Billed as “an exhibition on the human cost of the Iraq war”, Eyes Wide Open: Beyond Fear – Towards Hope brought thousands of soldiers’ boots to the Arts quad today. Each pair of boots represents one of nearly 2000 American war casualties, laid out in long rows divided by state. When seen from a little distance, the spectacle resembles the rows of white graves at the Arlington National Cemetery.

The event was publicized by word of mouth and conspicuous blue posters and had a good turnout. Generally, large political demonstrations are best on the Arts quad or Ho plaza because of the high traffic.

The boots of Spc. Jeremy M, Dimaranan, 29

The row of boots for soldiers from NY state

Besides honoring the Americans who have died in combat so far in Iraq, Eyes Wide Open also tried to remember the 100,000 Iraqi innocents who died as bystanders. Here, there were some pictures to humanize the dead. This I feel is more effective on a 1-to-1 basis than boots, for which I have little sentiment:

Sadly, Eyes Wide Open failed to emphasize the civilian tragedy of any war. While it became quite clear that the US military loss was significant, the tiny pathway for Iraqi collateral damage paled in comparison to the US soldiers’ boots strewn all over the quad. When 50 times as many civilians lose their lives, shouldn’t they be the real focus here? Death is just a hazard of work for a soldier. It’s his job. We should remember the horror of bombs missing military targets, not a successful kill by the enemy, which is expected.

Students inspect a row of boots

I also had the opportunity to talk to Marq Anderson, the National Tour Manager for Eyes Wide Open. He explained to me that the purpose of the exhibit was to bring the reality of the war to average Americans. “While not at Vietnam levels, you can find people near you who have been affected by the war,” he said. I asked him if there was any good reason for going to war: oil, politics, influence in the middle east, unseating a bad regime, or bringing democracy. Marq didn’t think so, and I have to agree. Still, compared to other wars, it’s hard to argue that 2,000 military casualties are significant.

I know it’s risky, but let’s open this up for Iraq/general war discussion. Feel free to leave an intelligent comment.