The Question of Who V

Trey Smith

Just because these shameful acts may indeed indicate who or what our Empire's institutions are, it does not mean that it is who we are as well. Most Americans, as well as most Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians etc., would not commit the types of acts that have made our nation infamous over the years. But if we are truly better than that, if this is not who we are, then we had better do something about the fact we are being represented to the world by the very actions that we find so heinous.

Even as countries are being abused by U.S. foreign policy, their people are often slow to blame or hate the American people. They often show a remarkable understanding that governments rarely represent their peoples' wishes.
~ from So then Who in the Hell Are We? by Dan DeWalt ~

For me, that last paragraph represents something amazing. While our nation's leaders continue to support and expand policies that, by their very nature are dehumanizing ones, most of those "dehumanized" people hold little animus towards us -- the peons of the US of A! They may rail against Barack Obama and John Boehner, but not against you and me.

Sadly, many of my fellow US citizens do not return the favor. They have bought into the dehumanizing pr strategy. When they read or hear of civilians killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Yemen, they yawn and don't think much of it! They never think how they might feel if the tables were turned -- if it was their father, mother, child, aunt, uncle or friend who was callously killed.