Teaching Nonviolent Atonement
“I hate, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies….
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:21, 24)
When pomp and pageantry drown the pain of the people, there is a problem. And so I recall the devastating critique of the Prophet Amos as I consider the mockery of democracy that was the Democratic Convention. With a theme of “Stronger Together,” the entire week was political theater designed not only to proclaim a message of unity, but to stifle any hint of division. It is not just the barring of Sanders’ delegates and volunteers — the revocation of credentials, confiscation of their signs and stifling of their message, making a farce of any declaration of unity – that concerns me, though such treatment is inexcusable. More importantly, the media blackout of the protests, the quashing of dissent, drowned the voices of the victims of the United States’ greed and militarism and disappeared their bodies. Among the mainstream parties in the United States, cries for peace from the heart of humanity have been hushed.
Eight years ago, Barack Obama was nominated and then elected president largely because he was seen as the candidate most likely to bring peace. Now — after continuous war in Afghanistan and renewed war in Iraq, the destruction of Libya, escalating violence and devastation in Syria, and hundreds of civilians killed by drone strikes in areas not labeled warzones, under the shadow of indefinite war with an enemy whose strongest recruiting tool is Western-wreaked devastation – an anti-war stance is anathema to the Democratic party leadership, if not membership. Thus, as peace activist David Swanson reports, Democratic National Committee staff instructed delegates to drown chants of “No More War” with jingoistic cheers of “USA” and block signs of the former with signs of the latter. As the voices of protestors representing victims around the world were stifled, production took priority over people and a genuine pursuit of unity was traded for a manufactured display of uniformity.
Through my Girardian lens, I saw the attempts to silence dissent at the Democratic Convention as a critical component to the ritual of the nomination. In the minds of the Democratic National Committee, it was crucial to present a strong, united front and thus plant the seeds of desire to join such a strong coalition in the minds of the voters. Enthusiasm for the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, was presented as patriotism and “the right thing” for the United States. Flags, pop stars, carefully-crafted ads and an abundance of balloons and confetti were part of a marketing campaign to sell Hillary as the candidate of hope and optimism for a bright American future, and the theme of “Stronger Together” was cleverly crafted to draw in the public. The discontent of Sanders’ supporters and those who object to Hillary Clinton’s policies of corporatism and militarism would have conflicted with that portrayal, so, while it couldn’t be completely contained, it was controlled as much as possible. Yet, not only did the tactics used to muffle dissension undermine the theme of unity, but the sense of unity achieved among even the most enthusiastic supporters was unconsciously built on the backs of victims.
When we as a nation think about war at all, we like to think about the brave and noble fight against enemies out to destroy life, freedom, peace and prosperity. Signs that read “No More War” shed doubt on the righteousness of our cause and may even bring to mind the millions of victims living in a Middle East broken by American aggression. When General John Allen, flanked by officers and veterans, shouted to our “enemies” “You will fear us!” he probably did not want his audience reminded of the innocent children in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Libya who already fear us, who fear going to school and playing outside on sunny days because that’s when the drones fly. The Powers that Be want our victims out of sight and out of mind. That’s why so few members of Congress showed up to hear a child express her fear and sorrow when drones killed her grandmother. That’s why we genocidally label all military-aged males killed by our airstrikes “Enemies Killed In Action” and employ dubious methods of counting civilian casualties. Rituals channel the energy and emotion of the people by keeping the focus off of victims, and that is exactly what the ritual of the Democratic National Convention aimed to do as it sought to build a consensus of enthusiastic support for its chosen leader.
And the victims of US aggression include the American people as well. They include Chelsea Manning who, for daring to bring the victims of state-sponsored slaughter to light, was imprisoned under torturous conditions and is scheduled to be locked away for more than 30 years. Last month, driven to despair, she attempted suicide, and could face the remainder of her sentence in solitary confinement as punishment. They include the victims of terroristic blowback like the 50 killed in Orlando by a man who, while not a member of ISIS, expressed outrage at the American destruction of his ancestral homeland of Afghanistan. And they include millions struggling under a strained economy, as endless war consumes over half of our tax revenue and drains money from education, infrastructure, social welfare and other necessities. David Swanson has repeatedly argued that war kills the most by opportunity costs, the money spent on destruction that could save and improve so many lives when put to constructive use. Our militaristic culture trains us not only to overlook our victims, but to overlook the ways our own warmongering makes victims of us.
So the DNC sought to hide the victims of violent imperialism, among other hurtful policies wielded by leaders of both political parties, in order to generate a sense of optimistic patriotism on which the next leader could ride to power with the admiration of the people. “But,” one might argue, “a presentation of enthusiastic unity is necessary to make the best case to the people for Hillary Clinton and against that tyrannical bigot, Donald Trump!”
In contrast to the hidden victims, Donald Trump was perhaps the most visible “victim” of the Democratic National Convention, in that Democratic leadership sought to align the party and the country against him. He is by no means innocent of stoking fear and hatred, and it is entirely fair to critique him and to call out the danger of his proposals. Yet to present the specter of a Donald Trump presidency as the greatest threat to our nation while ignoring the victims of militarism and silencing critique is not only to make a scapegoat one who excels in scapegoating others, but to fuel the very distrust of the establishment that drove so many supporters to Trump in the first place!
True unity cannot be built over and against others. True unity cannot be forged by hiding victims, or by deflecting responsibility from one’s own actions. This is how humanity has formed unity from the beginning of time, but it always leaves behind the vulnerable and isolated, and those who survive may in turn go to on to forge their own unity over and against others in a cycle that only ends with forgiveness.
The DNC presented a false unity by quelling dissent and silencing victims. True unity can only be built on working though serious problems humbly and honestly, willing to face the troubling truths about one’s self and to forgive others their faults, that together we may build a more hopeful future on a foundation of compassion. This is what I wish for politics, for governing, and for all relationships – from intimate to international.
Thus even as I identify in solidarity with those hushed and hidden at the Democratic National Convention, I seek my heart for forgiveness not only for the DNC leadership, but for those who have implemented policies detrimental to our nation and our world. I do not excuse such policies, but I look to the humanity of those who created them. I acknowledge the complex and interconnected world in which such policies are made, of which I am a part. It is in a spirit of mercy and compassion, humbly recognizing our own faults, that we must continually acknowledge the victims of war and greed, including the souls of the those who wage them! It is only in uniting for, rather than against, one another, that we can bring out the best in ourselves and our world.
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