Dear Ms. Jedeed, From an old grey woman on a dismal grey morning . . . Whoa. You are a wonderful writer. You wrote about everything that haunts me daily. Even though the hippies have been scrutinized, analyzed, and mostly debunked as naive -as you describe them-those were glorious days. We felt that acceptance and love for our neighbors, even the ones hating our existence, we sang songs of peace that we believed would influence those with bombs and worse, we truly believed: c'mon people now . . . everybody get together, try to love one another, right now. I was young and foolish and a risk taker in those days and my experience of the betrayal and corruption was personal and on the ground-hitchhiking across the country with a soldier so damaged by his time in Vietnam that his brain was on fire, real Amuricans with full gun racks pulling over to kill anything that moved, and everywhere the language of division, misogyny, and racism. For me, to be alive today is to continue as a member of a generation unwanted and disrespected. We are old and our society wants us gone. "You don't even begin to understand what is happening," is a phrase spoken by the bright-eyed 25 year olds deep in their studies of tech and commerce. Your writing is honest, thoughtful, and intelligent. You are unafraid to ask the tough questions, consider different angles, and speak what you feel and believe. That is the definition of courage. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN for your contribution to our tower of babel. I feel not so alone. PEACE, LOVE, and HAPPINESS ALWAYS.
I understand why U of Chicago wasn't a good fit for you, Laura, & why you wanted to challenge the young prof in that early lecture. Still, it's unfortunate that you had the bad luck of having to listen to her regressive nonsense re courage. Most academics at the time wouldn't have been caught dead valourizing Tennyson like that. He was widely scorned by students of literature & critical theory for his imperialistic views. Instead, a poem that was widely taught & treated war more honestly was "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen, a poet on the front lines who gave his life in WWI. He exposed exactly the hypocrisy that you identify of those comfortable armchair-bound politicians who send the young to die in wars vastly distant geographically that they themselves are insulated from. The title is taken from Latin poet Horace, who wrote, "Dulce et decorum est / pro patria mori" -- "it is sweet & fitting to die for one's country". Owen calls this glorification of war, embedded into western culture since ancient times, "the old lie". Thank you for your essay. Already the discourse in the US about Trump & Hegseth's new war is unfortunately very abstract. Few comprehend the real suffering & horror of war.
Beautiful piece, Laura. Your writing is always so personalized and you lean your soul into it, good on you.
I spent 40 days working in Iran with a team of 4 Americans and 60 Iranians on a television project that was released almost exactly around 9/11. Working in Iran meant we had to abandon our American system and ways (with great reluctance) and just throw up our hands and work the Iranian way, The Iranian way meant much more improvisation, and adapting to the realities of Iranian life, which was much more uncertain than our orderly and computer driven American style of work.
For instance, if you were making a film in America and four scenes had camels in them, you would schedule your camel days together for efficiency’s sake. But the Iranians knew that the schedule might collapse because of road problems, or electrical failures, or interference from the government, or whatever so they insisted what we have camels with us through the entire schedule and they turned out to be right. And after all, the camels and camel feed and camel trailers were pretty cheap.
The Iranians are wonderful people, who, in the great majority, like and admire Americans and many have relatives living in the US, especially in LA. They were funny, generous, curious and a pleasure to be around for the most part. We made a lot of friends. Our cover story was that we were Canadians, but everybody immediately tumbled to who we really were. Working there was one of the great experiences of my life—not without stress—but working with the Iranians, especially our fellow filmmakers, taught me a lot.
So to be going in and bombing the crap out of these people people just like you or me—with the flimsiest of reasons is a terrible tragedy. These people are quite nationalistic and the idea that they would dance to Donald Trump’s tune seems fairly unlikely and anyway, even if they did, they would not do it in a manner that would fit American expectations. They are not Americans.
We have already bombed an elementary school, and many more civilians will die, and the terror of high explosives will mark the survivors for the rest of their lives. That we are doing this hand in hand with the Israeli’s so soon after their genocidal destruction of Gaza will not make us many friends in the world.
There are so many reasons that this war is a bad idea, and so few that it is a good idea, I can only hang my head at the senselessness of it. I can only hope it is short, but I fear that it will not be. Thanks for writing this piece, Laura.
I eat shit for not having Vietnam Service. Was trained but never sent. Refused a Commission. Ran into some old comrades years later. What you been doing? Conducting small unit tactics in the field with third world people who don’t look like me or speak my language. Did over forty years of this by this point. Kept my men fed and supplied without the aid of any government. We did construction. Did twelve more years after this conversation. “ You are the Cong. You should be ashamed “ I had the same training as my former comrade, Just applied it to the situation that I found myself in. This is any thinking person today. We don’t fit into a mold. We are our own mold.
Join me playing off the charts to get this administration gone. Like what to offer Trump to get him to fire his appointees and resign? Do we care if he becomes the richest person in the world as a price to pay if it gets him out of government? Forgive his crimes and give him a desert to develop? Or what?
Laura: you are, as usual, saying more eloquently than I could exactly how I feel. The lack of humanity, or even rationality, in this administration’s activities, ought to make us rise up to demand regime change here…but will it?
I grew up with the Charge of the Light Brigade. I'm surprised a professor in an American university bring it up. How she could consider that to be the highest form of courage I don't know. I think it speaks of integrity and acceptance more to follow orders when you know it means your destruction.
I could really relate what you knew you should have done. My question is why don't we do it in situations like that, then we stew in not doing what we knew was true in us. Everything I've read from you over the years gives me the impression you are a courageous person with integrity. I'm going to reflect on my experiences with times I did not challenge what I knew was harmful bullshit So I will figure out how to challenge what needs to be challenged when I am a captive audience.
I really appreciate you pointing out we have more in common with the people of Iran than the bomb droppers. That gets to what is so upsetting about this for me. When it comes up I will repeat that. Thanks for all your writing. You have a unique voice and style.
Dear Ms. Jedeed, From an old grey woman on a dismal grey morning . . . Whoa. You are a wonderful writer. You wrote about everything that haunts me daily. Even though the hippies have been scrutinized, analyzed, and mostly debunked as naive -as you describe them-those were glorious days. We felt that acceptance and love for our neighbors, even the ones hating our existence, we sang songs of peace that we believed would influence those with bombs and worse, we truly believed: c'mon people now . . . everybody get together, try to love one another, right now. I was young and foolish and a risk taker in those days and my experience of the betrayal and corruption was personal and on the ground-hitchhiking across the country with a soldier so damaged by his time in Vietnam that his brain was on fire, real Amuricans with full gun racks pulling over to kill anything that moved, and everywhere the language of division, misogyny, and racism. For me, to be alive today is to continue as a member of a generation unwanted and disrespected. We are old and our society wants us gone. "You don't even begin to understand what is happening," is a phrase spoken by the bright-eyed 25 year olds deep in their studies of tech and commerce. Your writing is honest, thoughtful, and intelligent. You are unafraid to ask the tough questions, consider different angles, and speak what you feel and believe. That is the definition of courage. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN for your contribution to our tower of babel. I feel not so alone. PEACE, LOVE, and HAPPINESS ALWAYS.
"I feel not so alone" is a pretty big compliment for a writer.
Our friends and brothers and uncles were coming home in body bags. The ones who made it home alive woke up screaming in the middle of the night.
We did dream of something better.
I understand why U of Chicago wasn't a good fit for you, Laura, & why you wanted to challenge the young prof in that early lecture. Still, it's unfortunate that you had the bad luck of having to listen to her regressive nonsense re courage. Most academics at the time wouldn't have been caught dead valourizing Tennyson like that. He was widely scorned by students of literature & critical theory for his imperialistic views. Instead, a poem that was widely taught & treated war more honestly was "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen, a poet on the front lines who gave his life in WWI. He exposed exactly the hypocrisy that you identify of those comfortable armchair-bound politicians who send the young to die in wars vastly distant geographically that they themselves are insulated from. The title is taken from Latin poet Horace, who wrote, "Dulce et decorum est / pro patria mori" -- "it is sweet & fitting to die for one's country". Owen calls this glorification of war, embedded into western culture since ancient times, "the old lie". Thank you for your essay. Already the discourse in the US about Trump & Hegseth's new war is unfortunately very abstract. Few comprehend the real suffering & horror of war.
"forward! he cried
from the rear,
and the front rank died
the general sat
and lines on the map
moved from side to side"
- Pink Floyd
Best take of everything in the media flurry today.
Beautiful piece, Laura. Your writing is always so personalized and you lean your soul into it, good on you.
I spent 40 days working in Iran with a team of 4 Americans and 60 Iranians on a television project that was released almost exactly around 9/11. Working in Iran meant we had to abandon our American system and ways (with great reluctance) and just throw up our hands and work the Iranian way, The Iranian way meant much more improvisation, and adapting to the realities of Iranian life, which was much more uncertain than our orderly and computer driven American style of work.
For instance, if you were making a film in America and four scenes had camels in them, you would schedule your camel days together for efficiency’s sake. But the Iranians knew that the schedule might collapse because of road problems, or electrical failures, or interference from the government, or whatever so they insisted what we have camels with us through the entire schedule and they turned out to be right. And after all, the camels and camel feed and camel trailers were pretty cheap.
The Iranians are wonderful people, who, in the great majority, like and admire Americans and many have relatives living in the US, especially in LA. They were funny, generous, curious and a pleasure to be around for the most part. We made a lot of friends. Our cover story was that we were Canadians, but everybody immediately tumbled to who we really were. Working there was one of the great experiences of my life—not without stress—but working with the Iranians, especially our fellow filmmakers, taught me a lot.
So to be going in and bombing the crap out of these people people just like you or me—with the flimsiest of reasons is a terrible tragedy. These people are quite nationalistic and the idea that they would dance to Donald Trump’s tune seems fairly unlikely and anyway, even if they did, they would not do it in a manner that would fit American expectations. They are not Americans.
We have already bombed an elementary school, and many more civilians will die, and the terror of high explosives will mark the survivors for the rest of their lives. That we are doing this hand in hand with the Israeli’s so soon after their genocidal destruction of Gaza will not make us many friends in the world.
There are so many reasons that this war is a bad idea, and so few that it is a good idea, I can only hang my head at the senselessness of it. I can only hope it is short, but I fear that it will not be. Thanks for writing this piece, Laura.
I eat shit for not having Vietnam Service. Was trained but never sent. Refused a Commission. Ran into some old comrades years later. What you been doing? Conducting small unit tactics in the field with third world people who don’t look like me or speak my language. Did over forty years of this by this point. Kept my men fed and supplied without the aid of any government. We did construction. Did twelve more years after this conversation. “ You are the Cong. You should be ashamed “ I had the same training as my former comrade, Just applied it to the situation that I found myself in. This is any thinking person today. We don’t fit into a mold. We are our own mold.
Join me playing off the charts to get this administration gone. Like what to offer Trump to get him to fire his appointees and resign? Do we care if he becomes the richest person in the world as a price to pay if it gets him out of government? Forgive his crimes and give him a desert to develop? Or what?
Thank you, Laura.
Laura: you are, as usual, saying more eloquently than I could exactly how I feel. The lack of humanity, or even rationality, in this administration’s activities, ought to make us rise up to demand regime change here…but will it?
Thanks.
I grew up with the Charge of the Light Brigade. I'm surprised a professor in an American university bring it up. How she could consider that to be the highest form of courage I don't know. I think it speaks of integrity and acceptance more to follow orders when you know it means your destruction.
I could really relate what you knew you should have done. My question is why don't we do it in situations like that, then we stew in not doing what we knew was true in us. Everything I've read from you over the years gives me the impression you are a courageous person with integrity. I'm going to reflect on my experiences with times I did not challenge what I knew was harmful bullshit So I will figure out how to challenge what needs to be challenged when I am a captive audience.
I really appreciate you pointing out we have more in common with the people of Iran than the bomb droppers. That gets to what is so upsetting about this for me. When it comes up I will repeat that. Thanks for all your writing. You have a unique voice and style.