War In America and The Money It Brings In - Blog Post #7

Fast forward to today. The United States is in war all over the world, in the Middle East, Africa, and even parts of Europe. But if you turn on the TV or check out most of the major news websites, you don't hear about it. Why not?

 If you surf over to sites like Antiwar.com and The American Conservative, you find something else. They both have angry writers who hate endless war. Democratic and Republican leaders alike get heavily criticized on both websites for voting in support of militarism, and they pose unvarnished questions: Why do we have a presence left in Iraq? What's the situation in Syria? Why are there American military bases in over 70 countries? 

These are voices that never find their way onto CNN, MSNBC, or even Fox News. That should surprise you, if you've never heard of these sites, anyway. And that's a big question: Why do we have to sort through websites no one has heard of to hear sound arguments against war? 

One of the explanations is money and power. The mainstream media are owned by giant corporations. These corporations have close connections to the military-industrial and government agencies that profit from war. When war is profitable, it's no surprise that voices are silenced. After all, challenging the establishment might not be good for ratings or for profits. 

Political bias could be another factor. The majority of news outlets have become extremely filtered, with less interest in real debate about foreign policy and more interest in party melodrama. Non-left-right antiwar views are frequently overlooked. Websites like Antiwar.com and The American Conservative won't play by those rules, most likely because they are ignored. 

Lastly, people aren't simply taught to challenge U.S. foreign policy tough questions. We sort of learn in school that America is the protector of freedom and our citizens, therefore, people don’t want to challenge that theory. We don't really talk about so much the long-term cost of war,  or the human cost of drone attacks, occupations, and embargoes. So when you challenge the idea of America as a global "peacekeeper," it can be a tricky conversation.