yolland said:
But perhaps that was not what you meant by "an opposing side that caused us to think" and I misunderstood you???
Honestly, I'm not trying to be combative here...please don't *assume* I got whatever you did out of the original article, because I think maybe I didn't...
Funny, every soldier I talk to feels completely the opposite. They feel that the media is being prevented by the government from seeing and reporting the real story in Iraq - that soldiers are constantly being put at risk for what is already a lost cause because the everyday, average citizens of Iraq don't want the US military there and are NEVER going to change their minds no matter how hard the Bushies try to convince the world otherwise.Dreadsox said:Funny, every soldier I have spoken with by far has the same feeling about the media's portrayal in Iraq.
I must be talking to the wrong soldiers.......
Must be that they are trying to blindly support the President.
Nice to see you kept the blah blah to the end. I read the whole post.
Zootomic said:
Funny, every soldier I talk to feels completely the opposite. They feel that the media is being prevented by the government from seeing and reporting the real story in Iraq - that soldiers are constantly being put at risk for what is already a lost cause because the everyday, average citizens of Iraq don't want the US military there and are NEVER going to change their minds no matter how hard the Bushies try to convince the world otherwise.
Of course, I'm just talking to regular boots-on-the-ground soldiers, not back-of-the-line captains who are far more interested in furthering their careers by voicing their support for the lost cause than they are in protecting the soldiers under them.
Dreadsox said:In my opinion the word "staged" would lead me to believe that the questions were handed to the soldiers, they were not.
Apparently, what the blog reported does not contradict the article according to some in here. I think, it does contradict and present opposing details that shed light into the truth.
In context it sounded to me like you were suggesting people who oppose the war are to blame for the way soldiers' experiences, both in Iraq and after returning, tend to fall through the cracks. I have never been in the military myself, but my younger brother was in the Air Force and served at Bagram, so I am not naive about the fact that this happens. While I agree with you about the disingenuousness of separating "soldiers'" experiences from "officers,'" I have heard enough from the same "kinds" of soldiers Zootomic has that I feel comfortable including them in the "fell between the cracks" category too. I don't really see soldiers' political views having that much to do with how or why their experiences generally go unreported.Dreadsox said:Generally if I am responding to someone in particular I quote them.
yolland said:In context it sounded to me like you were suggesting people who oppose the war are to blame for the way soldiers' experiences, both in Iraq and after returning, tend to fall through the cracks.
Dreadsox said:As to my nature on the board....I am who I am....Maybe you are sensing my disappointment at the fact that I feel forced into taking a side I am not always comfortable taking, because there appears to be no right to middle left here. People I used to be able to discuss with have become more polarized, and in turn I feel more polarized.
financeguy said:
The board reflects the outside world, and in the outside world, it was the Republican side that started the polarisation when they permitted the take over of their party by far-right elements.
Don't you think though, that even when polls show strong public support for a war (I'm not talking any war in particular now), war news is still reported in such a way as to make it too easy to forget that the subjects are real people risking life and limb in real time--not characters in some highly compressed story? And that, as the link you posted in War demonstrates, they come home changed in ways that are irrevocable, if necessary? This was how I felt about my brother being in Afghanistan. (Of course that was a less opposed war, which I realize makes a difference, but really I was not bothered so much by what opposition existed as by the tendency for everyone to discuss the war as if it were some kind of chess match.)Dreadsox said:Nope...I blame the press.....100% for not doing their job.....In my opinion they go with the polls to increase their ratings as opposed to presenting a complete picture.
Thanks for taking the time to explain, Dread. Although I withdraw from those discussions more because of their tenor than the stances, I understand what you are saying and admire you for taking those difficult stands. Something nb said the other day made me wonder how much of that polarization might be avoided--both in people's minds and in what they post--if we all took the time to frame our positions more carefully.As to my nature on the board....I am who I am....Maybe you are sensing my disappointment at the fact that I feel forced into taking a side I am not always comfortable taking, because there appears to be no right to middle left here. People I used to be able to discuss with have become more polarized, and in turn I feel more polarized.