Sunday, January 04, 2009
The Preeminent Condition of Civil War
The American South is exclusionary. Anyone that does not fit into its traditions no matter how anachronistic, is cast as a redcoat. It is difficult to believe such a divide of American culture could create a civil war, a war claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent Americans. It is difficult to understand a regional culture could be so unwavering in its views it would rather fight its own country for liberation. Dixie plays Yankee Doodle. What is it about the American South that breeds such closed mindedness? Should Americans grab a long-necked beer bottle and graft a Jeff Foxworthy routine onto the Constitution? Foxworthy may have been the first successfully to make light of the utter reality of Deliverance. Appalachians are known for their steadfastness. Like the Pilgrims after enduring years of desperation through survival, they stuck to their guns. Those same guns were used to feud between themselves and other encroaching clans. It is understandable a culture vies for sustenance of their blood. This quality may be the very gene that ensures human existence. In a modern world blood feuds should seem antiquated, yet the invasion of Gaza clearly proves this cultural trait is stronger than all other. For some reason intellect, logic, and reason don’t seem to exist. Enlightenment does not seem to exist. Humans are fighting at the animal level, and this is the state of the world today. Inhabitants of Gaza are crying out to the world that innocent people are dying as a result of Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza. Israel like America is responding to heinous acts of terrorism. Locally Israel is lucky enough to know whence their enemy comes. Rockets are being fired from within Gaza by Hamas. It would seem the dispute should be between the inhabitants of Gaza and Hamas. The reality of the political history of the Middle East shows leadership is a fragile entity and like Afghanistan changes often. It is unfortunate the citizens of Gaza are dying, but so did the citizens of Iraq. Civil war it seems is a condition of humanity.