From the "On This Day" section of the NYT:
"On October 5, 1947, in the first televised White House address, President Truman asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe."
Part of the vast criticism of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq has been his failure to call for any kind of sacrifice from the American people--outside of enlisted servicepeople, of course. I wonder what, exactly, has changed in the last 60 years since Truman's address that makes this particular request seem so outlandish. There are no doubt many differences, logistical, economical, political, and culturally (pre-Vatican II dietary restrictions, for example), that make this idea seem strange to our 21st century ears. Thoughts?
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It's not just for hooch anymore...
1 comment:
This is likely going to sound terrible, but think about the other factors at play: what color were the starving people in Europe? It shouldn't matter -- if people need help, they need help -- but I think it does play a role.
Another part of this is that a sacrifice requires effort. A lot of the time, when we're asked to help, it means simply throwing our spare change at the problem. And that means that we don't have to think about the issue any longer. But when it's a sacrifice that requires action and thought, and especially if it's an ongoing effort and reminder, that's a different story.
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