Anti-War Voices

 

Anti-war opinions matter. Not something you hear every day, is it? But it's true, these opinions and perspectives matter, simply because they challenge the narratives of mainstream media. America loves to get involved in wars that either directly affect us or don't. But no one stops to think about the human cost, and no one, especially the government wants to hear about peaceful alternatives. 

The government's decision to get involved in the Vietnam War sparked a lot of controversy among the American people, leading thousands to protest the war. Many viewed the war as morally unjust due to the outrageous number of civilian casualties, and the huge fact that the government lied and deceived us all. The government misrepresented and misinformed the American people regarding the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and the state of the war, which acted as the fuel to an already lit fire. At this point, people lost trust in the government and took their anger to the streets demanding that our troops be brought home safe and sound. 

As a result of the war, millions of veterans came home struggling to re-enter civilian life and became damaged in more ways than one. Anti-war opinions should be broadcasted more in mainstream media because they would act as a healthy balance in comparison to pro-war segments. It feels like everything in the news today is about war, whether it be between Russia and Ukraine or between Israel and Palestine. War is all around us, and we can't stop it, but we can allow for multiple voices to be heard. Diversity can heal the public, in the sense that listening to both sides will allow for a more deeper understanding of what is happening.

Why is it, as an individual living in a country, that upholds(or is supposed to) First Amendment rights allowing us to freely express our opinions, I find myself scouring the internet and having to rely on obscure websites like Anti-War and the American Conservative?

One of the biggest reasons, which's not all that surprising is the fact that there are very few companies that own all of the media outlets, from where we receive our information. So the news becomes very biased and very much aligned with government policies and military actions. I know that if I turn on the TV and click on CNN, NBC, BBC, or any other media outlet the message being spread about war, is in favor of it, not against it.  If the news outlets are controlled by big companies it makes it that much harder to slip in anti-war opinions. 

Our government and other powerful organizations suppress anti-war opinions. Throughout history, the government has been known the throw people in jail and punish those who voice their anti-war opinions. Today, that is not what it looks like however, censorship is real and prominent. The government doesn't want to hear the hard truths of society, they just want to hear and broadcast what the majority thinks and what is popular politically. Which, then limits the voices of the very limited group of people who are affected and feel strongly about war. 

For every negative, there must be a postive. No one should have to go to an obsecure wesbite just to voice their opinion or listen to others. But unfortunately this is what it has come to, so we have to make the best of it. These kind of websites provide an open platform for people to voice their thoughts without feeling like they will be censored. 

Mainstream media is not the only way, one can receive information. Alternative platforms such as blog, podcasts, social media channels etc. are on the rise in this country. And the beauty of these platforms is that they will do what mainstream media refuses to do, which is tell the truth, something that the government is terrified off. The government hates the truth being spread, they spend more money and time censoring people, than being honest. Those who have strong anti-war opinions seek these outlets first, becasue not many people know about it, so the government is not worried about the American people getting "posioned" and changing their minds.