How confident are they, if they won't tell you who they are?
This New York Times photo of Iraqi Mahdi Army fighters is not, of course, definitive, but it prompted me to wonder:
Did you ever notice that, whenever we see pictures of "militants," "insurgents," "rebel groups"—heck, even "freedom fighters"—they're always wearing masks? It got me wondering if they wear the masks because they know they're going to lose. Or perhaps because they know that what they're doing is wrong. Or maybe, simply, because they're embarrassed by what they're doing.
Consider all the insurgents, rebels, and freedom fighters who came before, but who knew they were going to win (or who were willing to die trying): they didn't wear masks. Everyone knew who they were. It goes all the way back to the Declaration of Independence (and possibly earlier), when John Hancock signed his name large "so King George won't need his glasses." But all the rebels involved in it signed that document, so that everyone would know who they were. They pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honors to the cause. And then they went out and won.
But today's insurgents and rebels wear masks. They make damn sure you don't know who they are, whether it's in the midst of a gun battle on the streets, or in a propaganda video released on the web. Even when they take responsibility for an act, they do it anonymously. It's almost like they're saying "Yeah, I want to do this, but I really don't think I can win, so I'm hedging my bets."
George Washington wasn't an anonymous American insurgent. Jefferson Davis didn't wear a mask. Robert E. Lee didn't cover his face when he turned down command of the Union armies. Fidel Castro didn't feel a need to hide his identity when he overthrew Batista or forced out Miro. Lech Walesa's identity was quite clear when he formed Solidarity. Pretty much all the successful insurgents were proud enough of their causes and themselves to take credit for their activities.
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ianrandalstrock) wrote,
