 eurozone by kate 2: cushion bashing A couple of weeks ago I got quite angry. The reason, the proposed bombing of Iraq for being a potential threat, appears to be a suitable subject for righteous anger. There is certainly a lot of injustice in Iraq, as the recent elections amply demonstrate, and Saddam Hussein is clearly a threat to peace in the Middle East (as well as the smooth running of the international oil business). If I were George Bush, self-appointed leader of the ‘war on terror’ (and head of a gas-guzzling country), he would certainly be getting up my nose. But if we start bombing people just because they might be about to bomb us, then "an eye for an eye" has turned into "I’ll take out both your eyes now just in case". My feelings on this matter led me to sacrifice a Saturday afternoon to march, along with hundreds of thousands of others, across London in the biggest UK demonstration in thirty years. I also sent a postcard to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, asking him not to support the proposed attack. Surely that’s what therapists the world over say to us: express your anger, turn it into action, don’t sit on it. Go to an anger management workshop and beat cushions, respond in a non-aggressive way to what has angered you, talk to someone about how you feel, or go on a march. All these are ways of converting anger into constructive and peaceful action. At least within our democratic political framework, however flawed it may be, there is a place to express opinions and anger and do something that you hope will change the situation. Protest! Write to your political representative! Join an organisation that lobbies government! In Iraq there is no opportunity to do this. And as long as we believe that our voice is heard, then the democratic system is still working and we do not build up an internal store of rage against injustices that may, if not released, become explosive. The democratic system in the UK allows for peaceful demonstration and for the freedom to express dissenting views, unlike in Iraq. And the simple fact that so many people turned out on the anti-war demonstration on one day makes me hope that we made a difference, that the people in authority took at least a little bit of notice. Because we were marching for those people who do not have the opportunity to demonstrate themselves, and those people who would suffer most if we attacked their country. But I do worry about people in authority. Because of a whole mesh of strategic and political issues, they cannot express anger in public in the same way I can. And George Bush and Tony Blair seem to have let their immediate, emotional reaction to the situation in Iraq overwhelm serious issues such as international laws, the voices of people in the democracies that elected them, and the fate of the populace of Iraq should war break out. So I would like to suggest that they each go and bash a cushion in the privacy of their own plush offices. It’s easy enough to do, guys: find a favourite picture of Saddam, tack him securely onto a plump cushion with sellotape, check that the soundproof door is shut, then just let rip with fists, paperweights, sharp pencils or anything that comes to hand. I’m sure that your top security people will dispose of the evidence, and pick the feathers out of your hair and the carpet, with the utmost discretion. And once you’ve released the anger, I’m sure it will help you come to a decision about Iraq that sees straight. Perhaps you could even start converting that anger into constructive and peaceful action. |
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