After Saddam Hussein was ousted from power and sent into hiding in “spider holes,” the American media and public believed that the Iraqi citizens would shower the United States military with “rice and roses.” But there was no real enjoyment for U.S. troops to be in Iraq: instead of cries of liberation, there were shouts of occupation, and it seems that along with the roses were also homemade bombs and improved explosive devices. The American government’s ethnocentric view to Iraq and the Middle East in general created a pluralistic ignorance phenomenon for many Americans, which has kept public opinion relatively high in America, while the Iraqi people hate us for being there.

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when “…individuals underestimate the proportion of others who think, feel, or act as they themselves do,” (Glynn et al., 224) and this happens extensively in times of great social change, which is exactly what is going on in Iraq.

Many years prior to this Iraq war, I believed the Middle East had no desire to establish democracies. The Muslim religion and true liberal democracies cannot work together, nor should it. Here in the United States, we believe that religion should be separate from government, and we have a tendency to believe that all other countries should want the same. That is pluralistic ignorance, and it can create great foreign policy issues for the nation.

While the ideals of democracy are slowly being entrenched into the Iraqi peoples’ mindsets, they still believe Islam rules the land. The Bush administration, which is probably one of the most pluralistically ignorant governments elected in this country’s history, did not accurately poll the Iraqi peoples’ desire for democracy. Positive nation-building doesn’t work with rogue soldiers torturing prisoners or being forced to guard oil fields strictly for oil companies, which will ship that oil back to the U.S., and no money earmarked for Iraq.

Pluralistic ignorance can also affect future public opinion and policymaking. According to Glynn et al., there are ample examples to how public opinion on a policy can shape lawmakers’ decisions. Clinton stopped pushing for his health care reform bill when public opinion decreased for it, but was able to get an increase for minimum wage passed because the public supported it. But when lawmakers and administration officials misperceive the public’s view on a policy, it can have an opposite effect. While public opinion on the Clinton scandal called for Congress to just pass censure, they decided to push for impeachment. Millions of taxpayers’ dollars were wasted on testimonies and trials, just to get the same result a censure would have done: no impeachment conviction and no repercussions for the president.

Everyone partakes in pluralistic ignorance; it’s a psychological/social event that makes us human. But educated people, like those elected to government positions and especially, the White House, should be able to recognize when they are utilizing it. For us as a people to believe any occupied nation would be happy with that outcome is just plain fooling themselves.

You are about to read a paper I submitted for a Poltiical Science class I took last year at the University of Washington. The class was American Political Thought: 1865-Present, and was a survey of the political/economical/social thinking of America’s foremost leaders. In this paper, I wrote about W.E.B. Du Bois “The Souls of Black Folk”, and Du Bois’ emphasis of double consciousness for African Americans, which is a term he used to discuss how African Americans see themselves in a white world. I ran with this idea and wrote about how today’s military has developed its own double consciousness. If we continue on the present track of having our troops deploy to combat two, three, four, five, even six times, we are creating a small minority of Americans who will not be like you or I. All I can say to the stupidity of the Iraq war is – What if it was your child? Your son or daughter? With less than 2 million Americans (the writer included) having served in Iraq, and more than 350 million people in this country, shouldn’t more of a burden be placed on others? Hasn’t our military done enough? Why don’t we save some money (like $10 billion a month), bring them home, let them have more than a year to spend with their families before redeploying them back, and start the rebuilding and restructuring our military needs so that when the next big war happens (it hasn’t yet,) they will be able to fight effectively and adequately. “We go to war with the Army we have” – Donald Rumsfeld. To that, I say “No, we go to war with the very best or we don’t go at all.”

The military copes with the struggles involved with fighting its nation’s wars. A soldier can deploy to Iraq for a year, suffer through hardships beyond comprehension, and return home, only to be asked a most daunting question: “What was it like over there?” Or a civilian will come up to the airman and say, “I support the troops and I appreciate everything you did for America.” Or they will inform the Marine or sailor that they knew someone who fought in Iraq, and it really makes them mad that the government would start a war like that. “At these, I smile, or am interested, or reduce the boiling to a simmer, as the occasion may require.” (Du Bois, 2)

To the real question, what does the service member say back to these innocent individuals about the Iraq problem? “I answer seldom a word.” (Du Bois, 2)

Like the military, which represents a minority of the U.S. population and has been subjected to constant war for the past six years, African Americans have been trying to figure out how to stop being a problem. W.E.B. Du Bois encapsulated the problems associated with African Americans in his classic The Souls of Black Folk. In the book, he brought to light the major issues facing the nation at that time, which was that the problem of the 20^th century would be the color line. But how could he make such a prescient statement? He was an African American himself who lived within the veil. The collection of essays foresaw how white America’s innocence and failure to realize its own subjectivity allowed them to maintain the status quo and oppress those who were different. 

Du Bois said that two major social ideas associated with the veil are double-consciousness and second-sight. Before the military service member learned about the sorrows connected to double-consciousness and second-sight, African Americans embodied the two social ideas.

Double-consciousness is a “…sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.” (Du Bois, 3)

Du Bois’ awareness of his double-consciousness provided a gift of knowledge that many of his fellow countrymen did not have. For instance, by looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, he could feel his “…two-ness, – an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings.” (Du Bois, 3)

 Because of his strength to fight through the veil, the two warring ideals were kept from being torn asunder. He did not let the strife get to him like it did to others. “With other black boys, the strife was not so fiercely sunny: their youth shrunk into tasteless sycophancy, or…silent hatred of the pale world about them…or beat unavailing palms against the stone…” (Du Bois, 3 )

Unfortunately, enlightenment of one’s double-consciousness brought a curse. Once one leaves the complacent atmosphere of blissful ignorance, all the problems of the world rush into one’s mind, and for Du Bois, especially, it mentally weighed him down. He saw an American government promise his people emancipation, yet fail to actually provide it in anything more than words. “The Nation has not yet found peace from its sins; the freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land.” (Du Bois, 6)

Another gift provided by double-consciousness is second-sight. Once an African American became conscious that the white world did not view them as a doctor, or a teacher, or a writer, but as a black man or woman, a new stream of thinking was created. This gift of thought would now take in the white person’s stereotypes of what an African American was or should be.  Then, the African American would now manifest a second-guessing syndrome where he or she would constantly wonder what would be the right thing to say. Du Bois put it best when he wrote, “…two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.” (Du Bois, 3)

The revelations of double-consciousness and second-sight occurred to Du Bois at a relatively young age. Du Bois wrote about his experience of giving out visiting cards to a young girl, who refused to accept it peremptorily. This was his first awakening to the realization that he was different from others; this is where he discovered his second sight. He discovered the veil cast down upon him by society, limiting his view of himself and how others see him in the world. He… “had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through…” (Du Bois, 2)

To beat the curses of institutionalized racism, Du Bois, like many African Americans, limited the power of the veil by performing activities better than the white children did. “The sky was bluest when I could beat my mates at examination-time, or beat them at a foot-race, or even beat their stringy heads.” (Du Bois, 2)

But the veil had been in place for more than 300 years, so what was the African American to do?   Economic vitality was being sold as the key to prosperity by the whites, but this did not hold much practicality for blacks. The South had become a region of serfdom: African American sharecroppers worked for little to no wages for rich, white landowners. As the nation as a whole became richer because of the Industrial Age, African Americans, in a race to the bottom, were becoming consistently poorer.  “He felt his poverty; without a cent, without a home, without land, tools, or savings…To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.” (Du Bois,

So what was the African American to do? For Du Bois, that answer was simple: “…human brotherhood, gained through the unifying ideal of Race; the ideal of fostering and developing the traits and talents of the Negro, not in opposition to or contempt for other races, but rather in large conformity to the greater ideals of the American Republic, in order that some day on American soil two world-races may give each to each those characteristics both so sadly lack.” (Du Bois, 11)

His desire for integration would require whites to realize their own subjectivity and understand that they could have been born African Americans. Without these stipulations happening, Americans would not move beyond their problematic history.

White America has best been known as the historically privileged. They have espoused that America is built up on liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness, in the Declaration of Independence, yet, according to Du Bois, because of slavery, have yet to give those opportunities to all of its citizens.  “Freedom, too, the long-sought, we still seek, – the freedom of life and limb, the freedom to work and think, the freedom to love and aspire. Work, culture, liberty – all these we need…” (Du Bois, 11)

Without true freedom and racial equality, African Americans will continue to stay in their role as being historically oppressed. White America must change the way it sees itself as being the ideal, and evolve from being historically privileged to developing a more legitimate sense of historical consciousness. They must integrate the African American experience into the social fabric of America’s history. The white way is not the only way. Every race, culture, social group in America has a voice, a message for the world, and each manifests itself differently. For Du Bois, the message of the African American is one of hope dissolved in a world of despair. “…but for fresh young souls who have not known the night and waken to the morning; a morning when men ask of the workman, not ‘Is he white?’ but ‘Can he work?’” (Du Bois, 213)

When the nation can combine these together and see the beauty and potentiality for all races, sexes, genders, religions and social groups, then, perhaps, the equality so cherished in the Declaration of Independence can be achieved in the United States.

The problem of the 21^st century may be the problem of our military’s consciousness. The dichotomy of a soldier also being a civilian is not much different from an African being an American. Both the soldier and the African American will experience some form of double-consciousness and second-sight, where they will constantly second-guess how they should act around other civilians. It is possible that an African American soldier experiences a heightened sense of double consciousness, since he or she must interpret how they are seen by not only other fellow white soldiers, but also by civilians who do not understand their experiences. Regardless, both social groups need to tell America their story, their message for the world, so that social dissonance does not continue, and Du Bois’ fears for his deceased boy do not completely come to fruition for future generations. “Well sped, my boy, before the world had dubbed your ambition insolence, had held your ideals unattainable, and taught you to cringe and bow. Better far this nameless void that stops my life than a sea of sorrow for you.” (Du Bois, 213)

Last night’s debate was “more of the same” from our presidential candidates:

We didn’t hear about Jim and Jane the veterans because they have either been recalled out of the IRR after already deploying several times, recuperating in a post or VA hospital near you, or just trying to fit back into normal civilian society. Veterans are only mentioned by politicians to get votes – its the race to the bottom to see who is the vets’ best friend. I wish Obama had mentioned McCain earning a rank of “D” for support of veterans issues, especially when he claims he is the best friend a veteran can have. McCai will be another third term for Bush – another president that says he supports the troops, but fails to act on it. If there were 17 million veterans instead of 1.7 million, this election would have a much different feel to it. Would the veterans voting debacle almost have happened in Ohio if this was the case? I don’t think so… We all owe IAVA a debt of gratitude for protecting our brotherts and sisters in arms’ right to vote as they perform the true act of citizenry: serving our nation in the military. 

Imagine my fellow Americans if the military lost the right to vote. But its happened in the last two elections. In fact, it is the brainchild of Karl Rove – because of the delay it takes for mail to travel from Iraq to the United States (typically 10 days), a young soldier who doesn’t understand that all ballots not returned by an arbitrary mailing deadline will be deemed invalid and either be completely thrown out or the least challenged, will not have his or her vote counted. We send our military to war, send them to lose body parts or worse, their life, and we try to take away their right to vote? One of the real reasons Republicans try to keep this behind closed doors, especially this year, is because lower-enlisted soldiers and junior officers are going to vote for Obama. And not just a little – they will go for him by a 2/3rds majority. It is the senior officers and political appointees at the Pentagon who want McCain elected. I’ve said it here – will history bear me out? We’ll find out in three weeks!

Now that Brett Favre has been traded to the New York Jets, I am going to pre-order Madden NFL ‘09 and NEVER OPEN IT. Here’s why: typically, the best player of the previous year gets to be graced on the cover of the upcoming year’s Madden NFL game. Such notable players as Michael Vick, Vince Young and Shaun Alexander have all taken center-stage for the popular franchise. However, there is a curse attached to the game - any player who is placed on the cover ends up either getting hurt during the season or performs well below their usual standard.

However, no player on the Madden cover has been TRADED to another team in the same year, heck, before the game has even come out! This means a mint-condition, unopened Madden NFL ‘09 with Favre in a Packers’ uniform could potentially be worth some money in the not-too-distant future.

Capital venturists out there – let’s go make some money!

Instead of just showing the three rockets, which would have been scary enough, Iran’s state news agency desides to digitally insert a fourth one, as the New York Times “The Lede” reports today.

Iran doesn’t need to Photoshop in a fourth one to add effect: the U.S. government is already in full swing preparing the nation for war against the Middle Eastern country. This little stunt will now allow more pandering from the presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama on dealing with Iran.

This event is very similar to what Powell did six years ago in front of the United Nations: he showed manipulated photos and played possibly rigged tapings to drum up support for Iraq. How fitting that it is now the other side that has resulted to these tactics.

Will these photos have any effect on our elected leaders advocating for a war in Iran, or just blow over as another silly tactic used by a totalitarian state?

Throughout the past year, I had one long-term and one short-term goal to fulfill. My long-term goal was get my degree completed. My short-term goal was to watch Tim Russert on “Meet the Press.”

This weekend, I completed the long-term goal: I graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree. I majored in Communications-Journalism and Political Science, and minored in History.

Unfortunately, Tim died Friday, June 13, preparing for yesterday’s “Meet The Press” episode. I have spent the psat year watching him methodically interviewing politicians, presidential candidates, and other journalists. He taught me so much – not just about where the politicians stood on issues, but how to correctly conduct the interview itself.

I don’t like watching the preachers on tv on Sunday. Except for one – Tim’s house of worship that is the “Meet The Press” studio. I never met him, never spoke to him, but I felt like I knew him. He had that boyish desire to know everything, that I try to keep alive in myself. I will miss him, and he can never be replaced. Thanks Tim, for helping me achieve my goals.

Videos provide a type of realism that blogs with words just can’t provide. This video “Stories from the Frontlines” is great for anyone who wants to learn the lingo that Marines and soldiers use while in Iraq. A must-see video!

Colby Buzzell, a military blogger who published the book My War: Killing Time in Iraq, which started as a blog, has been recalled to the Army to go back to Iraq, according to his blog. Colby has been in the Individual Ready Reserves since leaving active duty several years ago. Here is what he said in his book about if he was ever called recalled:

If I ever get a phone call saying, “Hello, Mr. Buzzell, this is the United States Army calling to congratulate you on being called back to active duty!” I swear to God I’ll say, “Dude, I’m way too stoned right now to be talking to you, hold on. Here, talk to my live-in boyfriend Stevie, and tell him exactly what you just told me, but make it quick, because me and him are about to make love to each other, now that these Ectsasy pills that we swallowed are kicking in.”

Here’s what he really said earlier this May to the San Francisco Chronicle when he got his IRR Recall letter.

I read his book while I was in Iraq, and even wrote a blog about how one of his book passages applied to my situation there.

And here’s a youtube clip of Colby after being awarded the second annual “Blooker prize” for best book that began as a blog on the Internet. He discusses the role of military bloggers and how they are acting as citizen journalists and provide aspects to the war that traditional journalists can’t obtain.

If you would like to know more about Colby, his book or his blog, click on MY WAR on my blogroll.

For Kathy: Here’s the video we discussed in class. For all those who have been text-message break-upped, I now feel your pain. But… new social medias help make break-ups easier with text messages, but if you can see your significant other in person, the power of interpersonal communication can still override the detachment of technology, and you can save your relationship.

This is wicked cool!