Monday, June 9, 2014

The Question of Bergdahl and the new Ugly American

Recently Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release has been getting a lot of press attention.  The circumstances of his disappearance and capture have come into question.  He may not be the hero that one might have initially thought he’d be.  Indeed, he might even have been a deserter, possibly gone AWOL when captured.  They say, “He must be held accountable.”  Making things worse, deep seated political interests, during an election year, will no doubt complicate due process, for his freedom was negotiated, trading him for Five Taliban militants that were released from Guantanamo Bay (Cuba).  Many questions are yet to be answered.

But there is a story within the story that I fear may get lost with respect to Bergdahl’s actions.  As usual we are seeing simple “black and white,” all-or-nothing reactionary comments.  For example, those who believe that Bergdahl did wrong, want him disgraced.  They really don’t care about the why-and-wherefore of his actions.  If he did wrong and is guilty, he must pay the price for it.  End of story.

They don’t want to listen to the deeper truth, perhaps the more important truth that all Americans should give attention to.  What might Bergdahl have been trying to say?  And is it worth our hearing?  Apparently Sarah Palin believes that Bergdahl is full of “horrid anti-American beliefs.”  Others believe that Bergdahl may even have been a Taliban sympathizer.  Why?

Is it because Bergdahl dared to be honest and penetratingly critical about our behavior in Afghanistan?  Is it un-American to be able to say, “This is wrong and should NOT be done!”?  Apparently, in an email addressed to his parents, Bergdahl says things like, “I am sorry for everything,” adding, “These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid, that they have no idea how to live.”  And, after further describing some horrible events he witnessed, he concluded his thought with the following words: “The horror that is America is disgusting.”

Does Bergdahl have “horrid anti-American beliefs,” or is he simply refusing to become dehumanized by the demands of our American war machine?  Is he a Taliban sympathizer or does he simply embrace fundamental respect for human life and human need?

For the sake of argument, let’s say that Bergdahl had gone AWOL.  And let’s say that he did so in direct protest to what he felt were wrongs being done by our American forces in Afghanistan.  Okay, then he’s guilty and he must pay the price.  If he is indeed a deserter then he should in fact receive the due penalty for desertion.  No excuses should be used to mitigate his punishment or the consequences of his military misconduct as a soldier.

However, that being said, WE—we Americans and our American armed forces—are not let off the hook.  We now need to look at the hard truth that Bergdahl’s defiant and rebellious actions (if that’s what they were) were trying to tell us.

We’re not innocent.  We are not the quintessential perfect nation with the purist of motives and the best of intentions, with purity of spirit.  In international relations and foreign policy and especially in our military actions, we can be disgustingly proud and arrogant, self-serving and abusive of others.  We can be disrespectful of other peoples, their culture, language, and religion, and cause great, if not irreparable, offense.  In short, we can easily be the “Ugly American.”

We Americans like big, powerful, and successful.  And that’s exactly how we view ourselves.  The underside to this is that we can be abusive with our power, become overly confident with our successes, and our hearts can grow smaller while our egos grow even bigger.

The way we view ourselves is often profoundly different than the way others see us.  This is true collectively speaking as it is individually speaking.  How do we Americans view ourselves in the international scene?  And how do the nations on the international scene actually view us?  And which view is more aligned with the truth?  If we were concerned for truth and aspired to be a better people, I’m sure we’d pay more careful attention to the views that other peoples in the world have about American foreign policy and American global military action on the international scene.  But we’re not and we don’t.

For we always seem to think that we’ve got it just right, and are doing just fine, and are a head above everyone else in the world, as if everyone must learn from us while we have nothing to learn from others.

And, of course, for me to even say such a thing, will no doubt be critiqued as being un-American and having “horrid anti-American beliefs!”  How sad.

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