A review by xcinnamonsugar
The Duty to Stand Aside: Nineteen Eighty-Four and the Wartime Quarrel of George Orwell and Alex Comfort by Eric Laursen

informative
This book examines the public arguments put forth by Orwell (an anti-fascist) and Comfort (a pacifist) in response to governmental actions during World War 2. 

Ideas that I found fascinating:
  • There was an argument made that pacifism is a copout stance and effectively pro-fascism. Pacifists do not want to “get their hands dirty” and accept the brutal but necessary realities of war, but the violence of war is inevitable in the fight against fascism.
  • Civilian bombing is an actual military tactic, ostensibly to pressure everyday folk on the other side to turn against their own government. Mainstream protests against especially cruel practices (e.g. night bombings of non-combatants) are not new. The state military's response to this has remained consistent from then till now: publicly declare that these are "targeted strikes" despite evidence pointing solidly in the opposite direction.
  • The design of modern state and political systems encourage the selection of “criminal psychopaths” for positions of leadership and power, and reward them for taking aggressive and punitive action. The way to limit the power of delinquent political leadership is to encourage individual autonomy through education based on creativity. Individuals that are taught to think for themselves and practise communal living will be less reliant on the state, thus limiting their reach.

I'm so glad I chanced upon this gem of a book in a secondhand bookstore. It's been immensely helpful in understanding the messaging around the Israel-Gaza conflict today.