The Benefits of War

Revolt has long been employed by the oppressed for upsetting the status quo. The by-products of war and rebellion are its concomitant casualties, triumphs, heros and martyrs, all duly recorded by historians. Yet the process itself -- the very mechanics of war -- can spawn great social change.

In the late 8th century Greece, the manufacture of weapons advanced considerably enabling the city-states to equip large armies. These armies were crucial in protecting their growing populations and resources. Anyone who could afford a weapon could become a hoplite, a citizen-soldier. The battlefields, once the pervue of the nobility, became great equalizers when farmers and peasants joined the fight in defense of the polis. It is here one can find the tap root of democracy. This term, a combination of the Greek words, "demos" and "kratos", roughly means "people rule" or "people strength." "

Democracy works when arbitrary social barriers are ignored and people work together for a common good, a common wealth. To exclude a group is to strangle the principle. The more exclusions, the less effective it will be and revolt, not to sound like a Marxist, will ultimately ensue. Just look at history.

The Allies desperately needed "people strength" to win the second World War. The arbitrary barriers of race and gender had to be lowered to pull off this victory. Ironically, a war meant to establish a supremicist race inadvertently gave minorities a unique opportunity. The Allied war machine needed "people strength" to fuel it. The "noble class" was forced to remove the self-destructive barriers to minority groups in order to add strength to the cause. Women proved extremely proficient in providing goods and servies for the war effort. The idea of "men-only" trades got ground up in the cogs of war machinery. African-Americans and Japanese-Americans fought valiantly alongside the "aristocratic" white male soldiers. Misconceptions -- enemies far more dangerous than the Nazi foes -- were blown apart. Extreme valor was seen across the ranks, regardless of color or class. It was the strength of an allied people (white, black, men, women) that won this war. Had we stayed the course by keeping our society segregated and minorities marginalized, the world would be a much different place today.

Women, in particular, must recognize that not all the costs of war are terrible. WWII accelerated the pace towards achieving full equality one day. The seed of democracy, it can be argued, was watered by war. Minorities still seek an equal share in the harvest but why must it be gathered up on the battlefields?

There is still the illusion harbored by many that one group is better than the other. It is necessary for many to believe this in order to feel greater than. When we can drop these illusions and artificial barriers, our world will be better, stronger. Let us no longer look to war as the answer. We can advance our civilization without it if