not_IOMar 5

propaganda rule

https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/39453816

Show threadTheTechnician27Mar 5
For general context, the opinion piece was published April 2014. Bezos owned The WaPo at the time and had since 2013. Author is Stanford historian and archaeologist Ian Morris.
In the long run, wars make us safer and richer

War may be the worst way imanigible to create peaceful societies but it is pretty much the only way.

The Washington Post
Show threadzikzak025

I looked at the premise of his book that this article seems to connect with, and it basically boils down to “History shows that societies becomes a lot more peaceful and productive after periods of war.”

Wow, who’d’ve thought that things get better for the people who survive a war? It’s a good thing we can apply survivorship bias to the whole of human history with such confidence like that.

Mar 5 at 3:08pmWeb
Show threadTotallynotJessicaMar 5

So it’s not that war makes things better, but that we become better off after we stop fighting? We become better off after we decide fixing our problems peacefully is a good idea? Brilliant.

It’s also not true when you consider all the times war follows war and societies see decades if not centuries of decline involving numerous civil wars. On top of that, when war is not devastating for those that start it, it does not inspire them to change; rather it becomes part of their norm.

Show threaddejected_warp_coreMar 5
Is that compared to the war itself, or the time before it? I have a doubt. We were all told that we were in a historic era of peace before things kicked off this month, so the bar is set pretty high. Plus, even after the dust settles, the entire Northern hemisphere will likely still be up to its collective asses in fascists with way too much power to turn around and do it again.
Show threadPommes_für_dein_BalgMar 10
The “historic era of peace” is a lie.
In truth, we live in an era of constant wars, we’re just so dominant that they don’t happen on our soil.
Show threadchiliedoggMar 6

“There’s less death from warfare and economic production diverted to support said warfare when people aren’t fighting wars” is a helluva argument in favor of fighting wars to improve lives and benefit the economy.

It’s like a financial advisor telling you that you should blow all your money in the casino, then quit gambling and start saving.