So I found an old research paper that I wrote back in 2012…
Take a walk down memory lane with me as I examine what I thought about the world in terms of the War On Terror almost ten years ago—I was 22 & thought I had it all figured out...
I distinctly remember writing this paper because it was one of the first times that I’d spoken out against Barack Obama — I was terrified to turn it in because I knew my professor was a huge Obama supporter.
At the time, I thought this paper was *breaking news* — it was everything I’d been searching for when I realized that nothing was what it seemed about the United States of America. I voted for Barack Obama the first time he won — I’ll never forget being in Grant Park on election night. It’s something that I’ll always remember with both fondness and a sense of sadness. I look back fondly because I saw people who felt, for the first time, like they had a fighting change. The sadness, however, is because that hope and change never really panned out like I wanted to believe so badly. I learned my lesson — but it’s important to cherish moments for what they are every now and then.
Having said that, this paper was a manifestation of what transpired after as far as my thoughts on Obama’s presidency: disappointment, anger, confusion, and resentment. How could Obama be engaging in wars when he was supposed to be the one to end them? I thought he was the one bringing hope and change after 8 miserable years of George Bush? I still find myself, every now and then, almost wanting to go back to the days of naivete — the days where I could get excited about a politician who told me all of the the things that sounded good. The best lesson that I know I’ve learned over the last 10 years? WE are our own heroes. No one’s coming to save us—and that’s perfectly okay. We’ve been conditioned to think we always need a hero. False idols appear when you’re not watching closely…
I know I’ve come a long way in my perspective — and none of this is to hate on Barack Obama’s supporters, by the way. If anything — it’s a reflection on how we’re still discussing how to get out of Afghanistan and the War on Terror — that, my friends, is what’s saddest of all. I see my Twitter feed full of photos and videos from Afghanistan today. Not only does this remind me of a story I’ve seen before — it also reminds me of all the things they’re not covering—per usual—whether it’s across the Atlantic in Africa or just a mile and a half away from me right here in Chicago. The War on Terror has been life for people around the world—and here at home—far longer than when they decided to officially name and authorize it in Congress.
I love going back through old articles and research papers to see how I’ve evolved — maybe you can relate, too. I also think it’s perfectly acceptable to laugh at yourself when you’re wrong — and trust me, I got some things very wrong in this paper. But hey—if you can’t call yourself out, are you really sure you’re qualified to call out others? At the very least—life’s too short to not be able to laugh at yourself every once and awhile and improve where you can to not make the same mistakes.
Well, I can’t say I was too far off when I suggested that this war would be endless. As for what I’ve learned? My comments on the military. End of story. Yikes.
“The acts and laws passed…are not necessarily threats to basic civil liberties in the Constitution at face value”…OOF. You can see that I was still of the belief that the Founding Fathers were just rebels, looking for a way to live independently without “the man” cracking down on them. My perspective here is quite naïve — and leaves out a lot of experiences that I personally never went through — but the war on terror wasn’t new for some people in this country. For some — terror is every single day. I’d say, however, we are certainly facing a “tyrannical-like” government — though I didn’t expect it to be via intrusive government and corporate surveillance like we’re seeing today.
Again — YIKES. Very narrow-minded as far as the issue of war and the need for it, at all. I don’t doubt that Abraham Lincoln did all that he could to prevent Civil War — but I’ll admit that at the time of writing, I still thought that Abe wanted to end slavery for purely moral reasons. Not to hate on him — but more so to point out the fact that I simply accepted the notion that war needed to exist — I had no idea what kind of money and powers actually controlled those decisions.
Going to correct my 22-year old self here: “this alone” (meaning the AUMF) was certainly a serious threat. Why am I giving Dubbya such a pass in this article?!
I also vividly remember this section because the word “enemy combatants” stuck with me long after I finished this class. To think that, even at the naive age of 22, people were going to be held for simply being seen as “enemy combatants” (something I had no idea could already happen to you — and had been happening to many in this country for decades prior to this), was something I felt could only be from a sci-fi novel. LOL. So wrong.
Hmm…somehow, I don’t think that’s exactly what Obama meant…
You can’t say O’Connor was wrong at all considering what’s happened in just the last few days in Afghanistan. Let’s be honest though — most of us knew we weren’t ever leaving. It was a nice thought, sure, but everyone knows that private contractors move in once the troops move out. If only I’d known then…
I left out the millions of people who have been subjected to our government’s oppressive war machine overseas and only fixated on Americans and our “potential” loss of freedom.
Well — I’ll give my younger self credit for understanding the implications that arose from the Occupy years and what was done to those activists, journalists, and protestors. I’m not sure why I failed to include the experiences of so many other Americans within the context of due process — but nonetheless, it was interesting to go back and see how far I’ve come. I think we tend to assume, at least I know I have, that a person cannot change or evolve over time. That’s not only simplistic, but it fails to capture the beauty of the mind when we’re provided with new insight and understanding.
Simply put, I don’t know if the people will ever “rise up” to fight this because the fact of the matter is — we’re all in on it. That’s not to say that we don’t mean well — but we all, in a sense, contribute to the endless wars by paying attention to some, while ignoring others (Africa.) I’ve been guilty of this myself — even in that paper I wrote. Whether you like it or not, in some capacity, we are all responsible for where we are at today. The longer we kept blaming that party or this party, this person or that person, neighbors, family, and friends — the longer we miss out on the chance to collectively ascend above this notion that we cannot escape this duopoly — right? We’re on the forefront of a technological revolution (I’ll continue trying to write about this as much as possible over the next few weeks) — there’s no need to take me at my word alone here, either. Things you once thought were only possible in a science fiction movie are about to become reality. The Internet of Things will make inanimate objects come to life — meaning they’ll proactively decide things that you’re not even conscious of. The digital twin? That’s real too (if you don’t believe me, check out “Upload” on Amazon and tell me that’s not too far off…)
We still have time to correct the mistakes we’ve made in the past when it comes to our judgment of character and who is fit to “lead.” I don’t think there’s one, solid answer. I do know this: the longer we continue to squabble amongst ourselves, the quicker we’ll be living in this futuristic AI world. I don’t know how to stop it — I don’t think we can really stop it entirely. But, if we’re prepared to face what’s really ahead — collectively, I still have hope for humanity. If that makes me naïve — so be it. Our past doesn’t need to define our future and I sincerely hope that the Age of Aquarius and a collective ascension (yes, I’m getting “woo woo”) — but I wonder, can humanity win? Can we actually win when we continue to put all of our faith into one or two people — all while putting all of the blame on a few other people? Over and over again, we continue to believe that this candidate will fix everything — -and that’s the fatal flaw. I believe that we’ve gotten here because humanity is collectively traumatized to an extent. Though not for the same reasons, we’ve forgotten how to reflect before reacting — or think before speaking (I’m guilty of this myself). Forget borders and language and ethnicity and so on — can we, as a collective human race, beat the AI that we CHOSE to create? What if humanity has reached a tipping point that we’re not able to come back from? These are the things I think about before falling asleep…this article isn’t meant to be preachy — it’s mostly “thinking out loud” and wondering if anyone else feels the same…
Til next time,
Aly
You know, this is great for insight. Coming face to face with your past self is great, considering the past is the preconditions for the present. I did my high school senior thesis on how global warming is a hoax, which led me to painful reality when working in the oil industry. It's almost as if writing anything on opinion or factual events, and research in general to support a thesis is "daring the universe" to prove you wrong, possibly writing your path forward... If your eyes are open enough to see. Psychoanalytics of the self is a blast. As always, well done
I love the honest reflection and the way you connect your past perspective to future events. These past experiences will make your voice stronger when writing about things that involve a degree of speculation. You have instincts that many don't. Keep going!