War. HU! What is it good for? Absolutely Nothing.

This is a very original and highly amusing means of presenting an argument. I commend you on your creativity. I will first begin by showing that war may sometimes be necessary. From there I will use examples to show that it is good for more than absolutely nothing. After the basis of my argument has been laid out, I can address all of the points in the song lyrics. Although war is often construed as a means of destruction, it can in many cases be a means of liberation. A brief look at history can show examples where war served as the only means of obtaining freedom. Take Scotland in the late 13th and early 14th centuries for example. The Scots were constantly being tyrannized by the British and were subjected to many injustices. Although the movie Braveheart dramatized and perhaps exaggerated some of the details, atrocities such as prima nocte really did occur. Another example can be seen in the Anglo-Zulu war. The British invaded the territory of the Zulus, and the Zulus decided to go to war and die rather than allow others to take over their land. This may seem pointless to you, but many would consider it brave and noble. The Zulus with primitive weapons actually defeated the British in the Battle of Isandlwana, and although many died, they died nobly. I know that in the end the Zulus lost the war, but this does not mean that people should allow invaders to take over without consequence. One more example to mention is the French Revolution. Things were so bad with unemployment, malnutrition, and even famine that people literally had to fight for their lives. Death was going to come anyway. Should it come by means of slow and torturous starvation, or should it come through a revolution that could possibly pave the road for change? In cases such as these, war can be seen as a means of self-defense. Now to address the points highlighted in the song. "Because it means destruction Of innocent lives" In the cases I mentioned, many innocent lives were already being destroyed. Even in cases where death is not the means of destruction, the constant tyrannical oppressions that make life unbearable can be viewed as a way of sucking the life out of innocent people. When such is the case, rising up to fight for self-preservation becomes more noble than allowing the injustices to continue. "War means tears To thousands of mothers eyes When their sons go to fight And lose their lives" I have no doubt that this is true. But when tears are welling up in the eyes of not only mothers, but entire populations yearning for justice, then the tears shed for those who died fighting the good fight pale in comparison. "War, it ain't nothing But a heartbreaker" For oppressed populations, war can actually be heartlifting rather than heartbreaking. "War, friend only to the undertaker" It is also a friend to those who have been freed by it. In fact, even corrupt coalitions that start wars to take over land may still view war as their friend if they come out victorious. They may not be good people, but it still serves to show that war is not friend ONLY to the undertaker. "It's an enemy to all mankind" See the previous rebuttal. Not all mankind views war as an enemy. "The point of war blows my mind" Many wars probably are rather pointless. But not all of them. There can be a very good point to starting a war. Allowing others to steamroll over you cannot be considered a valid alternative to war. "War has caused unrest Within the younger generation" War has done more than this. It has very likely caused unrest with people of every generation. But this cannot be used to condemn the wars previously mentioned. These people were already in a state of unrest. "Induction then destruction" The destruction point was previously addressed. Being inducted into a war and then destroyed is probably better than sitting and waiting for destruction to come. "Who wants to die?" Those with extreme suffering often choose death as a means of escape. When it comes to the oppressed, a voluntary death may be better than a life of suffering. "Ooooh, war, has shattered Many a young mans dreams Made him disabled, bitter and mean" I cannot contend that war has left many people disabled. This is a sad tragedy. But the bitterness is probably much more present when the disabled view the war as pointless. Many (perhaps most) wars are pointless...but not all. "Life is much to short and precious To spend fighting wars these days" The words 'these days' seem to refer to the present. I must say that in the present day I have often felt that we may actually have to fight another revolutionary war within our own country. Atrocities such as the Patriot Act are taking away the very freedoms that made this country so great. And as the grip gets tighter and tighter, it may only be a matter of time before both you and I must choose whether to live under a dictatorship or rise up and fight. "War can't give life It can only take it away" Is this really true? Cannot it not be said that the Treaty of Edinburgh (the end result of the conflict between Scotland and Britain) gave life to the subsequent generations of Scotland? In the French Revolution, war gave life to some who would've died of famine. "Peace, love and understanding Tell me, is there no place for them today?" There certainly should be a place for them. But it is impossible to have all people of all nations on the same wavelength. Consequently, many people that only wish for peace can sometimes find themselves in a situation where war becomes the lesser evil. "They say we must fight to keep our freedom But Lord knows there's got to be a better way" I've been arguing a similar point. If there is a Lord that does know a better way, he certainly hasn't informed anyone of what this is. In fact, there are many biblical accounts in which the Lord supposedly helped one side defeat another in battle. So even for those that choose to believe in some omnipotent force, a better way has yet to be revealed. My main point is that war is good for more than absolutely nothing. It is good for obtaining freedom from all types of oppression and invasion. It may even have further uses that I will explore in later rounds.