The military and all its branches are highly advertised, so much so that we are subconsciously influenced by them. The messages and symbols they portray create the blasé effect on the individuals witnessing them by means of repetitive imaging. Through display of guns,force, power, and bravery we become desensitized to the true nature and reality that war is. War is brutal, frightening, and filled with loss. The advertisements however, exemplify the military as a prestigious and honorary role. Although this is true and the members of our military are held in high respect,the mass public subconsciously grows to support efforts of war without regarding its tragedies. We become so accustomed to the military as being a “force for good” we forget that many detrimental things happen to our soldiers and by them. We are conditioned to believe war is “cool”. As exemplified in the photo, most individuals would say they see an “epic” or “awesome” capture of the armed forces. Few individuals would say that they see a terrifying, dangerous or sad capture despite these soldiers are in an open area susceptible to enemy fire, mines, or another type of attack. We don’t recognize the wrong that can happen instead we see these images so readily in the news, ads, television, and video games that it’s seriousness is minimized. We loose the trepidation that war should often impose because of the way it is represented in daily life. War becomes simply a game, because we are so distanced from it and it is represented solely in its lime light and hardly ever in its atrocities. Therefore we become blasé and unflappable in our views of war, it simply becomes an everyday thing.
1 response so far ↓
Jason Wu // Mar 6th 2013 at 11:50 pm
It is true. War is man’s supreme failure at coexistence. It is a shame that this behavior is so easily glorified.