Peter Yarrow Talks about Social Responsibilities

Educational Quotes on Preventing War and Conflict

Oct 15, 2009

Social activist and singer Peter Yarrow talks about the U.S.'s need to recognize and make amends for its misdeeds in Vietnam, Iraq, and with Guantanamo Bay prisoners.

As part of the iconic trio Peter, Paul & Mary, singer/songwriter Peter Yarrow helped deliver popular messages of humanity and caring through folk music and anti war songs.

Yet Yarrow proved to be more than just an entertainer – as his work in social activism drove him to not only assist Civil Rights movement leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with his singing partners, but also to co-organize the 1969 Celebration of Life march on Washington, enabling half a million people to participate in the Vietnam War protest.

Today, Yarrow remains an advocate against war and is helping teach a new generation about respect and tolerance through the bullying solutions program Operation Respect.

Suite 101 spoke with Yarrow via an October 9, 2009 phone interview to get his perspective on the United States’ war in Iraq and domestic policies – and what steps must be adopted to prevent future injustices. The following educational quotes are from an edited version of the interview.

On Preventing Another Iraq or Vietnam War

"First, we need to learn to examine ourselves when we fail. In corporate America, you’re not supposed to ever admit you were wrong – it’s considered a sign of weakness. The first thing you’re supposed to do if you take over a corporate position is fire some people to show you mean business. It doesn’t matter whether you fire people with justification – you just fire them."

"Now, with a mentality like that in our supposedly civil society, we don’t have the mentality and spirituality that embraces the simple idea that what brings us greatness is humility and recognition of our mistakes. And the act of making amends for our mistakes."

"If we want to stop having another Iraq, another Vietnam, we need to start looking at what we’ve done to other people and understand that when we do something extraordinary like elect a black president, coming from where we were, that we should celebrate! But when we do something horrific like cause generations of genetic mutations with Agent Orange in Vietnam, we have to understand that as long as we’re filled with hubris and incapable of examining our mistakes, we as a country will be a menace and inclined to repeat the mistakes and excuse ourselves."

"Where is our contrition to those who were in Guantanamo and tortured? Where are our actions now to right those wrongs?"

"Where is our contrition for what we did to the people of the Ninth Ward in New Orleans where they were super-flooded? The breaching of the dam was a catastrophe, but far greater was our not putting our energies and efforts into helping and saving these people and devoting our efforts to those who were in less danger and in the wealthiest sections."

On The Power of Apology

"There’s a song called, “Take the Chance” [by Peter, Paul, & Mary] and it says:

The power of forgiveness and contrition is the power of healing. We will never be healed by anger and the recapitulation and the reiteration of injury done. We will be healed by forgiveness of ourselves, of us for what we have done to them. We will be healed by making amends."

On the United States’ Need to Take Responsibility for Its Actions

"We’re like a hit and run driver. We have done this and run away from it. Now that’s against the law. The United States does it all the time. We did it in Vietnam. We’ve been doing it in Iraq. We did it to the Guantanamo Bay prisoners. We do it to the black male population of America that is incarcerated."

"And I’m telling you, I don’t care what the policies are – if we don’t heal it in our hearts, we’re walking around like a hit and run driver that knows that they’ve killed these people, and in order to hide from that, we’ve become different kinds of human beings. We are murderers. And everyone in this country that has the audacity to say to Germany, 'You all knew – what did you do? You knew about this and you let this happen…'"

"Sixteen million people – not just Jews – sixteen million people were killed by the Nazis. Gypsies and gays and disabled people – and Jews to the degree they could annihilate Jews."

"Well, have we not stood about doing nothing? There are those who have done something. But I am guilty along with everyone else. And so let us realize that we are deeply faulted. And we are also human – let’s get real and stop pretending we’re angels. It’s hard enough being a human being."

A longtime social activist, Peter Yarrow is currently promoting Don't Laugh at Me, a bullying solutions program he helped create. Read about the program at Anti-Bullying Program Uses Music for Healing.

AIC 101

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