Anti War vs the American Patriot

A lot of American's, similar to myself, have looked back on the (albeit tragic) events of World War One as a patriotic landmark in our countries history. I always was of the opinion that it was a time that had citizens banding together and gaining a sense of civic duty. Men of all ages and backgrounds were sent either through the draft or volunteering. Women at home took over the jobs the men left behind. It was a garnered sense of community amongst millions of people with one thing in common: a love for the country and to protect those back home. However, after watching those videos and doing other research, I realize that I was greatly mistaken. As a result of speaking out against the war, hundreds of people had their personal liberties completely taken away through jailing, simply for the sake of maintaining a sense of national unity. 

Propoganda- WW1

For this post we were asked to explore two anti war pages. I have not even heard of either, which given the ongoing situation with Israel and Palestine is slightly surprising. However, I do not believe these sites are necessarily being restricted- they just simply do not generate the same level of attraction as main stream media sites. For example: Fox News and CNN often choose the newest, most clickbait prone content to push on their sites. They have a tendency to fall into the 24 hours news cycle, and therefore there's a constant turnover of information. 

On one of these sites, The American Conservative, I found an article called '95th Anniversary of Horrendous American Wrong Turn: World War One.' I found the topics it discussed to be extremely intriguing; more specifically, I found the phrasing of them to be. The article opens with what is essentially a direct attack on George Bush, comparing him to President Wilson's declaration of war for WW1.

It reminded me again of the Israel and Palestine conflict protests. While I do not personally have an opinion on the situation due to lack of education on the subject, there has been an increase in protests about the war. While I do not agree with Even modern day, there are similarities to those who were arrested during sitting protests, specifically the UT Austin gathering. It was a gathering of students in the campus center, and 79 students ended up arrested by police in full gear. It had been a peaceful gathering for the most part, and was addressed with an aggressive response.  

By reexamining modern day events in historical contexts against such significant events such as WW1, it prompts a criticism on the general narrative surrounding dissent and patriotism, and who is responsible for it. Things like the draft, or simply speaking anti-war principles, shows the dark side to political discourse and the collapse of our civil liberties. In my opinion, it also signifies the need for citizens to advocate for themselves to have further protections of our core democratic values.