American use of physical violence to create peace
Physical violence is now so common in our society we are all but desensitized to it. The horrors of a mugging, of rape, or of military violence are passé on the nightly news. US policies like the “War on Drugs”, the “War on Poverty”, and the “War on Terror” are a reflection of our society’s emphasis on war and aggression. One byproduct of a culture that is as focused on war and aggression as ours is, is that we mistakenly attempt to create peace through violence. As an example of this, I was dismayed to learn recently that over 80 percent of the War on Drugs funding in Columbia goes to military and police aid. Over $3 billion has been spent there since “Plan Columbia” passed in 2000, and yet it is still common consensus that the US has not effectively helped Columbia reduced the availability of drugs either in Columbia or here in the US. What does this show about our culture? I think it reveals a misplaced notion that we can “fix it all” with force. We try to change the world using force. Just look at the “War on Terror”, or the “War on Poverty”. These issues, like drugs, stem from social issues. Social inequality, racism, gender discrimination, poverty, broken families, and poor education contribute to the causation of most violence, and are all going to necessitate a lot of intervention on both a governmental funding and agency level, and on a personal one-on-one level in order to address these issues successfully. In the case of Columbian drugs, I don’t understand why someone thinks that an ingrained belief and pattern of growing and selling drugs can be dismissed from someone’s mind just by supporting a military junta. Drug use stems from a lack of education and opportunity. If no other viable options are available, what more can be expected of anyone in that situation? Why don’t we invest in education, in social programs, basically in the PEOPLE, not in guns? It may be just me, but it seems like it would be a lot more effective solution.