Fifty years ago, the great Martinican poet Aimé Césaire wrote that the trouble with colonization was not just that it dehumanizes the colonized but that it also "decivilizes" the colonizer. Torture does the same. While transforming a human being into a thing of pain, it simultaneously strangles human society. Torture threatens to decivilize us today not only because its practices are being normalized within our national imagination but also because civil society is being enlisted to rationalize its demands. In most arenas, this process has elicited at least some vocal opposition. When it was revealed that medical professionals were assisting in abusive interrogations, debates among doctors and psychologists followed about torture, medical ethics and war. And while Administration lawyers have attempted to narrow the definition of torture and to authorize new methods of inflicting pain, other attorneys, including top military lawyers, have challenged interrogation policies on legal, moral and tactical grounds.
-
The Searchers
Moustafa Bayoumi: Tribalism is in vogue among conservative Middle East scholars. But a better understanding comes from investigating regional ties rather than sectarian divisions.
-
A Light in Brooklyn
Moustafa Bayoumi: In Brooklyn, a beleaguered Arab-American community copes with bigotry and heightened government scrutiny post-9/11.
-
Arab America's September 11
Moustafa Bayoumi: Arab Americans are experiencing something similar to McCarthy-era redbaiting, but the cold war performed better on racial justice than Bush's "war on terror."
But Hetfield's voice must not be the only one. Where do other musicians stand? Will Eminem rage against the torture machine or will Bruce Springsteen speak out as his music is press-ganged into futility and pain? If American musicians oppose the use of their music in torture, it's time for them to make some noise.
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Get The Nation at home (and online!) for 68 cents a week!
- If you like this article, consider making a donation to The Nation.
- Reprint this article. Click here for rights and information.

Buzzflash
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Mixx it!
Reddit

RSS