule, you drool" type stickers, so I'd be inclined to take it seriously.
Slavery
Ask yourself, did war end slavery? Of course it did. But only the legal kind of slavery in America, as any third grader can tell you.
The Civil War was fought to end slavery -- it's true -- but since then slavery has never been more prominent.
A study conducted by the University of Berkeley estimates that around 10,000 persons (mostly women and children) are "forced laborers" in the U.S.
According to the U.S. State Department, between 600,000 to 800,000 humans are smuggled across international borders annually for the purpose of being sold into prostitution or labor.
In fact, many sociologists claim that slavery is much more prevalent now that it ever was by the time the Civil War began in 1861.
Fascism and Nazism
Did war end fascism? On a very large scale it could be argued it did. But what's also true is that the root cause of fascism was in fact World War I.
Though not necessarily true of Spain, fascism erupted in Germany due to the heavy reparations it suffered from the Treaty of Paris, which ended WWI. Maybe if Germany hadn't been burdened with an enormous war debt, disparaged by war guilt and driven to extreme desperation, it wouldn't have become the hotbed for the Nazi party to fester in. In a way, the Allies of WWI caused fascism.
Nazism and fascism -- pretty much the same thing -- have by no means ended though.
It reads, "Except for ending slavery, fascism, Nazism and communism, war has never solved anything."
The assumed connotation is that war has gotten a pretty bad, and unfair, reputation despite all the terrible evils it's managed to eradicate. I beg to differ.
Is it a serious statement -- maybe it's satirical? Sadly it always seems to be coupled with "Marines rule, you drool" type stickers, so I'd be inclined to take it seriously.
Slavery
Ask yourself, did war end slavery? Of course it did. But only the legal kind of slavery in America, as any third grader can tell you.
The Civil War was fought to end slavery -- it's true -- but since then slavery has never been more prominent.
A study conducted by the University of Berkeley estimates that around 10,000 persons (mostly women and children) are "forced laborers" in the U.S.
According to the U.S. State Department, between 600,000 to 800,000 humans are smuggled across international borders annually for the purpose of being sold into prostitution or labor.
In fact, many sociologists claim that slavery is much more prevalent now that it ever was by the time the Civil War began in 1861.
Fascism and Nazism
Did war end fascism? On a very large scale it could be argued it did. But what's also true is that the root cause of fascism was in fact World War I.
Though not necessarily true of Spain, fascism erupted in Germany due to the heavy reparations it suffered from the Treaty of Paris, which ended WWI. Maybe if Germany hadn't been burdened with an enormous war debt, disparaged by war guilt and driven to extreme desperation, it wouldn't have become the hotbed for the Nazi party to fester in. In a way, the Allies of WWI caused fascism.
Nazism and fascism -- pretty much the same thing -- have by no means ended though.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 10
Alex
posted 2/27/09 @ 9:08 AM MST
:Note from the Author:
Because of misunderstandings during editing, the sentence "The Civil War was fought to end slavery -- it's true -- but since then slavery has never been more prominent" does not convey what I intended it to. (Continued…)
jimmy
posted 2/27/09 @ 9:31 AM MST
YOU ARE DEAD WRONG!!!!!!
Why is it that these polysci majors feel it is their duty too give the readers of the Collegian a history lesson?
"The Civil War was fought to end slavery -- it's true -- but since then slavery has never been more prominent. (Continued…)
A United States Marine with no bumper stickers on my vehicle.
posted 2/27/09 @ 9:59 AM MST
This article is blatantly incorrect.
Please do not compare historical slavery in the United States to current rates of hidden labor in the United States. (Continued…)
Another United States Marine with no bumper stickers on my vehicle
posted 2/28/09 @ 11:45 PM MST
Wow! Is this the kind of history that is being taught at CSU? It's easy for someone to criticize the people who stand in harm's way to protect people from slavery, communism, and fascism. (Continued…)
Wang
posted 3/23/09 @ 8:50 PM MST
There is bad news about George Herbert Walker Bush.
What if basically all racial-minority people would subscribe to the interpretations that George Herbert Walker Bush committed monstrous, racist, hate crimes while he was the President of the United States?
It will eventually come out: it is only a matter of time. (Continued…)
jimiray69
posted 11/15/09 @ 5:39 PM MST
I stumbled upon this commentary while searching for a place to purchase this particular bumper sticker, and I've been to war...twice. All I can say is,"What a freakin' moron!" No wonder Rush Limbaugh never finished college! Now, I'll get back to ordering it. (Continued…)
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