Guns. Media.
Mental Illness. Lax Security. All these and more have been offered as
explanations for the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday,
December 14 that left 26 people, including 20 children, dead. And all of those
things may have played a role. But none are the cause of the problem. And heated
debate about them, while important, serves to obscure some other very important
conversations about the root issue, which is that the U.S. is a violent,
militaristic culture that, in virtually every institution, demonstrates violence
as a means of solving problems.
The U.S. is a
society organized for war. We spend almost 50 percent of federal tax monies
every year on military-not just to pay soldiers and veterans, but to engage in
conflict, for research and development of weapons and equipment, and more. When
this amount of funding is spent on military, it clearly cannot be used to build
infrastructure, to enhance the quality of our public schools, to provide social
services, to assist the poor, hungry and mentally ill, etc. Our military budget
is equal to that of the next fifteen countries combined. More than this, however, militarism is
an ideology that privileges certain values, including hierarchy, competition,
authoritarianism, and obedience, among others.
Politicians,
fearful of being seen as “soft,” engage the country in still more violence, at
the same time inadequately addressing human needs. This militaristic ideology
has shaped the ways our schools are structured, what we teach, and how we teach
it. It impacts our media, as commentators on either side of the political divide
use the same aggressive methods of yelling at and interrupting one another and
degrading their “enemy” whenever possible. Media over-represents the amount of
violent crime, for which creates a fearful populace that will sometimes accept
any effort that is supposed to keep us safe. Our criminal justice system is
militaristic, from our incessant “wars on” mentality to our arming and equipping
military-style swat teams and more. I could go on, but I hope the point is
made.
To counter a
militaristic culture, we need to begin infusing every institution with an
alternate model. To do so will require not just schools but the other
institutions listed here to begin to see their work as that of peacebuilding. We
need to engage in dialogue that dissects our devotion to militarism and violence
and that critically assesses its impact. We can take back our democracy from
politicians who are influenced by militaristic lobbies-the gun lobby, the prison
lobby, etc-and we can demand that our politicians begin investing in projects
and institutions that empower people and communities, affirm human rights, and
promote social justice.
I recognize that
this won’t be easy. Radically changing a societal ideology as hegemonic as
militarism is never easy. But how many more people, how many more children, do
we need to lose before we say better to work hard, engage the difficult
conversations, and build a more peaceful future for our
children?
ISH/HJ
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