Forming a Relationship with War

Unlike some of the posts made before me, I do not feel that media is really in control about how the whole population feels. It seems many believe that the media will portray the war in a biased manner, which causes those exposed to it to feel the same way. But I feel that it really isn’t the media who is at fault for a person’s outlook. Many know that certain stations, like CBS, are considered as being very liberal, while others, like FOX, have been accused of exhibiting conservative views. I feel people already have their minds made up concerning the war; therefore, they are going to tune into or read the media that most agrees with how they feel about the war. People who find the war as being horrible and wrong will most likely be viewing liberal media, who point out the negatives like causalities, while those that find the war necessary will pay attention to conservative media, who try to find the up side to the war like regaining peace in a certain territory. So while many think the media are trying to influence the viewers, I am thinking that maybe the media is trying to bend stories to how they feel their viewers wish them to be portrayed. Many people blame the media for the bias, but would they really want to view media without a tendency to feel a certain way?

As for the very first blog during week 1, I feel that many my fellow classmates felt that they had no direct connection or reason to care about war, specifically the one Iraq. I think many felt that if they didn’t know someone close that were being sent to Iraq, then they themselves had no reason to be concerned about what was happening over there. One blogger even stated how she felt worried that her brother could be drafted if it was reinstated, showing that personal connections to the war seem to make one more aware of the dangers involved. People who did have a personal friend or relative, seemed to be greatly affected when the ones they cared about were in Iraq or came home. Some made connections between how younger Americans don’t know anything about the war and are rather absorbed in the trivial happenings of adolescent life. Others claimed that the war felt very “distant” because they went on with their lives without every really seeing the violence or the repercussions of the war raging overseas. Some choose to find their closest relationship to the war from a more selfish standpoint, where they choose how to feel about the war because of the rising taxes and gas prices. Overall, I thought it was interesting how different people with different ties to the war, had different relationship and connection to the war.