The Progressive Era- Blog Post #7

    Dissent means to publicly disagree with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs. Dissenting opinions play a role in the First Amendment. Dissent can make a lot of people uncomfortable, but it is necessary. It’s how we hold power accountable and ensure we’re making informed decisions.

    After researching two websites featuring anti-war voices, I became aware of the power of these voices, despite my prior lack of understanding with these sites. ANTIWAR.COM is dedicated to promoting non-interventionism within U.S. foreign policy. The American Conservative is another anti-war voice, that challenges unchecked power in government and business in support of individual freedoms. These two websites prompted me to wonder why anti-war voices and opinions are not more frequently heard in mainstream media. 

    

A potential reason we are not hearing anti-war voices is that the government is controlling what is distributed on mainstream media. The media lacks interest in advocating against war. As journalists obtain a part of their news information from the government, overly harsh criticism of military actions could influence their relationship. The government is very much anti-war and because the government controls the media, they block out most of the anti-war content. 

    The United States of America is pro-war, therefore they desire to keep these sites hidden to try and protect the country's reputation. If Americans happened to see more of these anti-war initiatives, it would be harder to get them to understand the purpose of war. 

   

A reason that these websites and ideas are being hidden from us is because war generates money and money is good for our economy so the government is all about war.  It also enhances the economic power and naturally, a country that wins a war can enhance its trade standing with other nations. These are a few of the crucial facets that nations consider when making the decision to declare war, which they view as beneficial.     

    My awareness has increased due to the experience of investigating for these antiwar platforms. While the First Amendment grants us the right to speak, it also grants us the right to listen and to pursue viewpoints that confront us. It is essential, even though it’s not always easy and can be uncomfortable at times. We should be more aware of these platforms since they are not willingly talked about in the media.