This article is not just about the war in Iraq. It is much more than that. Media has a large influence on the general public. During the George W. Bush administration, the White House media pushed for the pathos reaction. Showing commercials for patriotism during prime time television hours or having a staged photo op at Ellis Island on the anniversary of 9/11. They wanted Americans to feel pride and fire them up for the War in Iraq.
Sometimes television shows tend to sugarcoat war violence or try to put it under a different light. Having war veteran themes on popular shows like Bones or Cold Case can create awareness but can make the effects of war seem less real. As a result people do not seem to realize that humans are vulnerable. This will cause a lack of empathy because people will be used to it. It is hard to fire up an unfeeling person.
Ethos has role in this too. People will listen to celebrities because their presence is so compelling. Talk shows will have celebrities all the time and they talk about their opinion. Talk show host Phil Donahue created a documentary that show the ugly side of war. The Montel Williams Show shows that war veterans are victims of war as opposed to agents of war. Celebrities are good for attracting attention. Example would be the Rihanna and Chris Brown story.
Logical aspect logos. Why show war violence on television? On one hand it causes emotional scars to everyone involved but turning a blind eye is ignorant and dangerous. Everyone could be making the same mistakes if they have blind eyes.
The media is a very powerful force. What is shown can have drastic effects on the world. People will take the same story but interprete differently. What could be awe inspiring to one might not be to another. Is the United States being desentsized to war violence? Are we being brainwashed? Or are we just trying to shed the truth? That is why there are different types of news for different types of people.
Travel safely,
Lisa, Andy, and Janet
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I think that there's a lot of truth in this article, and it's interesting, because there seems to be a lot of different perspectives out there on how we're supposed to empathize with war veterans. My assumption for myself would be that the "reality" stories, like what is seen on Extreme Makeover Home Edition or a talk show interview would affect me emotionally more than a tv show depiction of the after-effects of war, just because there is a real person involved in that very story. The claim that the whole "staging" aspect of war veteran stories also makes sense; if we Americans are exposed to these embellished stories and fictional shows it's likely we'll all become desensitized, and begin expecting our soldiers to come back with mental issues. Clearly this isn't a positive thing. Maybe it's possible that because there are so many negative feelings about this particular war in Iraq that we are fully expecting to see bad things happen to the people who come out of it, physically and mentally. It seems to me like the past wars that had more support behind them are still looked at in a more positive light ,so perhaps when a soldier came back disturbed it was a bigger deal, and people may have offered more support for them in their time of recovery. Ultimately, I think the group came to the right conclusion that the different shows appeal to different people with different outlooks...For this reason, I don't think we're necessarily brainwashed. I think we all just want to be entertained with these stories the way that we like to be entertained. For example, the mother of a soldier might be drawn to touching shows like EMHE rather than Cold Case, because it lifts her up, just like the other tv shows she's more likely watch.
ReplyDeleteI think America becoming deseneitzed to the war in Iraq because of the T.V. shows that try to imitate the real life war. Television shows do not show what is actually going on in Iraq because they have to make a story that will attract the audience, and if they show the real-life effects on their show, people will turn away from that show because it is not what they want to see. People do not what to see this because they want to think everything is good and dandy in Iraq. I do, however, think the news media is downplaying the progress that has been made in Iraq. All we hear is the negative aspects of the war from news media, but never do we hear how well we are doing. I think if the media showed how well we are doing, America would have a strong support for the war, but who actually knows what progress has been made in Iraq?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nathan. The Amerian mainstream media never shows us any progress. All they do is bash the Bush admnistration and talk about how we do this wrong or did this wrong. The real problem isn't the reality shows that feature veterans it's the mainstream media that depicts the war in a negative way which therefore makes other people feel negative torwards the war and the troops. We've made plenty of progress in the Middle East but you'll never hear about it on CNN, MSNBC, or any other news network like those.
ReplyDeleteI think America as a whole has a very scattered belief on the war in Iraq. On one side there are the hippies that just want peace and want the troops out. On the other side many think we are there for good reasons and that we are doing good. regardless of what side someone is 80% of the time they are idiots. When people talk about the war in Iraq most of them have absolutely no clue what is going on in Iraq. Our legal system is faulty in the same way. People are uneducated. Why do people vote for a certain president??? 9 times out of 10 it is because it is "their" party or because that persons adds looked cooler. Point being, Americans don't know shit about anything. Media should be used to educate the American population. If the media would tell the truth and show what was really happening people could be more educated.
ReplyDeleteI believe nothing good can come from showing the American public the actual footage of the war. I think it would stir up emotions for the safety of loved ones and make people wonder about every single move the military makes. Since we, as a people, do not play an immediate role in the different tactics that go into war, we do not need to know the play by play. I also believe the American public has the right and responsibility to know the main points of the war. I would like to know what is going on to a certain extent. But I feel like every time the war is on the news it is never about the good things that are coming out of it. The news only seems to focus on the negative, which is no different than any story they play. Maybe the ‘certain extent’ is what is holding the news broadcasters from giving the entire story.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has their own belief on the war in Iraq because their either for the war or against it. The media only talks about how the Bush administration is doing everything wrong and they don’t give credit for the progress being made. I also agree with Nate on how tv shows are trying to imitate real life war but they put the Hollywood affect on it and not show what is actually happening in Iraq. I also believe the US is trying to hide the truth because they try to hide what is going on in Iraq and they only show us tragic events that happened. Also I want to know what the reason for the war in Iraq is because all you ever hear about is weapons of mass destruction, but many countries have those kinds of weapons also so are we going to attack all of them.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that the television shows do not show what is really going on overseas. A tv show simply cant capture the reality of war. If it did, as nathan said, people wouldn't want to nor be able to watch because it would cross the line of entertainment. The only way to depict the war is to show the war, which like austen said, would only scare the general public.
ReplyDeleteThe media plays a huge role in how we view war and violence. Most news stations show the negative affects of war which turn everyone against the war. They always seem to ignore the progress created in the battle zones. People have become desensitized to the violence of war. TV cant possibly show the real affects of war. Americans have never really experienced war firsthand so it is hard to comprehend what actually goes on.
ReplyDeleteWell it's true that we hear about the violence involved with war in the media, but it's not only what is being displayed but also the amount. Everyone is aware that we see violence everywhere, especially in the media, but it increases greatly during wartime. Some people may become habituated to violence and accept it as nothing different, or some other people could get pumped up and want to do something to aid the war effort. Of all the possible outcomes, the media has a second phase of making us how they want us by providing a bunch of shows that cater to everyones likes, while still providing the patriotic backdrop. It's a really complicated subject because their isn't a right answer to what the media wants out of us because everyone thinks differently. That would be why we have so many T.V. shows except for the theme behind it, in this case war and patriotism. Americans don't usually think that deep when it comes to the message the media is trying to get into our heads, so they get free rein on what they want us to think about. So they show us about of war and patriotism and we in turn think about being patriotic with violence. Yea.
ReplyDeleteWhile it seems to be the common consensus that there is a definite issue with the way Americans are presented war footage, I truly believe that there are more positives than negatives that come from showing the public scenes from the Middle East. The television hasn’t been around for long, thus, footage hasn’t been readily available to be critiqued and influence society for a long time. If American’s were shown footage of World War II from D-Day on the beaches of Normandy to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I think it’s pretty easy to say that society wouldn’t have approved of the death of so many people. Since we see graphic scenes of death and bombs instead of times of triumph, we can be quick to judge that nothing is accomplished and that the US is hiding something. This is not because we are desensitized to violence, but rather because it difficult to separate reports that are meant to scare us from reports that are meant to make us think and analyze the situation in the Middle East. Instead, we clump all of our ideas into one opinion of war.
ReplyDeleteOkay, first of all I’d like to say that I LOVE all the T.V. shows mentioned in this article. Putting that aside I feel like you can’t watch a T.V. show and expect to gain knowledge on the war. I feel like since the news doesn’t display what’s really going on in the war people feel the need to take the shows featuring war as fact. Like one day a soldier will wake up and it will all be okay, no more post traumatic stress because people accept him. No that’s the furthest thing from the truth I think you can get. T.V. shows definitely appeal to the viewers emotions and suck them in right at the beginning of the show, and always make out that the American soldier isn’t the “bad” guy but the people we’re fighting are. Even in that Bones episode I guarantee not many people felt bad that the Iraqi family died, everybody makes mistakes right? But it’s not okay that an American soldier was involved or injured because of it. I feel like this has to do with the fact that for a long time there hasn’t been a war fought on American soil. Imagine it from the other side of the coin…imagine what the Iraqi’s are thinking when they have defeated their enemy. I bet it’s the same way that we feel. I HATE WAR. Just saying. It doesn’t fix anything and it just makes everyone depressed. Another thing that bothers me about the war depictions is the fact that by the end of the episode the trauma of the war/incident seems to be overcome. War isn’t that easily dealt with, you can’t just put a stop to your feelings within a thirty minute time block. Hollywood definitely plays up the happy endings… but there is never a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this article, the media play a huge part in how society feels about war of any kind. At first my thoughts about the war in Iraq were all very negative, believing the war was unnecessary, however having a family member working on a base in Iraq has really given me a different outlook on the war. The soldiers, workers etc over in Iraq know what difference is being made overseas they see it firsthand. American people don’t see that and there for can’t be expected that they completely understand what is going on. It seems that the media only portrays the negativities of war, I’m not saying that war is a positive thing but when you only see injuries and body counts it’s hard to see the children’s lives that being saved and the difference in the world that is being made. I’ll admit I am one of those girls that can’t help but get a little teary eyed when watching extreme home makeover and a solider gets a beautiful home for his family. These shows are made to appeal to your emotions, If they don’t have an effect on you in some way what does that say about you as an American???
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