Riverbend blog

The blog posting by Riverbend titled Baghdad Burning explains the difficulties and hardships of life in a wartime place. The focus of the blog was on a young girl, M, whose life was forever changed when her family (mother, and brothers) were captured, tortured, and jailed because of an anonymous tip that stated they were harboring money for the support of killing American troops. Naturally, her and her families’ lives were halted as they were all forced to spend time in jail as innocent people. M was released and began concentrating on locating and releasing her mother and brothers.

M continues to explain the difficulties she has had with finding a lawyer who is willing to represent her and her family since the government is so corrupt. Despite the many odds coming against her she was still admit about making things right and just with herself and her family. I feel that Riverbend feels such a connection to M because when they first meet each other M is hiding in the shadows much like Riverbend does while writing her blogs. As she stated in the Kirk, Okazawa-rey text she wouldn’t feel free to write about her life if people knew who she was. M also shares something like this stating that if she were to go to the media and make light of herself and her story her family would surely be tortured and all hope of them being released would probably be lost.

Riverbend takes a moment in this blog to talk about the ever worsening living situations of her community and the overwhelming power the troops seem to be embracing. She brings it to the attention of the reader that although most of the Iraq culture is suffering from some sort of hardship and forced globalization woman are quite frankly suffering the brunt of it. Since M’s father died her and her mother have been relying on the small checks from a local business and the ability of the brothers to work leaving the women with not much of a foot to stand on to protest. The text talks in detail about the effects of the war on woman and families because of deaths and culture changes and the normalization of violence. Although it still upsets Riverbend that she hears gun shots and sees the troops angrily invading homes, it no longer surprises her. As she asks M why she doesn’t go to the press or the media Riverbend is reminded of just how violent her world has gotten. M immediately reminds her that because of the violence and corruption that has taken such a common place and publicity of her situation would only ensure her families prolonged captivity.

It is hard to imagine from my privileged perspective that such a world can still exist. Although I may be ignorant to the explicit wartime details, I find it rather counter intuitive to “liberate” a peoples who simply have no desire for our presence.

Works Cited:

Baghdad Burning. Riverbend, 26 Dec. 2003. Web. 05 Apr. 2010. .

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women and the Military, War, and Peace, Women's Studies. Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010. 493-510.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Women Living in a Globalizing World. Women's Studies. Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010. 371-391