"Are we 'at war'? Does this feel like a war to you?"

By David Shafer (compiler)

Match the photo with the response. Answers below.


(A)
BILLY JONES, 22
Barista, Northeast Portland


(B)
TRAVIS WISEMAN, 46
Network technician, Northeast Portland


(C)
LISA HERLINGER, 28
Line cook, Northwest Portland


(D)
A. BECKETT, "50-plus"
Educator, Northeast Portland

 

ANSWER #1: "No, because it's not affecting me personally, or anyone I really know or care about. It feels more like one of those inspirational high-school assemblies. I think we're calling it a war because we don't know what else to call it."

ANSWER #2: "No, this is something else. This is more like a national criminal manhunt. 'War' has become a pretty loose term now, and it doesn't carry with it a sense of what war really is."

ANSWER #3: "The War on Drugs really changed the meaning of the word. Now we can fight forces that are everpresent and inevitable. It's definitely not a 'wait until you see the whites of their eyes' type of thing. Maybe we should call it 'therapy' instead of 'war. '"

ANSWER #4: "I think we need a new word for it. 'War' excites people, and that's why the word is useful. Afghanistan's at war, but I don't think we are."

 

ANSWERS: 1-C, 2-B, 3-A, 4-D

WWeek 2015

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