Blog 6: The Censorship of Anti-War Voices

The Censorship of Anti-War Voices

After exploring both ANTIWAR.COM and The American Conservative, it is evident that these opinions of anti-war sentiment are not shared among the common public and the main stream media. I believe this is because it is far more profitable to encourage war in our society. It is a commonly held opinion that America, as a world superpower, feels the need to act as a police force against evils in the world. I do not necessarily disagree with this, however, there is often a push to engage in conflicts that America has no business engaging in. For example, the mainstream media heavily pushed for American involvement in Ukraine. I believe this is because America stands to gain something, and as a result there is a push in the media to stimulate pro-war sentiments in the American public.

In an article titled "Is Anybody Telling The American People About The War?" Rod Dreher comments that  "It is my strong impression that the American people are largely clueless about the maelstrom into which their leaders are taking them. They are clueless because our media have decided that there is one correct position on the war." Simply put, the American government thrives on involving itself in unnecessary conflict, and as a result, there is no space for anti-war voices in our media. By omitting these voices from popular broadcasting networks and print media, it keeps the American people ignorant, allowing the American Government to continue to wage unnecessary wars, raising death tolls and promoting violent pro-war attitudes nationwide. 

As citizens who are subjected to censored media, it is our job to seek out differing opinions and to collect all of the facts about what our country is involving itself in. It is a travesty that innocent lives are being lost in order for governments to profit, and the American people have not objected, because we are relatively ignorant about this topic. The bottom line is that just because war is profitable it is not necessarily just. It is becoming increasingly necessary for dissenting voices to gain a platform to make anti-war opinions more mainstream, or we face the risk of never breaking our current cycle.