James Delingpole: Anguish of a hawk in dove’s clothing

The Sunday Times ^ | March 2, 2003 | James Delingpole

[MadIvan]

The second Gulf war has yet to begin but already I’ve taken more than my share of collateral damage. And all because I belong to that alleged minority which believes that taking out a tyrannical mass-murderer armed to the teeth with chemical and biological weapons isn’t a bad idea.

Because I’m a yoga-loving rock writer, people assume I ought to be a peacenik. Now I am on virtual no-speakers with friends and family whose political kinship I had taken for granted.

About two months ago I was browsing my e-mails when up popped one from my old chum Crispin, who lives in the country and drinks fine wines. “How nice,” I thought. “He’s inviting me down for a spot of pheasant-strangling.”

But no: he had forwarded me one of those round-robins urging everyone on his mailing list to “Just say No to war” or “Boycott Bush” or some such woolly nonsense. I rang him to give him a ribbing about his newfound peacenik tendencies. Instead I got his wife, and rather than “Yes, I know, poor Crispin has been behaving very oddly lately”, I found myself being torn apart by the Inquisition.

Lesson one: if you’re pro-war, don’t count on anyone — be they retired colonels, gun nuts or subscribers to Soldier of Fortune magazine — to share your view. Lesson two: unless you’re prepared to waste an hour justifying your position, keep your mouth shut.

One of the things I find so annoying about the anti-war crowd is the assumption that theirs is a stance so right and noble that it needs no qualification. War is bad. They’re against the war. Ergo they’re the good guys and any dissenters are evil incarnate. If only the stakes weren’t so high, I might enjoy this outcast status. “Ha ha!” I could cackle. “I love the thwup of smart bomb on bunker and the smell of freshly toasted conscript in the morning.”

But that’s not how we in the pro-war lobby feel. We don’t need to be shown grisly pictures to realise that war is a ghastly thing; we, too, want peace; we just recognise that there are circumstances when war is amply justified and we’re living in such a period right now.

Sure I could explain my reasoning. Except that those who are pro the war know the arguments all too well; and those who are not, simply aren’t interested. I fell out with my beloved sister because of this. How could I respect the position of someone whose weltanschauung is based on student politics (“it’s all about oil”) and some vague hippie notion that, even in global relations, the heart has more to offer than the brain? I tried pointing out the inconsistency of a peace’n’love kind of girl marching in defence of the butcher of Halabja. She wouldn’t speak to me.

Far harder is confronting people whose wisdom you’d hitherto respected. Take my friend Tom. He’s a corporate whiz; a self-made millionaire who understands the global economy. How do you respond when he too sends an e-mail urging you to join the “virtual march” on Washington? Do you stand up to him à la Bush and Blair? Or shrink and cower like a slimy Chirac? In my case, you do a Chirac. Constantly defending yourself gets too exhausting. Far better to button your lip and console yourself that in a few months it could all be over: democracy will have been restored to Iraq and the world will be a marginally safer place.

Then the anti-war majority will turn to the pro-war minority they once reviled and say: “Gosh, I’m sorry. What fools we were. You were right all along.” Yeah, and Saddam doesn’t have a bushy moustache.

[MadIvan]

The peaceniks are an odd bunch; well done to Mr. Delingpole to show how odd they are.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Celtjew Libertarian]

BTTT

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Nice article.

Interesting since people think I am also a peacenik. I love yoga, organic food...I even really love Peace Cereals (mmm!), but hoping that we can get Morning Crisp here in San Francisco soon as hubby says that's even better.

I work in a place that is all liberals, and they assume that I'm one, but I just walk away when they start talking about politics (for a couple of reasonss, I don't want to hear about it, I want to maintain harmony at the workplace, etc.)

But I'm not one of them, never will be. I'm smarter than that.

[VietVet]

I decidedly empathise with Mr. Delingpole. To be either a "kill-them-all-let-God-sort-them-out" jingoist, or a brainless "no-war-ever" pacifist, or a "the-US-is-always-wrong" anti-American is easy. To thoughtfully come to the conclusion that a distastful and unpopular action is necessary is to be alone and often reviled.

VietVet

[reformedliberal]

I am an artist, craftsperson and massage therapist.

I just tell them that when this is all over, those who marched won't admit it.

I have been told that artists cannot be conservatives by a techie who is VP of a Hedge Fund and makes my net worth each year. My logical MD brother told me he "knows in his heart what is right".

I am no longer speaking to either of them. It isn't worth the ulcer.

[Theresawithanh]

I live in the CA Bay Area, and have many friends, most of the liberal persuasion, and a few of the conservative mind. With my libbie friends, we don't discuss politics. With my conservative friends, we all feel free to do so, even though we don't always agree.

I tried discussions with my liberal friends a few times, and believe me, it's a pretty useless undertaking!

[WOSG]

"To thoughtfully come to the conclusion that a distastful and unpopular action is necessary is to be alone and often reviled. "

Well said.

[Oschisms]

Yoga Bump!

[I_Love_My_Husband]

ping! you belong HERE!

[I_Love_My_Husband]

yoga bump!

[SeenTheLight]

Well written article. And I definitely know what he's talking about!

I've lost a few friends over politics and the rest either agree with me or we've decided to not talk about it.

As far as general social situations, It's a bit of a dilemma. Sometimes I do just keep my trap shut, but other times I wonder why I should have to censor myself? Plus, I think it's good for people to be challenged on occasion. The stunned silence that meets my comments are priceless!

[Rocky]

Thanks for this post. It does get tiring listening to the automated spiel that the anti-war folks spew. They are pathetic. Even after 9/11, they refuse to believe that war is sometimes unavoidable. You either accept the challenge from your enemies, or cower every time they shout, and in essence become their subjects.