Hammontee, Danny. Make Peace.Digital Image. The People’s Voice. The People’s Voice. 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Feb 2016.
From the very start of the course, we humanities core students were taken on an in-depth journey learning about the multiplex world of war, exploring concepts that changed our perspectives on the consequences of war. This quarter in particular has been incredibly eye-opening for me. The topics we discussed in this quarter—from the anti-slavery movement to torture to Argentina’s Dirty Wars to Cold War society—have edified me on critical historical subjects that are undoubtedly relevant to our world and the moral crises we continue to face about the war sphere.
This quarter has allowed me to become more educated about the anti-slavery movement through our lectures, discussions, and compelling readings. Reading slave narratives and analyzing the history of the Civil War and the journey to abolition have allowed me to gain greater insight on the incredible struggle former slaves were inflicted with. In addition, Professor Fah’s lectures and our discussions in class allowed me to learn about the vital concept of historical contingency and examine how war-time society marginalized certain groups of people.
“By educating ourselves and developing opinions, we can create the change we yearn to see implemented in our nation.”
One of the most crucial impacts this quarter has had on me is that it not only heightened my understanding of the complexities of torture, but it also strengthened by opposition to it. Before officially learning about the concept of torture, I believed torture was undoubtedly inhumane and should not be used unless it was the absolute only possible way of saving a nation from destruction and death. I learned that people are becoming desensitized to torture through torture-tainment which distorts the truth behind the gruesome act. As a Muslim-American, I grew up hearing about the atrocities that took place in Guantanamo Bay, but this quarter made me see these atrocities in a more gruesome light. The personal accounts of torture in the reader, the images from lecture, and descriptions of torture chambers made me realize that torture exceeded the violation of human rights in terms of physical abuse. Torture was not just physical—it was mental, emotional, and spiritual. Torturers used horrific methods of sexual torture to scar prisoners. In addition, they abused one of the prisoner’s greatest emotional strengths—their religion. Through sexual abuses, deprivation of religious rights, and terrifying threats to the safety of the prisoner’s family, torturers assaulted prisoners on every possible level that surpassed physical maltreatment. It was this gained knowledge on the horrid complexity of torture that further fortified my complete objection to this inhumane act.
Somodevilla, Chip. End Torture. Digital Image. Bring Me the News. Bring Me the News, 10 Dec. 2014. Web. 28 February 2016.
Additionally, this quarter has introduced me to the topic of the dirty wars in Argentina. Before taking this class, I had never heard of Argentina’s past with black operations during the Dirty War and disappeared civilians (“desaparecidos”). I found this topic extremely interesting and it made me want to learn more about these secret kidnappings and killings. Through lectures that discussed the history behind these events and through The Official Story, I realized how secret political operations can have a scarring impact on not just victims, but families of victims and the social sphere as a whole.
Prior to this quarter, I saw the Cold War as a critical clash between the warring ideologies of communism versus capitalism. But The Manchurian Candidate and our discussions in section as well as Professor Szalays’ lecture made me see the deeper and hidden truths behind the Cold War. I not only learned about the anxieties and fears of rumored Communist brainwashing operations, but I learned of the manipulation of the consumerist world. This made me reflect about war with a greater sense of critical thinking and research instead of merely seeing what is explicitly presented about the war to the public.
This quarter has not only educated me on previously unfamiliar concepts of war, but it has also made me realize how imperative it is to cultivate a deeper understanding of war. By gaining this deeper insight on war, I can develop my own opinion on facets of war that are greatly debated such as torture. In a world where information is at our finger tips and just a Google search away, we can develop our understanding of war affairs through credible sources and researching the history behind it. By educating ourselves and developing opinions, we can create the change we yearn to see implemented in our nation. Our opinions and our efforts can transform the injustice, inequities, and atrocities that undoubtedly exist in our governments—especially in areas that concern the complex world of warfare.
War: Through the Eyes of Humans 