Post #4: Anti-War

Torture by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq

The United States of America has a long and storied history of exceptionalism. In short, Americans tend to view themselves as the ultimate international moral barometer and sole exemplar of foreign and domestic policy. 

America also has a vetted history of imperialism. In short, this term refers to America's obsession with installing "freedom" and "law and order" in otherwise sovereign and unaffiliated countries. This concept has a direct link to American exceptionalism, in my opinion, as exceptionalism is what informs America that it knows best in any given situation. If you're the very best, then everywhere else is doing something wrong compared to you. This persistent feeling of being the best is cultural, and extends vertically throughout the entire American class structure.

So, the reason why so many conflicts reported by antiwar.com are largely unreported by larger media outlets has roots in both of these concepts. First, the American exceptionalism that permeates all of wider American society makes stories that are critical of America's military actions widely unpopular, and thusly unprofitable. This phenomena creates a case of journalistic self-censorship, where the media censors itself by only reporting on stories that will be ultimately profitable for the outlet.

Secondly, if media did publish critical pieces on American foreign policy, the notion of American imperialism and manifest destiny are so doggedly persistent in wider American culture that these stories would be criticized, ignored and nothing ultimately would come of the reports. A perfect example of this would be the revelations of extrajudicial torture of inmates in the Abu Ghraib prison in Israel by American soldiers. Even though the news of this event was widely reported, ultimately next to nothing came of the revelations of the sociopathic behavior by the guards and administration at Abu Ghraib.

In short, America is not exceptional - it's deeply broken. The only reason we continue to believe the myth of exceptionalism is because the media generally hides our unforgivable sins from the wider populace. 

And if they do show us our sins? 

Generally, we just won't care.