I watched a CBC documentary on Darfur last week, and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of remorse. As a citizen of one of the most powerful nations on earth, I am a part of the problem. We stood by and did nothing while genocide raged in Darfur, because we simply didn’t have the will to change our politics. Because the UN has never set a precedent of sending troops into a country without that country’s government’s consent, they were unwilling to do so in Darfur. Shame on them for not daring to change the status quo. Shame on all of us for not having the balls to invade a country that seems hell-bent on raping and killing its own citizens. And shame on Sudan for committing something as horrible as genocide simply to secure the continued influx of Chinese investment in its burgeoning oil-based economy.
Mia Farrow is a strident activist when it comes to the horrors of Darfur, and in this documentary she points out that what the UN failed to do in Darfur is analogous to going up to Hitler and saying, “Excuse me Mr. Hitler, but could we please have your permission to send our troops into your country in order to liberate the death camps?” And when Hitler gives his inevitable response “No,” all we can do is wring our hands in dismay and do nothing, because we have decided that we won’t send troops into a country without that country’s permission. The United Nations is united all right: they are united in doing nothing of import. They are united in passing resolutions and condemning horrific actions. They are united in spouting the rhetoric of human rights and the necessity to defend such rights. And they have proven, in Rwanda, in Svrebenica, and in Darfur, that their words are ultimately powerless, because they are lies disguised as resolve. “Never again” they say. And they are right. “Never again,” until the next time.
-see Mia Farrow’s campaign to shame China, “Genocide Olympics” http://www.miafarrow.org/editorials.html
Mia Farrow is a strident activist when it comes to the horrors of Darfur, and in this documentary she points out that what the UN failed to do in Darfur is analogous to going up to Hitler and saying, “Excuse me Mr. Hitler, but could we please have your permission to send our troops into your country in order to liberate the death camps?” And when Hitler gives his inevitable response “No,” all we can do is wring our hands in dismay and do nothing, because we have decided that we won’t send troops into a country without that country’s permission. The United Nations is united all right: they are united in doing nothing of import. They are united in passing resolutions and condemning horrific actions. They are united in spouting the rhetoric of human rights and the necessity to defend such rights. And they have proven, in Rwanda, in Svrebenica, and in Darfur, that their words are ultimately powerless, because they are lies disguised as resolve. “Never again” they say. And they are right. “Never again,” until the next time.
-see Mia Farrow’s campaign to shame China, “Genocide Olympics” http://www.miafarrow.org/editorials.html
3 comments:
At first when reading this post I though.. "Wait a minute, hold on... Shame on them for not daring to change the status quo. Shame on all of us for not having the balls to invade a country that seems hell-bent on raping and killing its own citizens? Who decides when a country should be invaded? Where the magic rule book that says what is is right and wrong for everyone. Do we use the Bible? The Koran? The book of Scientology? The constitution of Canada or the US? Whose Moral guides do we use to decide to overthrow a government because our way is better?" Then I kept reading.. I'm really good at asking questions as I go so don't worry my initial thoughts were not criticisms, just... questions.
What really put it into perspective for me was “Excuse me Mr. Hitler, but could we please have your permission to send our troops into your country in order to liberate the death camps?” And when Hitler gives his inevitable response “No,” all we can do is wring our hands in dismay and do nothing, because we have decided that we won’t send troops into a country without that country’s permission. I mean really! This is so true! Why do we let so many people get away with what used to be intolerable just because we are afraid of looking like the bully?
It puts into perspective for me a little bit more the decisions made by the US in regards to invasion, (though I don't believe for one second that the decisions made by them are exactly pure in intention).
So I guess there is one problem. Utopia doesn't exist and we can't MAKE the world and its entire people make the right choice all the time. What we do have control over is ourselves. So, what can YOU do that might make an impact on the UN? There has got to be something right?
Great comments, thank you! And it reminded me of a part of the documentary I don't mention, namely that many third world and developing world countries feel that we in the west have lost our moral authority, because of things like the US invasion of Iraq. So when we try to push for the use of military force in places like Darfur, those countries respond by telling us to mind our own business, because clearly we have garbage in our own backyard that needs cleaning up. Look at Canada's continued poor treatment of the First Nations, for example. Even though our record may be one of the better ones in the world, we still have a lot of injustices and downright human rights violations to atone for ourselves. We helped destroy indigenous cultures that got in our way, then we tried to forcibly convert those peoples to our religion and culture, and then we went as far as raping and killing some of them that fought back. Then there is the internment of Japanese Canadians in World War 2. And I could probably go on, but that's enough for now! If we can demonstrate, as a country, that we have changed and will continue to work towards a more just and equitable society, then that may help improve our moral authority within the UN. And what can I do as an individual? I can start being a part of the solution instead of the problem. I haven't looked it up, but there's a website called Kiva I think, it gives micro-loans to people in developing countries. I can also lobby the UN or my own government. I'll keep thinking about how I can make a difference! Thanks again, library goddess.
My thought is that our view of love has gotten soggy. "Love is never violent" is a lie in a fallen world.
I was reading about Noah and the flood. This might murky the waters considering the topic of your post, but my only point really is that the people were doing evil things and so God wiped them all out except for Noah. That's pretty damn violent. And I really don't know what God was thinking. But even he looked at the situation and said, "This is horrible. I'm going to kill everyone on the earth except for a few people and some animals."
Librarygoddess2, thanks for reminding me about what I can do myself. I have some ideas, small ones, that I am already doing. Not sure how they affect things in Darfur... But they are creating some uncomfortable conflicts in my immediate sphere of life, and though it's not physical violence, it is violence of a kind because it's not pleasant. However, I don't really recall Jesus prancing through Jerusalem telling us we should all be pleasant.
Anyways, love is sometimes violent. That's my main thought. It doesn't equal violence by any means, but it sometimes involves it.
Post a Comment