An image of martyrdom, the Spanish citizen infinitely elongates himself until he is a statement, not a man. His pure white raiment contrasts with the scene as inhuman French soldiers unabashedly claim innocent souls.
Francisco de Goya was considered an artistic genius of the Revolutionary Era, and his work conveys a poignancy and emotionalism vacant from most contemporary historical renderings. In The Third of May, he invokes pathos in his audience, who comprehends the patriotism behind the courageous individuals who defended the sovereignty of their nation against Napoleon's forces. The painting served as propaganda, as a means of inciting passions against the French Empire and its influence on Spain. The French military, dressed with propriety and cordiality, demonstrates no remorse as members indefatigably fire on their Spanish counterparts, who make up for their lack of stateliness with their emotive stances and expressive facial features. The contrast lies between beast and man, between brutality and liberty.
But were the Frenchmen not under an order of command? Were they not mere soldiers, completing their duties with disregard of their ethical inhibitions? Were they bloodthirsty villains yearning for sanguine streets?
And if the Spanish had won, would they have spared their nemeses from a roaring gunshot followed by nothingness?
No.
Civilization, no matter its location, adheres to the principle that its purity is unchallenged and unparalleled. A state's survival relies on nationalism and patriotism, and these ardent sentiments delineate barriers between neighbors that produce the "it's not us, it's them" pandemic that is adulterating international relations around the world. There is a distinct desire to pin disaster on foreign forces, fostering divisions that impede progress within society. For how can we aim for human maturity if the world's leading powers cannot cooperate for the greater good? How can we propel social improvements when bomb threats and resulting warfare loom on the horizon?
I recently visited San Antonio and was provided with the full Alamo experience. From the historical film to the structure itself, I saw it all, and I was moved, not by the patriotism of the Texan pilgrims who fought for their liberty, but by the subjective, skewed notion of history portrayed at every turn. The Americans who sacrificed themselves to defend the Alamo and its symbolism of their autonomy were contrasted with the voracity of the malevolent Mexican troops, who prized territory and conquest over the lives of their fellow men. Children in the theater watched with sublime fascination as their minds were permanently imbued with a narrow outlook on history, and I sat in horror as I realized that few of them would be offered the verity of the context. To these attentive eyes, the Mexican invaders would be greedy tyrants. They would never be devoted citizens struggling to reclaim their homeland and the tradition and culture associated with it.
We are required, from a young age, to view our nation-state as a supreme entity. How does North Korea justify its economic gap and totalitarian government to its population? Patriotism. How did Germany recover fluidly from Nazism and the Second World War? Patriotism. Not an organic patriotism, but one that subjugates and provokes. People naturally aspire to attain superiority; if they are taught to believe that their country espouses progressive policies and is a vanguard in equality and standard of living, they will gladly adopt the concept of their home's power and authority. We want to feel pride for our situation, and part of our situation is the community in which we spend our quotidian lives. We gravitate towards the hypocrisy of extreme national fervor accompanied by international prejudice, for, no matter our circumstance, we can still proclaim ourselves more fortunate and forward-thinking than those in other countries.
This dichotomy has generated the radicalism that is associated with the foreign arena today. Drone attacks, nuclear weaponry, and World War III would not prove topics of interest if compartmentalization did not draw lines between the world's most influential bodies. It is the dearth in empathy that creates the maelstrom of violence and suffering that now surrounds humanity. With compassion and communication, unnecessary death would be eradicated from the foreign sphere.
As blood soaks through the Spaniard's snowy shirt, a Frenchman sheds a tear of regret, though no one will ever see it as it slides down his not-so-wicked cheek.