Why war is all the rage

[struggle4progress]

<snip> How did we get here? How did the White House convince so many Americans that military force was our only viable option? By way of explaining, it is worth noting how militarism has crept into and permeated our culture.

Take, for example, the bombed-out dollhouse, sold as a toy by manufacturer Ever Sparkle, Inc., where Grenades replace salt and pepper shakers, ammo boxes occupy the kitchen and G.I. Joe, armed with a bazooka, stands ready for battle on the balcony. Another toy, the World Peace Keepers Battle Station, comes with M-16s, grenades, sandbags and other war devices so that children 3 and older can begin to understand the real meaning of peace. "Full Spectrum Warrior," a new video game set in an apparently Arab city, teaches how to kill the enemy. It was developed with $4 million from the U.S. military as a training tool for Army recruits.

Militarism also infiltrates America's high schools and colleges. The No Child Left Behind Act requires high schools to give the names and phone numbers of juniors and seniors to military recruiters, unless parents object in writing. The military sniffs out vulnerable recruits through culturally tailored ads featuring blacks or Spanish-language pitches with Latin music. It has even sponsored a NASCAR car in its pursuit of recruiting white, rural youth. "The recruiters prey on students who feel they have no other options: immigrant students trying to get citizenship, seniors lacking credits to graduate and anyone who they can persuade that the Army will train them for the real world," said Lester Garcia, a graduate of Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles.

Militarism seeps into our everyday life through fashion as well. The "military look" has influenced civilian clothing for centuries. Camouflage apparel, cargo pants and bomber jackets from army surplus stores have always been staple pieces in young people's wardrobes. The difference now, according to the Army/Navy Store and Outdoor Merchandiser magazine, is that the military look has become so common "it's not so much fashion as an everyday look." <snip>

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/29/EDGFVC9HU61.DTL

[tabasco]

1. Good reality tv.

Freepers like to watch war on tv. It makes them feel proud to be American. As long as other people fight it, they love war.

[KoKo]

2. Then why are our recruitment levels so low? If Military pervades our

culture. Seems kind of odd that we wouldn't have thousands each week signing up to bomb innocents to protect the "Homland." :eyes:

[struggle4progress]

3. You may be right. But mass culture in America seems to emphasize ..

.. emotional reinforcement rather than personal political empowerment: more "how I feel" than "what I can do." In daily life, I'm seeing a large number of adolescent males sporting military-type haircuts, as an apparent fashion statement: perhaps they're not joining up, but they do seem to be announcing a pro-military stance, in a "Go, ye heroes, go and die!" sort of way.

The current Administration, with Rumsfeld leading the charge, intends to downsize the military further, with an increasing reliance on high tech, that is, an increasing reliance on the ability of a small number of trained technocrats to control populations. And they have floated trial balloons for an increasingly mercenary army, recruited from abroad, which (of course) increases the possibility that the army can be eventually be used here against Americans. Of course, they should repeal the Posse Comitatus Act first, but they've been trying since the Reagan era to do exactly that.

I think these features reinforce each other: the public is indoctrinated into a vague and meaningless pro-military stance, that prevents emergence of any effective anti-militarist posture; meanwhile, the Bushistas take steps which increasingly isolate the public from knowledge about military methods, capabilities, and attitudes.

[Technowitch]

4. Some would rather put a yellow magnet on their SUV

and wave a flag, than to actually make any sacrifices, or to fight in the war they all said was 100% necessary and justified.