It is always inspiring to see and hear stories of student uprisings. To witness evidence that America has not always been asleep kindles the hope that it may be so once again. The Kent state shootings were a tragedy on a grand scale. Never the less I feel more sympathy for the National Guardsmen than many people do. I do not condone their actions, yet it is important not to forget that they were scared kids, as in many ways the protectors were.
Think about the Boston massacre. In it a group of disorganized and frightened soldiers fired on a mob, without being ordered to. We are often taught a very single minded version of this event. What we do not hear is that the Patriot leader John Adams, then one of the best lawyers in Boston, choose to defend them. He felt sympathy and understanding as well as anger for their horrible mistakes. We should take our lesson form Adams and see that through a good and non-partisan investigation we can leave the bloody scene feeling condemnation, yet no hate at all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
A thoughtful commentary, Max. And until Sandy pointed out in her session that in the Kent State incident the National Guardsmen were themselves kids as were the protesters, I admit I had never thought so much about their perspective. This is a crucial skill for surviving today; the ability to dig for the truth and to THINK about it. Bravo!
Post a Comment