Week 5- Christopher Hiura A01

Christopher Hiura
ASA002 - A01
Week 5

In "Empire of Death and the Plague of Civil Violence," by Darrell Y. Hamamoto, he argues that recent trends of serial killers and mass murderers is directly correlated with the United State's imperialistic regime, especially from the 1950s to early 2000s. He gives many examples of how many of the serial killers and mass murders were veterans (specifically veterans from the Vietnam War). He claims that hyper-American militarism has led many people to know basically only war, where we are essentially desensitized beings who are "immune" to killings and war. War has become so embedded in our culture and society that they have can no longer be mutually excluded in today's society. I actually agree with this statement--take a look at what is mass produced today, whether they be war movies or nerf guns, everything has some component of competition and militarism. He writes that "America reaps what it sows, even if [America] doesn't quite know what they have sown."  I think that is ultimately true, especially when you are living in the present. We have no way of knowing the ramifications of the United States' actions, including things like the internet and globalization on top of imperialism. However, there is one thing I don't quite agree with, which is the idea that mass killings only truly appeared recently due to America's imperialism. I believe that humanity, or really life in general, is very selfish. Yes rampant militarism plays a major part in the creation of serial killers and the like, but it is human nature that is truly at fault. We all want what's best for us, whether it be money, (wo)men, or power. We want to be the center of attention, whether it be positive or negative. This selfishness isn't necessarily a bad thing (as it allows you to survive), but when anything is taken to the extreme it can be fatal. Hamamoto's true point seems to lie there, that American militarism and capitalism is simply extremely cruel selfishness, and the byproducts created from such a system.

Is capitalism truly as great as the US claims it is? Can human nature be suppressed? Should it be suppressed? Is social engineering simply an exploitation of human nature? 

References:

1. Darrell Y. Hamamoto. Empire of Death and the Plague of Civic Violence. From Boggs, Carl Ed. (2003) Masters of War: Militarism and Blowback in the Era of American Empire. New York, New York: Routledge. Retrieved October 22, 2017.

2. Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America. Dir. Peter Getzels, Eduardo Lopez. September 28, 2017. Documentary.