NationStates Jolt Archive


War on nouns

Techknoworld
27-04-2008, 00:11
I was thinking earlier, and I realized; America, since World War II, has been in a constant war. Not with another country, or even militant group. We have been against war on nouns. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, our main struggle was against communism, an ideology. In the 80s and 90s, we launched the war on drugs, which are objects. And just now, our government marched to war against terrorism, a form of combat. Is there some alter motive behind these wars, to keep America in a state of war to strip our freedoms? Or is it really just coincidence?

Opinions?
New Manvir
27-04-2008, 00:32
I was thinking earlier, and I realized; America, since World War II, has been in a constant war. Not with another country, or even militant group. We have been against war on nouns. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, our main struggle was against communism, an ideology. In the 80s and 90s, we launched the war on drugs, which are objects. And just now, our government marched to war against terrorism, a form of combat. Is there some alter motive behind these wars, to keep America in a state of war to strip our freedoms? Or is it really just coincidence?

Opinions?

It's a vast conspiracy by the Illuminati and their allies "the saucer people" (aka aliens), in their endless war against the reverse vampires for control of Area-51 which houses a secret portal to the home world of the Crab People.

*nods*

EDIT: Damn, I left out "the jews"...oh well just fit them in anywhere...
Conserative Morality
27-04-2008, 00:58
Nope. there dosen't have to be war to strip us of our rights, just the public's attention has to be diverted to something else and you have to know how to use lawyerly weasel words. That being said, wars help this process.
1010102
27-04-2008, 01:25
The thing is that communism and drug related violence were threats to national security/public safety. Terrorism is still a threat, but less of one than communism, or drug releated violence.
CthulhuFhtagn
27-04-2008, 01:31
It's a vast conspiracy by the Illuminati and their allies "the saucer people" (aka aliens), in their endless war against the reverse vampires for control of Area-51 which houses a secret portal to the home world of the Crab People.

*nods*

EDIT: Damn, I left out "the jews"...oh well just fit them in anywhere...

You also left out the Freemasons, Skull & Bones, the Trilateral Commission, the reptoids, the United Nations, and the EAC.
Geniasis
27-04-2008, 02:04
It's a vast conspiracy by the Illuminati and their allies "the saucer people" (aka aliens), in their endless war against the reverse vampires for control of Area-51 which houses a secret portal to the home world of the Crab People.

*nods*

EDIT: Damn, I left out "the jews"...oh well just fit them in anywhere...

Silly Manvir, Israel is the Illuminati. The whole "Israel" thing is just a front, kinda like Waste Management is to the Mafia.
New Manvir
27-04-2008, 02:07
You also left out the Freemasons, Skull & Bones, the Trilateral Commission, the reptoids, the United Nations, and the EAC.

Don't you know? they are all front organizations for the United States Federal Reserve, which is controlled by the Jews who want to wrestle power away from the Illuminati...


There, I fit in the Jews this time. ;)
New Manvir
27-04-2008, 03:37
http://www.parrottimes.com/forums/images/smilies/bump.gif
Andaluciae
27-04-2008, 03:42
You cannot forget the wars on Poverty, Crime and the developing war on Climate Change.

I've worked on this bit of weirdness before, and I've come to the conclusion that this actually doesn't have to do with the concept of actually being at war, rather, the war metaphor has come to be extended to any large-scale, concentrated, national effort.
The Shifting Mist
27-04-2008, 03:53
You cannot forget the wars on Poverty, Crime and the developing war on Climate Change.

I've worked on this bit of weirdness before, and I've come to the conclusion that this actually doesn't have to do with the concept of actually being at war, rather, the war metaphor has come to be extended to any large-scale, concentrated, national effort.

That concept would be hilarious if applied to feats of engineering. They do technically fit the above definition in many instances.

Therefore, it would seem prudent to add that the war metaphor generally implies the destruction of something seen as negative, rather than construction of any sort.

What with war being a very "aggressive" metaphor and what not...
Jayate
27-04-2008, 04:03
It's a vast conspiracy by the Illuminati and their allies "the saucer people" (aka aliens), in their endless war against the reverse vampires for control of Area-51 which houses a secret portal to the home world of the Crab People.

*nods*

EDIT: Damn, I left out "the jews"...oh well just fit them in anywhere...

You forgot to add "Ron Paul for President".

Zing.
Dontgonearthere
27-04-2008, 04:03
Countries are nouns too. Proper ones, even.
And WWII was often billed as a war against Fascism. WWI was a war against Those Evil Imperialists, hell, even before that, the Civil War was a 'War on Slavery/War Against Northern Oppression/War for States Rights'.
All wars are wars on things. You cant just say 'We're gonna go kill them thar Bigtopians' (To use the NSG terminology), but 'We're gonna go kill them thar evil slave-holding, commie, jew, Bigtopians.'
Gotta appeal to the crowd.
Ecosoc
27-04-2008, 04:08
War is peace
Freedom is slavery
Ignorance is strength

The destruction of words (nouns) is beautiful.

All hail USA, great nation of the Earth!
Venndee
27-04-2008, 04:14
Why, yes, you are quite right that all of these wars are simply excuses to take away people's rights. It is in the interest of the state to extend its jurisdictions, and by manipulating crises, real or not, it gains a pretext to further and further encroach on the private sphere. War is the health of the state, as Randolph Bourne astutely noted. Because of this, I oppose all war* as it is a threat to me just the same as it is to the state's enemies.

Edit: *Including American Intervention into World War II.
Isura
27-04-2008, 04:15
Haha, 1984
New Manvir
27-04-2008, 06:10
You forgot to add "Ron Paul for President".

Zing.

I was actually thinking of adding that..:p
Straughn
27-04-2008, 06:16
http://www.parrottimes.com/forums/images/smilies/bump.gif

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=555284 + 1
Andaluciae
27-04-2008, 22:12
What with war being a very "aggressive" metaphor and what not...

Self-disciplined, directed action, made on behalf of a greater cause than oneself is the Jungian interpretation of war and the role of the warrior.

Furthermore, from the American perspective, to associate war with massive feats of engineering is not an entirely unreasonable perspective. In our history, we have not experienced war on our soil within living memory, and the most significant war-impact we've felt on the home front has been in the form of the massive production campaigns of the Second World War, from our point of view, a fairly positive metaphor. War, to Americans, is something totally different from what others view it as.
Tanith 1st and Only
27-04-2008, 22:24
A mind afraid will not dare ask questions.
The Shifting Mist
27-04-2008, 23:40
Self-disciplined, directed action, made on behalf of a greater cause than oneself is the Jungian interpretation of war and the role of the warrior.

Furthermore, from the American perspective, to associate war with massive feats of engineering is not an entirely unreasonable perspective. In our history, we have not experienced war on our soil within living memory, and the most significant war-impact we've felt on the home front has been in the form of the massive production campaigns of the Second World War, from our point of view, a fairly positive metaphor. War, to Americans, is something totally different from what others view it as.

While I suppose all of that is true, my post was merely referencing how silly it would sound to say things like "war on the Pyramids". I don't suppose it's really all that bad a metaphor from the perspective provided above, it just sounds stupid.

It has always been my view that engineers and scientists do more for the war effort than soldiers. It just seems to be rather silly to refer to the act of war itself in such a manner, because my mind connects the word war with the literal battle and fighting aspects more than building bridges and what not.

Granted it is a rather inaccurate image, and this is all brought on by some silly semantics, it just provides a pretty amusing image in my mind. I suppose my stubborn mind simply can't bear to disconnect war with destruction and fighting in a more literal manner.

It is all just semantics though, different words often mean radically different things to different people, tis the nature of language, a harsh mistress she is indeed.
Andaluciae
27-04-2008, 23:42
While I suppose all of that is true, my post was merely referencing how silly it would sound to say things like "war on the Pyramids". I don't suppose it's really all that bad a metaphor from the perspective provided above, it just sounds stupid.

It has always been my view that engineers and scientists do more for the war effort than soldiers. It just seems to be rather silly to refer to the act of war itself in such a manner, because my mind connects the word war with the literal battle and fighting aspects more than building bridges and what not.

Granted it is a rather inaccurate image, and this is all brought on by some silly semantics, it just provides a pretty amusing image in my mind. I suppose my stubborn mind simply can't bear to disconnect war with destruction and fighting in a more literal manner.

It is all just semantics though, different words often mean radically different things to different people, tis the nature of language, a harsh mistress she is indeed.

To quote a master:

"Quite, quite."