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The formation of the State of Israel led to numerous conflicts in the Middle East. The fighting against it began almost immediately after the proclaimed independence of the country, with Syria and Egypt acting as principal opponents. Israel had constant border conflicts with Syria, leading to large-scale military operations (Goodman, 2018). The Suez crisis of 1956 again ended with the Egyptian-Israeli war, which resulted in the appearance of U.N. peacekeepers on the border between the two states. Their presence helped reduce the number of border incidents but failed to ensure peace in the region. The six-day war lasted from June 5 to June 10 of 1967 and confirmed the regions instability the victory brought Israel new territories, but complicated already tense relations with the neighboring countries (Goodman, 2018). The song Six-Day War by Colonel Bagshot, a rock band from Liverpool, was released four years after the conflict it retells the story from the perspective of an unknown soldier caught in an unwanted conflict.
The fighting in the Middle East could serve as a quintessence of the culture of conflict. The position of a victim in similar situations implies suffering violence, which in social perception leads to an attributed positive self-image, prompts empathy, and discredits the opponents agenda (BarTal, 2013). Victimization is a prominent element in Six-Day War , even though the descriptions of unjust harm or demonization of the opponent are limited. The song (Colonel Bagshot, 1971) contains lines like As you come out to the light / Can your eyes behold the sight / It must be doomsday , demonstrating the disruptive force of the opponent. The imagery of the text, the mentions of bombarding, and the unexpectedness of the war evoke empathy. The singer addresses words to the listeners as if they were in trenches amidst the conflict themselves, which humanizes the unknown soldier of the song.
It is essential to take into consideration that the text was written by a third party, individuals who were not involved in the conflict directly, and several years after it occurred. This geographical and temporal distancing may enhance the level of the lyrics objectivity. Nonetheless, peace is a supreme societal value worldwide, and it is evoked in the lyrics of the Six-Day War . The servicemen are portrayed as unwilling to fight and deceived by the situation, You never thought wed go to war / After all the things we saw / Its April Fools day (Colonel Bagshot, 1971). The song describes a continually aggravating situation that started with peace talks (U.N. negotiations) and ends with a bombardment. The U.N. sessions dedicated to the conflict could not establish whether to recognize the occupation of the region as annexation (Goodman, 2018). Attempts to make resolutions were blocked by Arab countries that were not satisfied with the territorial situation. As Six-Day Was carries prominent anti-war sentiment, peace in the song is of utopian and idolized character, presented as an unattainable fantasy.
Delegitimization is a significant step to legitimize violence directed towards the opponents side. As Bar-Tal (2013) notices, in essence, delegitimization denies the adversarys humanity and morality, providing a kind of psychological permit to harm the delegitimized group (p. 180). In Six-Day War, the presence of the enemy is not strong, and the enemys portrayal is narrowed towards the actions taken, such as a bombing raid. However, the opponent is referred to as them , without further clarification, which is still enough to set the us-them dichotomy. The minimalistic and impersonal tone of the referencing is effective in dehumanizing the opposing side there is nothing worth knowing about it, only that the enemy belongs to an outgroup, which is sufficient for delegitimization.
The ongoing political and military conflict consolidated several countries in the Arab world in the fight against one common enemy. This unity of interests rendered other internal disputes less significant, as the conflict magnified the shared cultural elements and societal characteristics, contrasting them with the ones belonging to the enemy. As the plan of combat envisioned by Israeli Air Forces stemmed from the surprise factor, the promptness of the counter-attack from the unified opposite side signaled consolidation, to which the second stanza also alludes (Goodman, 2018). The song references the us versus them attitude that can be traced in several lines, although it seems to remain rather unpronounced. The song under consideration may provide an example of the connecting capacity of a common threat by establishing a clear division between the ingroup and the outgroup.
Taking into consideration that the text was written by people who were not directly engaged in the military actions of the conflict, Six-Day War reflects the perception that the servicemen were embroiled in a war against their will. The song generally outlines the course of the conflicts events and results in an overtly pacifistic message. Until this day, attempts to resolve the Arab-Israeli dispute and bring stability to the region do not cease. Peace is the most prominent element of the Six-Day War ethos in the text since several lines references reluctance to fight, the perceived abruptness of the conflict, and its destructive effects.
References
Bar-Tal, D. (2013). Intractable conflicts: Socio-psychological foundations and dynamics. Cambridge University Press.
Colonel Bagshot. (1971). Six Day War [Song]. On Oh! What a Lovely War [Album]. XL; Cadet Concept Records.
Goodman, M. (2018). Catch-67: The left, the right, and the legacy of the Six Day War. Yale University Press.
Appendix
Six Day War by Colonel Bagshot
At the starting of the week
At summit talks, youll hear them speak
Its only Monday
Negotiations breaking down
See those leaders start to frown
Its sword and gun day
Tomorrow never comes until its too late
You could be sitting taking lunch
The news will hit you like a punch
Its only Tuesday
You never thought wed go to war
After all the things we saw
Its April Fools day
Tomorrow never comes until its too late
Well all go running underground
And well be listening for the sound
Its only Wednesday
In your shelter dimly lit
Take some wool and learn to knit
Cause its a long day
Tomorrow never comes until its too late
You hear a whistling overhead
Are you alive or are you dead?
Its only Thursday
You feel a shaking of the ground
A million candles burn around
Is it your birthday?
Tomorrow never comes until its too late
Though that shelter is your home
The living space you have outgrown
Its only Friday
As you come out to the light
Can your eyes behold the sight
It must be doomsday
Tomorrow never comes until its too late
Aint it funny how men think
They made the bomb, they are extinct
Its only Saturday
I think tomorrows come, I think its too late
I think tomorrows come, I think its too late
I think tomorrows come, I think its too late
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