We are not just the users of cultural tools. We are the passers-on. And whether we like it or not, we will be judged by the sharp tools we allow to proliferate.

We live in a moment of performative cruelty. We are governed by people who mistake sadism for strength. If you feel sick watching it unfold, as I do, that’s not moral confusion. That’s moral clarity.

Through a thorough investigation of media reports, court records, and military documentation, Lembcke found no credible evidence that anti-war protesters spat on returning soldiers. In fact, many in the anti-war movement viewed soldiers as victims of the war machine, not its enemies. Some veterans even became anti-war leaders themselves.