The CIA plans to use women to market the war.
“Afghan women could serve as ideal messengers in humanizing” the mission for Europe, according to the CIA analysis, posted on WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website. Afghan women could express “their aspirations for the future, and their fears of a Taliban victory”.
Isn’t there a difference between humanising and being humane? True, many of these women have suffered, but how will a war solve their problems, their social status, their gender roles, their subjugation? Who will help them realise their dreams once the war is over and there are many left dead, including their fathers, their husbands, their sons? What if they want a future that includes family?
The analysis, dated March 11, says “outreach initiatives that create media opportunities for Afghan women to share their stories with French, German, and other European women could help to overcome pervasive scepticism among women in Western Europe”.
This is too conniving. You get women under Taliban rule (from where will they get real women or will they be westernised spokespersons?) to talk to women in the west and convince them that a war is essential. This is blackmail that is planned by one set of patriarchy to subvert another. Both kinds of women are being used.
Even if the Taliban loses, we already know the cost of such wars – in economic as well as psychological terms. The woman in the west perhaps understands that besides those being sent off to fight a futile war, the immense tragedy is of bringing back a baggage of guilt.
Those plotting such efforts simply reveal another dimension of machismo. This isn’t much different than keeping women in an intellectual harem and expecting them to send off the men to slay the lions while they wait for them to return, bloodied and victorious.
Neither woman gains anything. The memorandum is subtitled, “Why Counting on Apathy Might Not Be Enough.” The PR exercise is itself apathy, using a tragedy as a soap opera.
Orgs like UNAIDS do the same thing but not for war.Ads about such woman are posted so people get influenced.This is open step up
ReplyDeleteKB:
ReplyDeleteIndeed, they do, but isn't the purpose and intent important? They are sensitising people, not egging them on.
FV,
ReplyDeleteThat is certainly a very cynical use of women on both sides. Has it gone out of fashion for governments to do stuff like..I don't know...tell people the truth and let them make up their minds? That would be in line with the advertisement of freedom and democracy in the public eye. Or maybe all that changed when I wasn't looking.
These people running democracies nowadays seem to have cynical contempt for their own citizens.
In this case, appears to be an open attempt to fool the mothers and wives and daughters of prospective and in-combat soldiers via some up-close and personal brainwashing from another women transported to Europe specifically for this purpose.
So true. It is more than cynicism; it is a devious device. And nothing ca be done because citizens groups look at heart-wrenching issues that get eyeballs.
ReplyDeleteDid this happen when you were not looking? Hmmm...next time keep a close watch on governments and ...er...women too :)
FV: "next time keep a close watch on governments and ...er...women too"
ReplyDeleteI agree w.r.t. governments being less than transparent since time immemorial. Some of it is out of necessity and actually in the national interest, but most times lack of transparency is to cover up shenanigans by the people who make up the government as are considered political deities in India
Compared to governments, Women are relatively far more complicated and difficult to understand. You speak as if keeping a close watch on women will help me understand them any better :-)
I did not realise that your aim was to understand.I thought you were just lookin'!
ReplyDeleteAs regards women, their very transparency is unfathomable...