The Progressive Era

War is one of those things that people like to talk about in a heroic light. We learn about big, wars in school like the Revolutionary War was the start of U.S., or World War II that took down the Nazis. These wars had major outcomes that we can be thankful for, but the reality of war is always dark. There's nothing glorious about people dying, even if it's for some larger goal.

So why don't we hear more voices speaking out against it? You'd think, with all the pain and suffering war causes, people would be loud about wanting to avoid it. But that's not what we see, especially in mainstream media. When you check out sites like ANTIWAR.COM or The American Conservative, it's clear that these kinds of views don't get much attention. These websites are not flashy or well-funded, and they definitely aren't the first places people go to for news. It makes you wonder why aren't these antiwar voices more popular?

One big reason might be that the people in power benefit from keeping them quiet. Let's face it: there's a lot of money and power tied up in war. Governments justify higher taxes and increased spending on the military, and politicians gain a boost if they can claim victory. Then there are the companies that make bank during wartime, like defense contractors. These are the people who have the most influence over what gets shown in the media. They don't want antiwar opinions getting too much attention because it threatens their interests. According to the agenda-setting theory, the powerful control what information gets out to the public, and clearly, they're not putting antiwar messages front and center.

Another reason we don't see a lot of antiwar content could be our own human nature. People tend to see what they want to see this is called confirmation bias. It's more comfortable for many people to focus on the “good” parts of war, like defending freedom or protecting allies, instead of thinking about all the destruction and suffering it brings. This kind of selective attention keeps people from questioning the whole idea of war in the first place. It's easier to cheer on your country when you don't think about the pain being inflicted on others.

Back in the Progressive Era, the U.S. saw what happened when people tried to speak out against a war. During World War I, those who protested the war effort faced serious consequences many were even jailed for expressing their opinions. And while we might think we've come a long way since then, the reality is that speaking out against military action is still not easy or popular. The First Amendment says we have the right to free speech, but if you're criticizing the government, especially when it comes to war, there can still be social or even professional consequences.

That's why sites like ANTIWAR.COM are so important, even if they aren't big or mainstream. They give a voice to opinions that don't get heard often enough. The whole idea of free speech, especially the "Marketplace of Ideas" theory, is that all views should be heard, and people can decide for themselves what they believe. But if only one side of the story is being told, then we're not really getting a choice, are we?

The Progressive Era reminds us that dissent is crucial it keeps the government in check and makes sure that all sides of an issue are heard. It's easy to ignore the ugly side of war when it's not in your face, but that doesn't make it any less real. If we want to be a truly informed society, we need to make space for those antiwar voices, even if they make us uncomfortable or challenge what we've been taught. Without them, we're just accepting what those in power want us to believe, and that's not real freedom.