The Issue of Power

One film from last year's Women's Film Festival, To See if I'm Smiling", is going to be shown again this year. The film documents the experiences of several female Israeli soldiers. The women talk about their experiences as soldiers and also as female soldiers. Bearing witness to indignities, and even atrocities, perpetrated by their own side, they discuss the psychological and spiritual consequences they endure, both as witnesses and as active or passive collaborators.

Another blogger on this site mentioned that the film was about how power corrupts those that have it, and that got me thinking.

In war, people find themselves in dominant positions with subordinates, captives, or even civilians. We hold certain soldiers accountable for abusive behavior, yet we allow others to abuse people with impunity.

In Abu Ghraib, for instance, soldiers were reportedly ordered to abuse prisoners, yet when they did, they were sent to prison. One female soldier was separated from her baby when she was incarcerated. Yet the higher ups experienced no consequences that I know of. Were the line personnel justly punished for sadistic atrocities? Or were they scapegoated to give the illusion of ethical concern, while those in command, who gave the orders, were allowed to act with impunity?

War is full of moral confusion and collateral damage. The only way to have a safe war is to have no war. Hopefully, the time will come when this will be more than a naive utopian fantasy.

As women increasingly fill the ranks of the powerful, female subcultural values will, hopefully, balance male subcultural values, which may result in a more responsible and life-affirming culture of political leadership. And, hopefully, a culture where people are less worshipful of power, and are less corrupted by it.