Behind "Enemy" Lines

Jennifer Smith

Nina Perez

4/5/10

WST 3015


Western society has a pattern of dehumanizing its rivals during times of invasion and war. The government uses its power and influence to convince its citizens that our “enemy” is somehow beneath us, less civilized, less cultured, and less deserving. This process of dehumanizing is used as a tool for our military to justify acts that people would normally consider barbaric and inhuman. Just look at some of the atrocities that were performed during the founding of the United States of America. In the article "The Homeland," Gloria Anzaldua describes how after the Battle of the Alamo, where Mexicans were forced to defend their land against the Anglos’ illegal invasion, the white invaders were able to “legitimize the white imperialist takeover,” since they viewed the native Tejanos as “cowardly and villainous” (395). The U.S. might be one of the youngest countries compared to some of the other great nations of this world, but so far its history is riddled with the mistreatment and dehumanization of groups of people Westerners considered to be “other.”

The United States is currently at war with the Middle East and the pattern continues. American people have been convinced, through their government and media, that Iraq is some horrible, backward place to live, especially if you’re a female. Through Riverbend’s blogs, readers are able to hear the truth from someone who is actually living in Iraq. She sifts through the lies and bullshit and tells people what she knows to be true. In her August 28, 2003 blog, Riverbend discusses the myth some people choose to believe that “Iraqis, prior to occupation, lived in little beige tents set up on the sides of little dirt roads all over Baghdad.” Boys would go to school on their donkeys while “girls and women sat at home, in black burkas, making bread and taking care of 10-12 children” (Riverbend 8/28/03). In her blog she writes about how these myths and beliefs are untrue. “Iraqis lived in houses with running water and electricity” and she has a university degree and, before the war, a job (Riverbend 8/28/03).


American society is known for its militarization. Many best-selling video games developed and marketed in the U.S. involve violent scenarios. One example is “Full Spectrum Warrior,” a video game set in an apparently Arab city that was developed by the U.S. army as a training tool for recruits (Kirk 493). Children who play games like this are shown that anyone against our military needs to be killed and destroyed. Our text discusses how “colonial expansion and the quest for control of strategic locations and scarce resources have been a major justification and impetus for military intervention for centuries” (Kirk 508). Riverbend’s blogs discuss the United States' current involvement in Iraq and some of the economic benefits the U.S. stands to gain because of the war. She talks about the extensive damage the war has caused and how, instead of using Iraqi engineers and corporations, the multimillion-dollar job has been given to foreigners, among then Americans.


One of the controversies surrounding Riverbend’s blog is not knowing if Riverbend actually exists and if she is who she claims to be; a woman living in Iraq. In my personal opinion, it doesn’t make a difference. It doesn’t change any of the issues that are brought up in the blog and it doesn’t make the situations discussed any less real. I think it’s just important for people to read this blog and realize that our country isn’t fighting some strange alien beings. Our acts during this war are against human beings. Women, men, and children of all races, religions, and gender are equal and people need to open their eyes and minds to this truth.

Works Cited

Anzaldua, Gloria. "The Homeland: Aztlan/ El Otro Mexico." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 392-98. Print.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women and the Military, War, and Peace." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010. 493-511. Print.

Riverbend. "The Promise and the Threat." Weblog post. Baghdad Burning. 28 Aug. 2003. Web. 2 Apr. 2010. .