Summarizing Enter Right,Exit Left By Joshua Foer - Essay Example

Enter Right, Exit Left- Summary The world is changing and the views and opinions of the people are also changing. These changes in views can be witnessed when we analyse the reflections of the people about the Vietnam War and the recent Iraq war. 9/11 has created immense terror in the minds of the American people which forced them to support the Iraq war during the initial periods of the war. The younger generation has supported the war more than the elder generation because the incidents like 9/11 was totally a new experience for them.

On the other hand the elder generation who had experienced such terrors earlier has kept their reservations while supporting the Iraq war. One of the recent surveys conducted by CNN/USA Today/Gallup, a majority of 18- to 29-year-olds thought the war worthwhile. Moreover, the same survey also found that President Bush had a 9 percent higher approval rating among people under 30 than he did among older respondents. Even the majority of the younger supporters of Democrats supported the Iraq during its initial phase because of the trauma developed after 9/11 incident.

Most of the political organizations on campus irrespective of their political ideologies have supported Iraq war earlier. The attack on Twin Towers and Pentagon was considered as an attack against the sovereignty of Americans and President Bush got immense support from the younger generation at the time when the Iraq war started. President Bush’s arguments in favour of the Iraq war, like the possession of weapons for mass destruction by Saddam and the accused links between Saddam and Al Qaeda, have inspired the younger generation a lot and around 50 percent of those surveyed under 30 said they trusted government to do the right thing whereas only 36 percent of the older Americans kept the same views like the younger generation.

Many of the younger generation in America thought that America was a force for good in the world and Americans are more aware of international affairs. The opinions of the American public about the Iraq war has changed drastically as conditions in Iraq have grown more chaotic. The younger generation slowly realised that why the older generation was reluctant in extending lavish supports to the Iraq war. The revelation that American government exaggerated claims about the possession of weapons of mass destruction by Iraq has taught the younger generation that one cant always trust authority.

The photos of Abu Ghraib and flag-draped coffins have taught the younger generation that the authorities were executing their hidden agenda in Iraq, cheating the public with the help of the theory of weapons of mass destruction. The authorities have exploited the trauma generated after 9/11 for gaining support for their inhuman acts in Iraq. As per one of the recent polls conducted by Harvard University Institute of Politics, college students are no longer more supportive of President Bush than the population at large, and their support for the war has dropped sharply from 65 percent a year ago to 49 percent last month.

The above statistics clearly shows that up to what extent the younger generation frustrated by the recent events happened in Iraq. It shows that the younger generation keep a liberal view on social issues while they keep a conservative view on foreign affairs and national security. In short, the current generation is more conservative than their parents and they seem to be entering through the right way and exiting through the left way. Works Cited 1. Foer, Joshua. “Enter Right, Exit Left”.

27 January 2010.