The Hostage Rescue: “Only the Farmers Have Won”
Several of my fellow Blogging Tories are upset this morning over last night’s re-capture of three Western peacekeeping hostages in Iraq. Oh, not over the rescue itself, but over the hostage’s employers’ response, which is available here. Here’s a sample of outrage:
“I didn’t expect the recently-released hostages in Iraq to immediately change their opinion about the war and Islamic fundamentalism. But the classy thing to do would have been to at least thank the British special forces who rescued them while saying they nonetheless oppose the occupation of Iraq. No way, pal … Forgiveness may be a Christian virtue, according to Christian Peacemaker Teams, but apparently gratitude is not.” — Damian Penny
“For all of the lip-service paid to the phrase “love our enemies”, one might have thought there would be a little of that Christian generosity extended to the “occupiers” who put their asses on the line to free them.” — Kate at Small Dead Animals
“Interesting how they can turn the other cheek vis-a-vis the animals that slaughtered their friend (albeit the American guy), yet they can’t seem to spread some of that Christian appreciation to the soldiers that rescued them.” — Raskolnikov at Dust My Broom
“Utter, heretical hypocrites. The lot of them.” — A. Carlton Sallet
Oddly enough, I don’t feel as upset over CPT’s response as some of my fellows. Instead, I’m reminded of one of my favorite films: Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.
I realize that Kurosawa meant the film as entertainment, but philosophically I think it captures perfectly the tension in military-civilian relationships. There will always be a certain level of distrust between the people who fight (the military-samurai) and the people they protect. And what we’re seeing here is an manifestation of that tension, nothing more.
Those of you who have seen the film will probably remember that bit in the end, after all the bad guys have been killed and the surviving samurai are watching the farmers they’ve protected planting rice. You might think we’d see a scene of everyone celebrating victory, the farmers expressing gratitude for being saved, but no: it’s business as usual for the farmers, and so no one’s around to tell the samurai goodbye.
And so the leader says: “Again we lose. Only the farmers have won.” Not said with bitterness, but with an acceptance of his lot.
CPT is in the business of violence reduction and social aid in war zones. The condemnation of war is, and always has been, part of its agenda. To expect CPT to thank the armed forces for their efforts is to expect them to embrace the military, which is definitely too much to expect of this group. What they want to do is get back to their work, planting seeds that will lead to peace.
You’ll note that as yet, no actual personnel involved in the recovery have spoken publicly about this. And I don’t think you’ll hear them asking for gratitude, or other form of recognition. They did the job they were paid to do, and they did it well. Like samurai.
Gratitude is overrated as a commodity. It’s enough to be glad that those three have survived their ordeal and that the recovery had no casualties recorded.
UPDATE (23h22 23 Mar): Well, I suppose it’s better late than never (hat tip: Michelle Malkin):
We are grateful to the soldiers who risked their lives to free Jim, Norman and Harmeet. As peacemakers who hold firm to our commitment to nonviolence, we are also deeply grateful that they fired no shots to free our colleagues. We are thankful to all the people who gave of themselves sacrificially to free Jim, Norman, Harmeet and Tom over the last four months, and those supporters who prayed and wept for our brothers in captivity, for their loved ones and for us, their co-workers.
This belated expression of gratitude isn’t likely to change anyone’s mind about CPT. About the best it does is move the comparative mindset of my analogy from the farmer peasants of Seven Samurai to the slightly more respectful (but still uncelebratory) farmer-peasants of The Magnificent Seven.
And frankly, I think people are reading too much into this remission of thanks. I’ve been reading stories of the hostages’ families’ reactions (such as here and here) and they don’t thank the troops either. It doesn’t mean they’re not grateful; it just means they’re glad that everyone’s safe. There’s a time for thanking the troops; it’s just not right now.
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March 23rd, 2006 at 11:15
PO, that was a very wise thing to say. You’re a good man.
March 23rd, 2006 at 11:28
Initially I felt like those who have criticized CPT for their lack of gratitude, but I find your post convincing.
March 23rd, 2006 at 11:59
For those do gooders who deny that war should ever exist, my post that I originally put on http://www.gnn.tv:
“And one of the conclusions of this magnificent series, and I comment from memory so paraphrase, is that War is Necessary. To not have war, or some form of conflict, means that the status quo is destined to continue. So that all those who are currently enslaved will continue to do the bidding of others without choice. To have no ability to have effect on how and why their lives will be led. War is needed.”
http://canadianbluelemons.blogspot.com/2006/03/necessity-of-war-to-cause-positive.html#links
March 23rd, 2006 at 12:04
“What they want to do is get back to their work, planting seeds that will lead to peace.”
say what ?? this group is a charter menber of the “Useful Idiots” brigade . . their actions will no more lead to peace than operating a food bank will lessen poverty/hunger.
The exercise is about deluding themselves into a morally higher plane of self inflicted aggrandizement. Its about makeing themsleves feel better.
But as Useful Idiots go, they are a most amusing bunch, a definite step up the entertainment scale from teh amateur hour antics of Svend Robinson et al.
March 23rd, 2006 at 12:43
The furor has nothing do with the lack of gratitude. The right whingers are just upset that these people won’t let themselves be used for propaganada purposes by the right.
March 23rd, 2006 at 13:07
The furor has nothing do with the lack of gratitude. The right whingers are just upset that these people won’t let themselves be used for propaganada purposes by the right.
RMc
You are doubtless the most delusional and insular poster I have ever encountered. Everything you see and say is filtered directly through that dysfunctional internal prism that prevents you from actually ‘thinking’ about any issue except in terms of how it suits your agenda.
You are sort of sad, Robert, but unhappily you are so tendentiously annoying that you are to be more censured than pitied .
I don’t want them to be used ‘for propaganda purposes’, I just want them to show a modicum of ‘class’. Unfortunately, as in the search for ‘objectivity’ in your postings, I fear I am to be disappointed once again.
March 23rd, 2006 at 16:21
Fine by me. The CPT and the Left generally comes out of this looking quite simply ungrateful and totally without class. No, the rescuers don’t expect gratitude and those “Christian Peacekeeprs” certainly lived up -or down- to expectation… I didn’t hear anyone in Tim’s at lunch quoting Kurosawa, but I did hear people describing these folks as “horrible”,un-Christian (lacking charity and goodwill) and as fools dangerous to themselves and those around them. Violence reduction and social aid?? More like pious posturing fuelled by the usual culutral self-loathing. Real people see through it, folks, and sorry to say it is now time ot choose and the Left is quite simply on the wrong side of history.
March 23rd, 2006 at 18:22
PO,
I could agree with you if the CPT’s offical statement had simply expressed joy at the salvation of their team. But it did not. It chose to make a political point on the invasion of Iraq without any balancing remarks as to some of the good things the coalition has done (like saving do-gooders), or indeed some of the wicked behaviour of the insurgents (like killing do-gooders). A general condemnation of violence would be appropriate to their message; a condemnation of one side of the conflict alone is transparent grand-standing.
March 23rd, 2006 at 21:24
True enough Phantom…. but I believe that these meddling fools and busy bodies brought it on themselves through their childish attention and approval seekin behaviour.
In short it is their own damned fault they got snatched.
It is only good fortune that apparently none of the forces members were harmed in this excercise and don’t forget that the harm that may have been caused by the self righteous idiots may have been and may still be very real.
My tollerance for these people and their antics is ZERO.
March 24th, 2006 at 06:37
An inherent part of Christianity is giving thanks – to God and your fellow man; especially when he risks his life for you.
I hope these activists don’t put our soldiers lives at risk again.
March 26th, 2006 at 15:41
Hi,
Just wanted to give you a heads up that I’ve added your page to the Politics section of publicbroadcasting.ca.
Cheers,
Justin