Hurt Locker

Just watched The Hurt Locker. What struck me about the movie is how people with differing political views would react to the movie. It is a gut-wrenching portrayal of what it's like to be in Iraq. It sucks. People die, you see things one should never see, and it takes a huge toll on the soldiers. It also makes you realize how much we owe our soldiers for putting them though such an ordeal.

But the movie also reminded me of how differing our views of the world are. When I watched the movie, I was massively grateful that there are people in our country who are willing to subject themselves to this kind of suffering in order to keep us free and/or safe. But I was acutely aware that others who watch the movie would be angry that our country would subject our soldiers to this type of suffering for an unjust cause.

And I thought, how can this perception gap possibly be overcome? I don't think there is an answer. You either think one way or another about it. Facts and argument won't change your opinion because you evaluate those things based on your fundamental orientation.

For me, I was impressed by the sacrifice our military makes for the sake of our country. When these guys sign up, they don't know what's in store for them, but for some reason, often not clear to themselves, they accept the burden. I imagine many are pushed beyond their limits and resent the trials thrust upon them. I can understand that sentiment, and I sympathize with them massively.

But I also believe that in this very strange conflict in which we're now engaged, there is no clear way forward. It is fraught with peril, ambiguity, and moral compromise. The terrorists know this and hope that eventually our ability to stomach the grimmer realities of this conflict will fail and we will in some way give in. Terrorism has worked in the past. They scared us out of Lebanon in the 80's and cowed the Germans in the Munich incident.

But in the end, I think going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan was the right thing to do in these circumstances. Not because I'm some mindless right-wing drone, but because I'm really not sure how else we should have handled it. And, regardless of the arguments for or against it, we're there now and ought to commit 100% to victory. Pulling out prematurely would waste the sacrifices made by our military and send a clear signal to the terrorists that their tactics have won.

I'm just damned glad there are people in our great country who are willing to do this sort of work while the rest of us sit back and enjoy wine and cheese.