War has some major disadvantages. The people of the country have to bear a tribute to go to war. During World War II, the standard of living of American citizens dropped. Americans had to ration food as normal necessities were not distributed to the public. Most of the production in the factories was aimed at supporting the cause of the war and very few consumer goods were produced. Citizens had to make do with basic utensils that were not at all up to date. Some wealthy families had enough food to eat, but most had to start growing their own food. Horwitz and McPhillips' article supports this when they point out that Americans were expected to live lower quality lives due to the “reduced quality, quantity, and variety of products available” (9). Also in the book War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning written by Chris Hedges, he states that “In times of war states seek to destroy their own culture… exterminate the culture of their adversaries” (62). By this Hedges means that war causes a country to accumulate significant levels of nationalism, or the belief that our nation is superior and just. We neglect our true self and enter a state of mind where war can be fought. We have to look like good guys and reduce our enemies to mere objects. Only then can we go to war with them. Even with these arguments, war is