The More Things Change, The More Things Stay the Same

In “The Capital at War,” Ellen Maury Slayden (wife of Congressman Slayden from Texas) provides insight into Washington D.C. during World War I. While WWI is 90 years behind us, I was struck by the similarities between how society responded to war then, and how we acted during the beginning days of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts. Specifically, the rally around the flag effect, and all the gross generalizations that come with it, caught my attention.

Immediately after September 11th, countless acts of cruelty and hostility were committed against Arab-Americans. The climate was no kinder towards German-Americans in 1917. Slayden comments, “Worst of all is the inherited, almost conventional obligation to feel that every citizen of a country with which our country is in a dispute is an “enemy” whom you must traduce, abuse and imagine all manner of evil against.”

The other similarity that caught my eye was the entry on Mr. Slayden’s campaign for re-election. Mrs. Slayden described her husband as “fighting for his political life. His opponent…is running on a platform of flaming patriotism, accusing J. of ‘disloyalty’ and ‘pacifism.’ He reiterates, ‘Mr. Slayden voted reluctantly for the war.’” In my mind this drew parallels to Georgia Senator Max Cleland’s fight for reelection in 2002. Cleland, a triple amputee Vietnam veteran, lost to Saxby Chambliss after having his patriotism questioned much like Mr. Slayden’s was.

Ultimately, what Mrs. Slayden’s entries impressed upon me is that no matter how much society “progresses,” there is no real countermeasure for the human psyche. We may have eradicated smallpox and mastered the ability to fly since the days of WWI, but underneath all our achievements we are still operating with the same mental capabilities we were using 90 years ago (even 2000 years ago!). Thus, during wartime we let gut emotions (fear, hysteria, etc.) guide our decision-making process rather than reason and logic. Therefore, when the next war comes, and society responds in the same way it always has, I will not be surprised.