The American Arms Industry: Powerful, Ugly, Dangerous
When most people talk about powerful American lobbies, they might list the NRA or AIPAC. The arms industry, however, is rarely mentioned. Yet its ability to sway events in Washington and pass legislation favorable to its interests is…well, frightening.
…How has the arms industry been able to influence policymaking so much? Besides the obvious impact of large campaign donations, weapons manufacturers have also made inroads in Congress because they’ve been highly effectively in “sanitizing” what they’re selling. Rather than portraying them for what they actually are — instruments that maim, kill and cause terrible destruction — the arms industry has been effective in downplaying the purpose of their product. Regular ads from Lockheed Martin and Boeing present their products as a feat of technological magnificence, and reports from both companies tout their weaponry as “precise” and “surgical,” spreading the false notion that war is little more than a game where only the bad guys get hurt.
The marketing tactics have paid off. By presenting themselves as honest businessmen (rather than peddlers of a murderous technology) and their weaponry as a product like any other, representatives of the arms industry have been able to gain greater influence in Congress. Indeed, marketing tactics have improved the reputation of ‘defense lobbyists’ so dramatically in the past few decades, they are now able to meet with Congressmen without the risk of a political backlash. Unfortunately, all the face-time that arms lobbyists are getting with Congressmen means that other, much-needed voices are not being heard. You can be sure, for instance, that the arms industry has a lot more sway in Congress than do smart, pragmatic, peace groups like the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Yet, are not our priorities screwed up as a nation when the arms industry gets 10, 20, 50, even 100 times more room to air their views than do thoughtful members of the pro-peace lobby?
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6 Responses to “The American Arms Industry: Powerful, Ugly, Dangerous”
I don’t have high opinions of those in Congress but even I don’t believe they fall for your so-called sanitized version of arms manufacturers. To the extent Congress passes ‘favorable’ legislation, it is because Congress realizes that, notwithstanding the naive view of such smart pragmatic peace groups that all would be right in the world if only we shut down our defense industry, our arms manufacturers help keep us safe, and, again notwithstanding the views of a delusional minority that spending on social welfare programs would have just as much benefit, defense spending produces jobs, and not because Congress has fallen for some Madison Avenue sell.
But go ahead and think that it’s all because of some clever marketing that your peace groups can’t get the time of day…. if Congress were truly that impressionable, why aren’t your peace groups putting their money into coming up with some good advertising of their own? Maybe a commercial where everybody stands around a hilltop, holding hands and singing…. oh, that’s been done… for Coke
Peace groups are not as successful as arms manugacturers, because Americans and their Congress are short-sighted and gullible.
We live in an atmosphere of fear, and finincing arems manufacture is the obvious anti-dote. Peace is always seen as what comes after war, this war, the next war and the war after that. Peace, like tomorrow, never comes, however.
It’s a real shame, that Congress can’t seem to chew gum and think at the same time. It seems so elementay to me that to address the needs of armament should not abort planning for ‘peace’ projects, or to curtail the corruptive influence of all that armaments money floating around, or to do aggressive oversight of the industry.
Neither Congress nor the American public seems able to deal with the complexity of problems we should be addressing, however. We’re missing the boat on many issues, as a consequence, and it may be too late when we fianlly realize that a missed boat sometimes can never be cuaght.
Besides, armements are a good investment. Profit rules.
Steve,
It’s funny that you should bring up welfare programs considering that the military industrial complex is a welfare program–corporate welfare. The arms industry is subsidized by American taxpayers.
Eisenhower warned us back in the 50′s. He was beyond prescient.
You don’t have to be paranoid or leftist to think the Military Industrial Complex has had a severe, direct, and negative impact on American domestic and international policy, and exerts truly scary power over lawmakers of all stripes.
Nick: while both involve the government (us) writing checks, at least defense manufacturers give us something for the money they get. what do welfare recipients give to society in return for the money they receive?
and domajot, do you always insult (shortsighted? gullible?) the people who disagree with you? we’re quite able to deal with the complexity of problems, we just have a different way of dealing with those problems (one that doesn’t involve sticking our head into the sand and pretending that evil in the world doesn’t exist, that all would be fine if we ‘planned for peace’.)
Steve Strun-
“we just have a different way of dealing with those problems (one that doesn’t involve sticking our head into the sand and pretending that evil in the world doesn’t exist”
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Since I don’t pretend that evil doesn’t exist, you’ll have to take that questiton up with someone who does.
My comment was an observation about Congress and the American people in general (that wpuld imclide me. as well) in the sense that we tolerate how Congress functions. Since I don;t know you, I could hardly assess where you are in the short-sighted and gullibility range. It was you who chose to make this personal.
I maintain that it is short-sightedness when once having identified that evil exists and we need to fund arms manufacture to fight it, the needs of civil society and paying attention to how our governement functions seem to disappear from view.
Likewise, I hink a certain gullibility is at play, because some people fall into the trap of believing that if only we acquire enough armament and fight enough wars, all our problems will disappear.
It shouldn;t be either/or. We should be able to chew gum and think at the same time.
BTW, my comment was an observation about Congress and the American peoplein general, in the swnse that we tolerate how Congress functions. Since I don;t know you, I could hardly assess where you are in the short-sighted and gullibility range.