{"id":137549,"date":"2019-07-15T12:00:20","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T11:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=137549"},"modified":"2019-07-12T11:22:21","modified_gmt":"2019-07-12T10:22:21","slug":"give-peace-a-chance-dont-believe-the-war-profiteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2019\/07\/give-peace-a-chance-dont-believe-the-war-profiteers\/","title":{"rendered":"Give Peace a Chance: Don\u2019t Believe the War Profiteers"},"content":{"rendered":"

11 Jul 2019 – Last month I had the opportunity to share some thoughts at a\u00a0<\/em>Divest Philly from the War Machine<\/em><\/a>\u00a0event, hosted by\u00a0<\/em>Wooden Shoe Books<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and sponsored by\u00a0<\/em>World Beyond War<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Code Pink<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Veterans for Peace<\/em><\/a>, and other anti-war groups. Below are my remarks, slightly edited for clarity. My thanks to everyone involved.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In late May, Vice President Mike Pence was the commencement speaker at West Point. In part, he told the graduating cadets this:\u00a0\u201cIt is a virtual certainty that you will fight on a battlefield for America at some point in your life. You will lead\u00a0soldiers in combat. It will happen\u2026And when that day comes, I know you will move to the sound of the guns and do your duty, and you will fight, and you will win. The American people expect nothing less.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Pence\u00a0didn\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0mention that day is\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0he could be so sure that this will come to pass. Or\u00a0who<\/em>\u00a0the primary beneficiaries will be, if or when it does. Because the winners won\u2019t be the American people, who see their taxes go to missiles instead of healthcare and education. Nor will they be the soldiers themselves\u2014some of whom will return in flag-draped caskets while many more sustain life-altering physical and psychological injuries. The winners also won\u2019t be the citizens of other countries who experience death and displacement on a horrific scale from our awesome military might. And our planet\u2019s now-fragile climate won\u2019t come out on top either, since the Pentagon is the single largest oil consumer in the world.<\/p>\n

No, the spoils will go to our massive and multifaceted war machine. The war machine is comprised of companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, and Raytheon, among others, that make\u00a0billions<\/em>\u00a0of dollars each year from war, war preparations, and arms sales. In fact, the U.S. government pays Lockheed\u00a0alone<\/em>\u00a0more each year than it provides in funding to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Labor Department, and the Interior Department\u00a0combined<\/em>. The war machine also includes the CEOs of these defense contractors, who personally take in tens of millions of dollars annually, and the many politicians in Washington who help secure their jobs by collectively accepting millions of dollars in contributions from the defense industry\u2014roughly evenly split between\u00a0both<\/em>\u00a0major parties. And let\u2019s not forget the retired politicians and retired military officers, who travel the pot-of-gold pipeline to become highly paid board members and spokespersons for these same companies.<\/p>\n

Vice-President Pence also didn\u2019t mention to the cadets that the U.S. military budget today exceeds that of the next seven largest countries combined\u2014an enthusiastic display of Congressional bipartisanship at its very worst. Nor did he note that we\u2019re the largest international seller of major weapons in the world, with ongoing efforts to promote even bigger markets for U.S. arms companies in countries run by ruthless, repressive autocrats. That\u2019s how it came to pass last August, for example, that Saudi Arabia used an expensive Lockheed laser-guided bomb to blow up a bus in Yemen, killing 40 young boys who were on a school trip.<\/p>\n

Given these realities, I\u2019d like to offer my perspective\u2014as a psychologist\u2014on a question that has never really been more timely: How is it that the war profiteers, card-carrying members of the so-called 1%, continue to thrive despite all the harm and misery they cause for so many? We know that the 1%\u2014the self-interested very rich and powerful\u2014set the priorities of many of our elected officials. We also know that they exert considerable influence over the mainstream media regarding which narratives are promoted and which are obscured. But in my own work, what\u2019s most important\u2014and what too often goes unrecognized\u2014are the propaganda strategies they use to prevent us from realizing what\u2019s gone wrong, who\u2019s to blame, and how we can make things better. And nowhere is this more apparent or more consequential than when it comes to the one-percenters who run our war machine.<\/p>\n

My research shows that their manipulative messages\u2014what I call \u201cmind games\u201d\u2014target five concerns that dominate our daily lives: namely, issues of vulnerability, injustice, distrust, superiority, and helplessness. These are the psychological templates we use to make sense of the world around us. Each is associated with a key question we ask ourselves regularly: Are we safe? Are we being treated fairly? Who should we trust? Are we good enough? And, can we control what happens to us? And it\u2019s no coincidence that each is also linked to a powerful emotion that can be hard to control: fear, anger, suspicion, pride, and despair, respectively.<\/p>\n

War profiteers prey on these five concerns with two simple goals in mind.<\/p>\n

First<\/strong>, they aim to create and maintain an American public that either embraces or at least accepts an endless war mentality.<\/p>\n

And<\/strong> second<\/strong>, they use these mind games to marginalize and disempower anti-war voices. For each of these five concerns, I\u2019d like to provide two examples of the mind games I\u2019m talking about, and then discuss how we can counter them.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with\u00a0vulnerability.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether as quickly passing thoughts or haunting worries, we tend to wonder if the people we care about are in harm\u2019s way, and if there might be danger on the horizon. Right or wrong, our judgments on these matters go a long way in determining the choices we make and the actions we take. Our focus on vulnerability isn\u2019t surprising.\u00a0It\u2019s only when we think we\u2019re safe\u00a0that we comfortably turn our attention to other things. Unfortunately, however, we\u2019re not very good at assessing risks or\u00a0the effectiveness of potential responses to them. That\u2019s why\u00a0psychological appeals targeting these vulnerability concerns are a core element of the war machine\u2019s propaganda arsenal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s A Dangerous World\u201d is one vulnerability mind game that war profiteers regularly use to build public support for their greed-driven activities. They argue that their actions are necessary in order to keep everyone safe from ominous threats. They exaggerate or entirely fabricate these dangers\u2014whether they\u2019re talking about dominoes falling to the Red Menace in Southeast Asia, or the Axis of Evil and mushroom clouds over U.S. cities, or anti-war protestors purportedly posing a threat to our national security. They know that we\u2019re soft targets for such psychological tactics because, in our desire to avoid being unprepared when danger strikes, we\u2019re quick to imagine catastrophic outcomes no matter how unlikely they may be. That\u2019s why we can be easy prey when they urge us to fall in line, comply with their instructions, and perhaps relinquish our civil rights as well.<\/p>\n

At the same time, war machine representatives often turn to a second vulnerability mind game\u2014\u201cChange Is Dangerous\u201d\u2014when they\u2019re trying to marginalize their critics.\u00a0Here, when a proposed reform would hamper their ambitions, they mislead us by insisting that these changes will place everyone in greater jeopardy\u2014whether the proposal is about reducing our staggering 800 overseas military bases; or withdrawing troops from Vietnam, Afghanistan, or Iraq; or cutting our enormous defense budget. This mind game often works because of what psychologists call \u201cstatus quo bias.\u201d That is, we generally prefer to keep things the way they are\u2014even if they\u2019re not particularly good\u2014rather than face the uncertainty of less familiar options, even if those other alternatives are exactly what\u2019s needed to make the world a safer place. But, of course, our welfare is not the most pressing issue as far as the war profiteers are concerned.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s turn now to\u00a0injustice<\/em>, the second core concern. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Cases of real or perceived mistreatment frequently stir anger and resentment, as well as an urge to right wrongs and bring accountability to those who are responsible. That can all be very good. But our perceptions about what\u2019s just and what\u2019s not are imperfect. This makes us potential easy targets for manipulation by those who have a selfish interest in shaping our views of right and wrong to their advantage\u2014and it\u2019s exactly what representatives of the war machine work hard to do.<\/p>\n

For example, \u201cWe\u2019re Fighting Injustice\u201d is one of the war profiteers\u2019 favorite injustice mind games for generating public support for endless wars. Here, they insist that their actions reflect an abiding commitment to combating wrongdoing\u2014whether they\u2019re falsely arguing that Iran has engaged in\u00a0unprovoked<\/em>\u00a0hostility; or that Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning, who exposed U.S. war crimes, deserve punishment for treason; or that government surveillance and disruption of anti-war groups are necessary responses to purported unlawful activity. This mind game is designed to misappropriate and misdirect our sense of outrage over injustice. It takes advantage of our psychological tendency to believe that the world is just, and to therefore assume that those who have obtained positions of power are fair-minded rather than driven by craven self-interest\u2014even though their actions so often\u00a0harm<\/em>\u00a0rather than\u00a0help<\/em>\u00a0the prospects for peace.<\/p>\n

Simultaneously, \u201cWe\u2019re the Victims\u201d is a second injustice mind game, and it\u2019s used to marginalize critics. When their policies or actions are condemned, representatives of the war machine brazenly complain of being mistreated themselves. So, for example, the Pentagon expressed outrage that the Abu Ghraib torture photos were disseminated without its permission; the White House blusters that the International Criminal Court has a vendetta against innocent American soldiers, or so they say; and bomb-making companies gripe that they shouldn\u2019t be criticized for selling weapons to overseas dictators since our government has authorized the sales\u2014as if that somehow makes it the right thing to do. Claims like these are designed to encourage uncertainty and disagreement among the public over issues of right and wrong, and victim and perpetrator. When this turning of the tables is successful, our concern is directed\u00a0away from<\/em>\u00a0those who actually suffer from our endless wars.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s move to our third core concern,\u00a0distrust<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We tend to divide the world into those we find trustworthy and those we don\u2019t. Where we draw that line matters a lot. When we get it right, we avoid harm from those who have hostile intentions, and we\u2019re able to enjoy the rewards of collaborative relationships. But we often make these judgments with only limited information of uncertain reliability. As a result, our conclusions about the trustworthiness of particular people, groups, and sources of information are frequently flawed and problematic, especially when others with ulterior motives\u2014warmongers immediately come to mind\u2014have influenced our thinking.<\/p>\n

For instance, \u201cThey\u2019re Different from Us\u201d is one distrust\u00a0<\/em>mind game that war profiteers rely on when trying to win over the public\u2019s support. They use it to encourage our suspicions of other groups by arguing that\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0don\u2019t share our values, our priorities, or our principles. We see this regularly, including in the highly lucrative business of promoting Islamophobia, and also when other nations are repeatedly characterized as primitive and barbaric. This mind game works because, psychologically, when we\u00a0don\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0perceive someone as part of our ingroup, we tend to view them as\u00a0less<\/em>\u00a0trustworthy, we hold them in\u00a0lower<\/em>\u00a0regard, and we\u2019re\u00a0less<\/em>\u00a0willing to share scarce resources with them. So, convincing the American public that a group is truly different or deviant is a significant step toward diminishing our concern for their welfare.<\/p>\n

At the same time, representatives of the war machine turn to a second distrust appeal\u2014the \u201cThey\u2019re Misguided and Misinformed\u201d mind game\u2014to smear anti-war opponents. They spur distrust toward these critics by arguing that they lack sufficient knowledge, or suffer from unrecognized biases, or are the victims of others\u2019 intentional misinformation\u2014and that, as a result, their dissenting views are unworthy of serious consideration. So, for example, the war profiteers disparage and try to discredit anti-war groups like World Beyond War, Code Pink, and Veterans for Peace with demonstrably false claims that the activists don\u2019t understand the real causes of the problems they seek to fix, and that their proposed remedies will only make matters worse for everyone. In fact, the actual evidence rarely supports the positions of endless war enthusiasts. When this mind game is successful, the public disregards important voices of dissent. And when that happens, crucial opportunities for tackling out-of-control militarism and advancing the common good are lost.<\/p>\n

Turning now to the fourth core concern,\u00a0superiority<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re quick to compare ourselves to others, often in an effort to demonstrate that we\u2019re worthy of respect. Sometimes this desire is even stronger: we want confirmation that we\u2019re\u00a0better<\/em>\u00a0in some important way\u2014perhaps in our accomplishments, or in our values, or in our contributions to society. But in these efforts to bolster our own positive self-appraisals, we\u2019re sometimes encouraged to perceive and portray others in as negative a light as possible, even to the point of dehumanizing them. And since the judgments we make about our own worth\u2014and the qualities of others\u2014are often quite subjective, these impressions are also susceptible to manipulation by the war machine.<\/p>\n

For example, the \u201cPursuing a Higher Purpose\u201d mind game is one way that war profiteers appeal to superiority in order to build public support for endless war. Here, they present their actions as an affirmation of American exceptionalism, insisting that their policies have deep moral underpinnings and reflect the cherished principles that lift this country above others\u2014even when what they\u2019re defending is the pardoning of war criminals; or the torturing of terrorism suspects; or the internment of Japanese-Americans; or the violent overthrow of elected leaders in other countries, to name just a few instances. When this mind game succeeds, contrary indicators\u2014of which there are\u00a0a lot<\/em>\u2014are disingenuously explained away as the mere, small imperfections that always come with the pursuit of collective greatness. Too often, the public is fooled when greed is disguised in ways that tap into our sense of pride in our country\u2019s accomplishments and its influence in the world.<\/p>\n

Representatives of the war machine simultaneously aim to marginalize their critics with a second superiority appeal: the \u201cThey\u2019re Un-American\u201d mind game. Here, they portray those who oppose them as disgruntled and unappreciative of the United States and the values and traditions that \u201creal Americans\u201d hold dear. In doing so, they take particular advantage of the public\u2019s entrenched respect and deference toward all things military. In this way, they prey on the allure of what psychologists call \u201cblind<\/em>\u00a0patriotism.\u201d This ideological stance involves the staunch conviction that one\u2019s country is\u00a0never<\/em>\u00a0wrong in its actions or policies, that allegiance to the country must be unquestioning and absolute, and that criticism of the country\u00a0cannot<\/em>\u00a0be tolerated. When this mind game is successful, anti-war forces are further isolated and dissent is ignored or suppressed.<\/p>\n

Finally, in regard to our fifth core concern, real or perceived\u00a0helplessness<\/em>\u00a0can sink any undertaking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s because believing we can\u2019t control important outcomes in our lives leads to resignation, which wrecks our motivation to work toward valuable personal or collective objectives. Social change efforts are severely hampered when people feel that working together won\u2019t improve their circumstances. The belief that adversity can\u2019t be overcome is something we fight hard to resist. But if we reach that demoralizing conclusion anyway, its effects can be paralyzing and difficult to reverse, and warmongers use this to their advantage.<\/p>\n

For instance, the \u201cWe\u2019ll All Be Helpless\u201d mind game is one way that war profiteers appeal to helplessness in order to win over to the public\u2019s support. They warn us that if we fail to follow their guidance on purported national security matters, the result will be dire circumstances from which the country may be unable to ever escape. In short, we\u2019ll be much worse off, and without the capacity to undo the damage. The threat that so upsets advocates of endless war may be a proposal to restrict domestic surveillance; or an effort to intensify diplomatic overtures rather than military interventions; or a plan to place limits on runaway Pentagon spending; or calls to reduce our nuclear arsenal\u2014all reasonable paths to protecting human rights and encouraging peace. Unfortunately, prospects of future helplessness are often frightening enough that even deeply flawed arguments against worthwhile recommendations can seem persuasive to an apprehensive public.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the war machine works to disempower its critics with a second helplessness appeal: the \u201cResistance Is Futile\u201d mind game. The message here is simple. We\u2019re in charge and that\u2019s not going to change. Innumerable lobbyists, high-tech displays of \u201cshock and awe\u201d weaponry, and not-so-subtle carrots and sticks with our elected officials are used to create an aura of invincibility against anti-war efforts that aim to moderate the military-industrial complex\u2019s outsized footprints and profits. They work to demoralize, sideline, ostracize, threaten, and intimidate those who seek to restrain them. This ploy works if we\u2019re convinced that we can\u2019t succeed against the war profiteers, because then our change efforts quickly grind to a halt or never get off the ground.<\/p>\n

There are many others, but what I\u2019ve described are ten important examples of the mind games that war profiteers\u00a0have used<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0will use<\/em>\u00a0to pursue their aims. Because these appeals often have the ring of truth even though they\u2019re as flimsy as a conman\u2019s promises, combating them can be daunting. But we shouldn\u2019t be discouraged. Scientific research on the psychology of persuasion offers a guide to how we can hold firm against the war machine\u2019s self-serving propaganda.<\/p>\n

One key is what psychologists call \u201cattitude inoculation.\u201d The basic idea comes from the familiar public health approach used to prevent contracting and spreading a dangerous virus. Consider the flu vaccine. When you get a flu shot, you\u2019re receiving a modest dose of the actual influenza virus. Your body responds by building up antibodies, which will prove essential in fighting off the full-blown virus if it later attacks as you go about your daily life. A flu shot doesn\u2019t\u00a0always<\/em>\u00a0work, but it improves your odds of staying healthy. That\u2019s why we\u2019re encouraged to get one each year\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0the flu season begins.<\/p>\n

Consider, then, that the war profiteers\u2019 mind games are similarly like a virus, one that can \u201cinfect\u201d us with false and destructive beliefs. Here too,\u00a0inoculation<\/em>\u00a0is the best defense. Having been warned that this \u201cvirus\u201d is heading our way\u2014spread by the enormous megaphones of the military-industrial complex\u2014we can become vigilant and prepare ourselves for the onslaught by learning to recognize these mind games and by building and practicing counterarguments to them.<\/p>\n

For example, contrary to the claims of warmongers, the use of military force often makes us\u00a0more vulnerable<\/em>, not less: by multiplying our enemies, placing our soldiers in harm\u2019s way, and distracting us from other pressing needs. Likewise, military action can be a profound\u00a0injustice<\/em>\u00a0in its own right\u2014because it kills, maims, and displaces untold numbers of innocent people, with many becoming refugees, and because it drains resources from critical domestic programs. So too,\u00a0distrust\u00a0<\/em>of a potential adversary is hardly sufficient grounds for military assault, especially when opportunities for diplomacy and negotiation are prematurely pushed aside. And when it comes to\u00a0superiority,\u00a0<\/em>unilateral aggression certainly doesn\u2019t represent the best of our values, and it often\u00a0diminishes<\/em>\u00a0our image and influence in the world beyond our borders. Finally, there\u2019s a proud history of non-violent civil resistance, with successes large and small, and it shows us that the people\u2014educated, organized and mobilized\u2014are far from\u00a0helpless\u00a0<\/em>against even unbridled and abusive power.<\/p>\n

Counterarguments of this sort\u2014and there are many\u2014are the \u201cantibodies\u201d that we need when we\u2019re faced with all-out mind game assaults from the war machine and its supporters. Just as importantly, once we\u2019ve inoculated ourselves against them, we\u2019re able to become \u201cfirst responders\u201d by actively participating in the crucial discussions and debates that are necessary to persuade others that it would be worth their while to try looking at the world\u00a0differently<\/em>\u00a0from the way the war profiteers want us all to see it. In these conversations, it\u2019s especially important for us to emphasize\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0representatives of the war machine want us to cling to certain beliefs, and how\u00a0they\u00a0<\/em>are the ones who benefit when we do. In general, when we encourage skepticism and critical thinking in this way, it makes us less susceptible to misinformation from those looking to take advantage of us for their own selfish purposes.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll conclude by briefly quoting two very different people. First, returning to West Point, there\u2019s this from a cadet who graduated over a hundred years ago:<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.\u201d <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That was retired General Dwight Eisenhower, shortly after being elected President in 1952. And second, the late anti-war activist Father Daniel Berrigan reportedly gave the shortest high school graduation speech ever in New York City. All he said was this:<\/p>\n

\u201cKnow where you stand, and stand there.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let\u2019s do that together. Thank you.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em>Roy Eidelson is a member of the TRANSCEND Network<\/a> and was a member of the American Psychological Association for over 25 years, prior to his resignation. He is a clinical psychologist and the president of Eidelson Consulting<\/a>, where he studies, writes about, and consults on the role of psychological issues in political, organizational, and group conflict settings. He is a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility<\/a>, associate director of the Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict at Bryn Mawr College, and a member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology<\/a>. Roy can be reached at reidelson@eidelsonconsulting.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

11 Jul 2019 – Last month I had the opportunity to share some thoughts at a Divest Philly from the War Machine event, hosted by Wooden Shoe Books and sponsored by World Beyond War, Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, and other anti-war groups. Below are my remarks, slightly edited for clarity. My thanks to everyone involved. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":110813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[120,276,487,866,504,234,291,91,444,119,109,985,380,70,126,118,172,75],"class_list":["post-137549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members","tag-conflict","tag-democracy","tag-human-rights","tag-indigenous-rights","tag-international-relations","tag-media","tag-military","tag-nato","tag-nonviolence","tag-peace","tag-politics","tag-social-justice","tag-solutions","tag-usa","tag-violence","tag-war","tag-west","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=137549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=137549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}