Media Wonders at Courage, Forgets State Violence
Rare footage of Chinese Gen. Xu Qinxian's defiance against the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown offers a glimpse into military conscience . Yet, the same media that celebrates this general’s refusal to repress often gives a pass to state violence—or ignores dissent against it—when it aligns with geopolitical narratives, especially concerning US allies. One might recall similar instances of refusal or
questioning within Western-backed militaries, conveniently absent from primetime coverage. While Hollywood produces inspiring films about such courage in distant lands, we rarely see the same reverence for those who resist participation in Washington-sanctioned destruction, say, in Yemen or Gaza. It appears heroism is only universally commendable when it serves a pre-approved geopolitical
narrative. How many ‘heroes’ are made invisible when their humanity inconveniently challenges the status quo?