blog 4

ever since the wars raging in the middle east, great influences have been made on our pop culture. for instance, i have listened to the band linkin park and 30 seconds to mars. recently they have put out tracks that are greatly influcenced by political problems. the tracks deal with issues like global warming, the war in iraq, terrorism, ect. i do not mind listening to these songs, but i do prefer that they stick to their usual stuff. i think that the issue going on over seas are indeed important but should not mix with our music. many people are getting turned away from their most listened bands because of this influence. another influence i have seen, and i can atest to myself, is the influence of military uniforms/colors on our day to day outfits. many large and popular retail manufactuars have started to produce many military influenced cloths. this in turn is displayed in music vedios, tv, and in the street.

Reality Love?

Due to our nations economic drought because of the war depleting our funds writers went on strike. With this blow to television viewers were forced to watch reality shows. But the crazy thing is these reality shows consist of a bunch of people fighting to love one person. this struck me as strange considering were just all up in arms trying to find Osama Bin Laden. We had special forces out swat teams the whole nine yards. And back home were watching our own version of the Iraq war, 20 women fighting for Bret Michael's love. Or better yet 30 men and women getting down and dirty begging for Tila Tiquila's love and affection. Now to my understanding we are still as war to bring peace to Afganistan when the same message is being protrayed on TV with fighting for love. Its simply amazing where we get our inspiration from.

war and pop culture!?

I don't know anything about pop culture or about whats going on. I barerly watch tv or movies...so the only things cause say are car comercials. That's right car commercials. A few years ago, everyone wanted a hummer or a big SUV. Want to know why? We want to protect ourselves from any danger, by being in a large car. The Hummers are basically civilian military vehicles. If you look at the design the newer hummers are smaller versions of military vehicles without the mounted guns. War has made people want to feel safe, so they buy bigger cars. Of course this was before gas prices started to soar.

Paintball-War Reenactment

A popular sport in today's society is paintball. A sport in which players have guns powered by Co2 in which they shoot little balls of paint at the opposing team. Once hit by a paintball, the player is out as if he were shot by a bullet, "your dead". Is this sport one that promotes war? There are also paint bazookas and launchers that throw large amounts of paint. All of the things incorporated with paintball show evidence of war. The accuracy of shooting becomes better and better with practice and the players who play paintball could probably be accurate with an actual firearm. It may even be safe to say that players who play paintball may also be interested in joining the army so they can shoot at real people. For paintball, their are tournaments on the beach, which is similar to the invasion of Normandy. I will say that paintball is a strong reason why many join the war or want to be involved in war.

Popularity of MMOs Tied to War?

As a devout follower of the video game industry, I have always, since my childhood, been a gamer. I have watched this multibillion dollar industry evolve and transform over time in dynamic ways, resulting in the over-saturated market that currently exists. Recently, a relatively new genre of video games has made an explosion on the scene, massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGS for short). These games allow gamers to create an alter ego (and avatar if you will) that exists in a gaming world with up to millions of players, thus the term "massive." These games rely on the interaction of gamers with one another and ultimately result in the creation of an alternate reality. When analyzing this entire new trend, I can't help but see blatant connections to the war in Iraq.

Particularly, one MMO has changed the entire industry by hooking players of all different backgrounds, World of Warcraft. When released in the fall of 2004, players were instantly engrossed in the huge world, wasting away hours upon hours of free time. Currently, World of Warcraft has millions of players ranging from all different backgrounds and nationalities. After the release of World of Warcraft in 2004, many other companies made MMOs hoping to capitalize on the new gaming fad. But why has this new genre become so popular amongst Amercians particularly?

Specifically, I believe that World of Warcraft literally provides an alternate reality where Americans can escape to when they are faced with the hardships of reality. The war in Iraq seems to keep escalating every year, so perhaps there is a tie to the ever increasing popularity of MMOs and the escalating situation in Iraq. I myself was immersed in this game for one summer. While I cannot say I was addicted to the experience, I can say, however, that I truly felt disassociated from reality. Thus, I truly believe that this increase in popularity of MMOs is a direct result from the hardships of reality, specifically the War in Iraq.

Now I didn't decide to play Warcraft for the sole purpose of escaping reality, I simply wanted a great overall gaming experience. From playing, I can honestly say that the designers intentions were not to create an escape from reality, but simply to provide an incredible gaming experience to the public. While this is so, I feel that Americans have used this game as a sort of mind-numbing "drug." Overall, I can't help but wonder whether this trend in gaming is having a positive or negative effect upon society. Perhaps only time will tell.

American Gladiators: On TV and at War

American Gladiators recently made a huge comeback on a major cable network. The show was first aired back in 1989 and lasted through 1996, meaning that it was popular during the Gulf War. Now, one could say that it is no coincidence that NBC brought the show back. It is the ultimate patriotic show. Besides using “American” Gladiators as the name of show, the backdrop to the title resembles the American flag, with red, white, and blue colors and several stars. The show itself is showcases pride in the strength of the American people. It features these ultra strong, good-looking people who take on the average-day American in tests of agility, strength, and skill. American people love to watch shows reinforcing the idea that we are a superior people compared to other nations, and this is what American Gladiators does essentially. It is interesting how the show has made a comeback during the Iraq war, and one could probably argue that it was done purposely to draw connections to the power of American people. Viewers probably connect the gladiators on the show to the soldiers fighting over in Iraq, strong, fearless men and women. The events from the show could even be related to the obstacles and training which American troops must experience. I checked on American Gladiators website, and they are returning for a second season in May, but that didn’t surprise me. I also wasn’t surprised to find a big advertisement for Barack Obama on the website, because after all, American Gladiators is what want real America to be, strong and powerful.

TV Shows and War

I had to think a lot about this because I didn't know really what show to do. All the shows that I watch really had no connection with the War. But then Extreme Makeover: Home Edition clicked in my head. Extreme Maker: Home Edition is show on ABC on Sunday's usually at 8. And on each show they pick a new family that has a old run down house and a very tough story. Some families lost a loved one suddenly, some families have worked so hard for other people that they have forgotten themselves, and many more. I only watched the show every once and a while, but this family stuck out in my memory.

The Westbrook family has three children (Elizabeth, Katie, and James) and two parents (Gene and Peggy). Gene decided he was going to give back to his country by joining Operation Iraqi Freedom. After joining, Gene became paralyzed and soon received a Purple Heart. After his discharge from the military, he started talking about his experiences and helping others. But financially, it was becoming very hard for the Westbrook family because they needed to buy more things to help Gene get from place to place. An example of that, a handicap-accessible van, actually caused the second tragedy for the Westbrook family. On June 10, 2006, a year after Gene was paralyzed in Iraq, the wheel of their new van that they had just bought had become loose causing the van to go right into oncoming traffic. The family does not remember much from that day, but they now have bigger problems on their hands. Son James was paralyzed from the waist down, daughter Katie required surgery to remove one of her kidneys, and Gene broke his ankle and knee and suffers from short term memory loss. With all the money in medical bills and having to get two paralyzed people around the house, the Westbrook was having a very hard time. But with the help of the design crew and hundreds of volunteers, they have the Westbrook family a whole new house, a nice vacation, and a couple extra things to make their lives a little bit easier.

I know thats only one episode of this long run show, but I feel that most shows have steered away from War because many people are trying to forget about it. Don't get me wrong, because I think that was one of the best episodes that I have ever seen. And I think that family deserves everything because of what they have gone through. But that is the exact reason why they don't show war on the TV. That story makes you upset, makes you scared, and makes you not want to be over in Iraq. Television is a way of entertainment and making people forget about their normal lives and forgetting about the news. I think Gene Westbrook is a hero, and I also think his family are heroes.

TV shows & the war

Many famous T.V shows have begun to weave the war in Iraq into their plots. This year, two episodes of "ER" took place partly in Iraq; in the drama "Las Vegas," one of the main characters was called up to duty. And shows as diverse as "Extreme Makeover" to the irreverent comedy "Arrested Development" to the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" have plotlines based on the war. On a similar note the FX network is taking it a step further, and is currently producing a new hour-long series called "Over There" that will follow a group of soldiers during their tour in Iraq. Clearly the war is effecting our society in ways we never thought it would. As this war progresses American popular culture will begin to reflect more and more the war that is being fought. I wish I could write more about the effects of war on pop culture but I have an essay to write.

"Military reality shows"

There is a show in its second season on Lifetime called "Army Wives." It follows the lives of a cast of women who are dealing with the challenges of having spouses in the military. Some of the issues are trying to fit in, trying to stay close to their army husbands and having to live by military rules. I've never seen the show myself but I've heard about it and seen commercials. These are a few comments on the comment page for the show's website:

"I love this show! I cry every episode. I can really relate the show, My husband has been in the Air Force for 6 years and we have 2 small children together. Thanks Lifetime."

"i love army wives it really relates to me because i have a fiancee in the army and i love him and miss him so much. this show reminds me that i am not the only one going through this. thanks lifetim!!!!!!!!!"

I think that displaying army life and life for people having to deal with members of their family who have been deployed are becoming more popular. I've seen "True Life" episodes on MTV with titles such as "I have a Husband in Iraq", "I'm home from Iraq", "I'm living in Iraq", and "I'm a Civilian Again." People who know soldiers who have been deployed probably find comfort in watching some of these shows because it may give them hope that their loved ones will return soon, or give them a glimpse of what it is like to be in Iraq or Afghanistan. Wives of men in the military may relate a lot to the hardships that the women in "Army Wives" face. I've seen several Iraq "True Life" episodes and I have really been interested in them because it gives me a glimpse into what it must be like to deal with having a loved one deployed and what it is like for these men and women who are putting their lives on the line. I know these examples are more of a direct connection to pop culture having to do with Iraq and Afghanistan but these "reality shows" have definitely become more common.

Dexter

It seems that in America today, we have become obsessed with violence. The more violent a t.v. show or movie is, the more popular it is. Many shows get away depicting intense violence by using the guise of "crime" shows. All the CSI shows are perfect examples of this. They show some of the most violent murders/suicides but it is deemed acceptable because of the nature of the show. However, a show like Showtime/CBS' Dexter has received a lot of harsh criticism. Regardless of the nature of the show, violence has permeated our society in every medium. Except one.

News reports are the only area where violence is, for lack of a better word, quelled. Acts of violence are more often than not euphemized when talking about the war in Iraq. What I mean by this is, whenever a violent act occurs in Iraq, the reports of it are given to the public in such a way that it seems less violent than what actually took place. Many times, also, the news skims over many of the violent acts that happen in Iraq. If one would head over to the website LiveLeak, you would know exactly what I mean.

What I don't understand is that, if America is a country that is so obsessed with violence, why is it pushed to the side in the news? I know that people generally do not want to hear about the horrific things that happen, but I feel the public NEEDS to know these things. We as a country do not understand what it means to be at war. The last war that was fought in America happened over 140 years ago. We don't know the effect war has and I firmly believe that we need to see it. We are blissfully ignorant. We hear reports of people dying and think to ourselves, "What a shame." However, other than that, we are never told about the other types of things that happen. If we can see violence in the movies and on t.v., why can't the news report it?

War and Military in Music, Lyrics, Style

Every channel we watch, there is some War or military influence that we see whether we recognise it or not. It's the camoflage shorts that Tila Tequila is wearing on her show, it's Toby Keith's patriotic invoking hymn to "Red, White, and Blue", it's in Mary J Blige's or Ciara's backround dancer's costume to their new music video or last concert performance it's in System of a Down's lyrics to "Bombs over Bagdad", and 50 Cent's struggle with war on the streets. War and the military have a profound influence on our entertainment. On MTV's Real World vs. Road Rules or Real World Extreme Challenge, they have an obstacle course and cammo tees to wear, we have Maury's Boot camp for troubled teens. War splits and unites the pop culture all together. It slpits us when our views and opinions come into play, but unites us under one cause, one struggle, and one fear... Another attack... "Them terrorists f****d with the wrong building, they meant to hit ours" - Eminem "A sucker punch came flying in from somwhere in the back.." -Toby Keith

Presidential Election Vs. Real World

Looking at different University and colleges of today, I find that more and more students are getting involved in politics. Especially at Drexel university, having the opportunity to see first hand to see how many students are becoming involved in the election that is arriving. We have already had a debate, including big candidates such as Obama and Hilary Clinton. You look around campus and see so many supporters and organizations. For example this Friday, I saw a group of people selling shirts in support of Obama. Even though you see so much politics and student involvement. I have also heard much talk about the new real world on MTV. It seems that students are more interested about what kind of drama has occurred rather than who will be making the decisions for their future. Around campus, I have already heard a few conversations revolving who is now on he show, who's hot and who's not. It seems that the youth today would rather see young adults bicker and debate about drama. Than a real debate revolving topics of concern to them today and their future.

War in Pop Culture

The war in Iraq has had an obvious influence on some of the movies that have been produced the last few years. Introducing aspects of terrorism and war to the big screen is what draws people to the theatres. Americans want to see instead of read or hear about events in the Middle East that soldiers must endure each day. Lord of War, Syriana, Babel, Jarhead, and The Kingdom are all movies associated with weapons, terrorism, and oil. The events that are presented in these movies either have occurred, presently occur, or could occur in the future. They are representative of the actual hardships soldiers, reporters, and civilians have to suffer through during a time of uncertainty and conflict.

Additionally, the main characters in the last season of Prison Break were Americans held captive in a prison in Panama. This is analogous to members of Al Qaeda being held captive at Guantanamo Bay. In both the TV series and the real life situation, the prisoners are being watched by armed soldiers in uniforms. There is also obvious corruption in the prison in the TV series, which could be reflected by the stories some former prisoners of Guantanamo Bay have that include abuse and torture. Also, inmates attempting to escape the prison can be equated to the insurgents escaping the grasp of American soldiers in order to finally live lives free from war and conflict. Some of these connections are quite obvious and it is no secret the war has even affected our pop culture.

Survivor

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have significantly affected pop culture and entertainment. A relevant example is “Survivor”, a popular television reality show in which ordinary people are stranded in the middle of wilderness, in distant exotic places such as Borneo, Fiji or Guatemala, and given the minimal resources required for survival, along with a set of challenges. The contestants are divided into several “tribes” and each tribe periodically votes off a member who hasn’t accomplished his or her tasks or has shown lack of commitment to the team. The last remaining contestant wins the title of “Sole Survivor” along with $1,000,000 and a brand new car.

Although physical violence is not allowed, the contestants often engage in war-like situations and the setting of the show becomes a huge battlefield. The show primarily tests survival and endurance skills, along with teamwork, problem solving and willpower, skills which are essential for anyone participating in a real war. Similarly to soldiers, the contestants of “Survivor” fight for material rewards as well as glory and honor. The winner of the competition automatically gains the respect of millions of viewers.

Moreover, the members of each tribe are required to wear a specific logo, just as different factions in a war wear different types of military apparel. Another similarity is the need to adjust to local conditions, ranging from food options to climate and geology issues. Like the American soldiers fighting in Iraq, the contestants of the reality show are in a place far away from home and about which they possess very little knowledge initially.

Finally, the concept of contestants eliminating each other (also present in other reality shows such as “Big Brother” or “The Biggest Loser”), is similar to soldiers being discharged by higher authorities due to their inability to fulfill their tasks.

Blow vs. Iraq

One of my favorite movies is Blow. This movie is about one man, George Jung, and how he goes from happily smoking and selling marijuana to soon becoming one of the biggest cocaine dealers in America. The movie starts showing him as a young man moving from place to place to get by. He lands himself in California where smoking marijuana is the thing to do. George and his friends soon start getting into dealing to make some money. However, they do not stop at that. They kept selling more and more because they were making an extreme amount of money. George soon learned that he could be making more money with the harder drugs. So, he started getting into selling cocaine. He eventually was just living his life on the run from the FBI because of all the drug dealing he was involved with. George questioned himself and wondered why he let things get as far as they did. He did not have a reason for it except for money. He also was hurting so many people along the way, such as his daughter.
I feel that the war in Iraq has had a similar outcome to that of George Jung. We started this war in confidence and with a reason, but now people are questioning why we are still there. It is as if we have no way out unless we sacrifice things other than the lives of our soldiers and innocent people. George was not willing to sacrifice the money he was making and his addiction in order to care for his daughter and be a true father. We need to realize that we have to get ourselves out of the war because we cannot afford to get deeper and deeper and then truly have no way out.

Jericho

The TV show Jericho is directly related to the war in Iraq. In the show the U.S. is attacked by terrorists. The terrorists destroy 23 American cities with nuclear weapons. The small town of Jericho is one of the few that were out of the fall out zone and were able to rebuild. One of the neighboring towns that are running out of food and fuel decide to attack Jericho and steal their supplies. Right in the middle of their battle the new government comes and breaks up the fight. The new government was based in Cheyenne, Wyoming. All of the states west of the Mississippi river fell in with the new Allied States of America while all of the states to the east fell in with the United States of America. Texas was the only state undecided and would be the deciding factor for the election. One of the citizens of Jericho and a former CIA agent uncover the conspiracy of the new government and find out that some of the people running the new government were behind some of the attacks. The Allied States created a new flag and a new constitution that didn’t give its citizens all of the rights that they use to have. The town rebelled and told them they wouldn’t be a part of this new government. The show gave a lot of examples of what it would be like without democracy and without any say in our government. In Iraq many people came together in protest against Sadam and his government in support of democracy just like the people of Jericho stood against their new government.

Iraq and American pop culture

As all the other modern wars, the Iraq War affected the American culture. Movies and TV Shows are the ones that are directly affected. The war didn’t only make Hollywood produce more new movies such as: The Kingdom, No End Inside, Redacted, but also, the existing shows like ER are producing episodes in Iraq. Another show in production now is: “Over there” and will show the tour of some US soldiers in Iraq.
Another part of the culture affected by the Iraq war is the gaming industry, and more precisely the Computer Gaming Industry. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a game that is considered the best for first person shooting simulation games last year. It gives the user control of one of the soldiers involved in the Iraq War and possibility to “win” the war for the Americans.
Yes, American pop culture is being largely affected by the war in Iraq. According to ABC News, “There are more military shows being made in the next five years than were made in the past 20”

Mess'O'Potamia

One of the ways that Iraq has affected pop culture, is through the material Jon Stewart uses for the Daily Show. His material always political in nature but after the war in Iraq started his material became involved in the war. He started a bit in the show called Mess'O'Potamia a pun on the ancient name of the region Mesopotamia. Even now though there is no more Mess'O'Potamia there is still continuous, though humorous, coverage of major events in the war. The Daily Show covers major events in America as they happen, and much of the material has turned to the war showing just how much of an impact the war has had.

Blog 4

One show that I obviously can connect to the war in Iraq is the show Lil Bush on Comedy Central. It deals directly with Bush and puts a satirical approach to the way he acts and make decisions. He is portrayed as a little kid, acting childish in every way. One way that I find this show amusing is because everyone thought that when Bush decided to go into war with Iraq, he didn't clearly think it through and didn't think about the lives of those who he would be sending in to fight. In a way this is childish and selfish.

Another show that I can relate is Bullrun. This was a show about Teams racing in cars around the U.S., to try and reach the destination in the fastest possible time. I find this some what of an irony because here you are watching a show about cars and the amount of fuel consumption that they are using just from this show, and you think about how we as a country are struggling for oil a reason for the Iraqi war. I think it's funny how on the show, they make it seem like there is no worry about gas and its consumption or the price of it, but in reality everything is wrapped around oil prices not just oil itself. Much of our food is increasing in price because of oil and other means. I just thought it was an irony for the show.

Intervention and the War in Iraq

I'm sure that everyone's heard about or seen the show on A&E called Intervention where drug abusers confront their problems amongst friends and family, and are shipped off to rehab at the end of the show. I think that this program has many underlying connections to the War in Iraq.
First off, read the title of the show. Can one word sum up the current state of affairs any better than Intervention? The television show and the Iraqi war are the same idea in theory. Obviously the scales are different, the conflicts are contrasting, and governments are replaced by families and friends. However, when you boil it down they're the same general principle; someone else has a problem that's gotten so bad that it's no longer harmful to just them but to people around them, so the affected people get involved to make a change.
Furthermore, many of the addicts shown on the show are addicted to opiates. The Middle east is one of the three regions on the world that grows poppy, the plant that is the basis for morphine and all of its derivatives. So the subjects of the television show Intervention could be funding terrorist cells to support their addictions. Hypothetically, let's try to piece together a possible scenario. A farmer in Afghanistan harvests a fresh field of Poppy. He then cuts slits in the plant to extract the juice to be used to make opium. The farmer leases his land from a prominent local leader, who incidentally has ties to Al Qaeda. The poppy juice is then refined into morphine in a shoddy factory somewhere in Iraq, and then put on a shipping container and smuggled illegally into the US. After a series of shady transactions, the drug ends up with Caylee, a bulimic heroine addict. But it's okay, she tells herself, because next week she's going on a TV show on A&E called intervention that's going to cure her of her addiction, and she just needs one more fix before the media can capitalize on her and her family's grief.

Intervention

I know that someone already wrote about music because music is a form of popular culture that is often influenced by war, but "Intervention" by Arcade Fire is a much more abstract song that doesn't directly deal with the Iraq war or President Bush. However, I think that the abstract lyrics can be interpreted as dealing with these subjects indirectly because the Arcade Fire are slightly better lyricists than Pink.

First of all, one of the definitions of the title, "Intervention," is "to interfere, usually through force or threat of force, in the affairs of another nation" (American Heritage Dictionary - dictionary.com). That is precisely what we are doing in Iraq. It can also be interpreted as an intervention for our country, to steer it in the right direction because it has gone astray.

The following lyrics that I am going to analyze are selected lyrics from the song, not all the lyrics.

"The king's taken back the throne"
--> Bush is reelected.

"No place to hide
You were fighting as a soldier on their side
You're still a soldier in your mind
Though nothing's on the line"
--> This could have two meanings. The first is that soldiers fighting in the war have no place to hide, and since they are soldiers, they fight, even though they are fighting in a war with no purpose. The second meaning is that soldiers who are coming home from the war have nowhere to go and a lot have mental problems. They may think that they are still fighting in the war, but they're not.

"You say it's money that we need
As if we were only mouths to feed
I know no matter what you say
There are some debts you'll never pay"
--> The "you" in this passage is President Bush. It is referring to raising money for the war, and saying that money is not the answer because soldiers are human beings, not just mouths who need food. "There are some debts you'll never pay" is referring to all the soldiers and Iraqis who died in the war and saying that money can never repay those debts.

"Working for the church
While your family dies"
--> This one's a bit of a stretch, but I'm not saying that this song is all about war. However, I think that this can be interpreted as Bush's family being his country, and "working for the church" meaning Bush is committed to Christianity, all while soldiers are dying overseas.

"Hear the soldier groan, 'We'll go at it alone'"
--> America is fighting alone.

"I can taste the fear
Lift me up and take me out of here
Don't want to fight, don't want to die
Just want to hear you cry"
--> Soldiers are disillusioned with the war and want to (literally) be lifted up (in a plane) and taken out of Iraq. The last line could be referring to children that the soldiers may have left behind, and all they want to do is just be with them.

"Who's going to throw the very first stone?"
--> Biblical allusion that means that no one is without sin, even America.

"Oh! Who's going to reset the bone?
Walking with your head in a sling"
--> Soldiers come back to the US, often injured, and the military doesn't take care of them.

"And when you finally disappear
We'll just say you were never here"
--> Even though soldiers die, one never knows how the administration and the history books are going to spin this in the future. A soldier can die, when officially, he was never even there.

Some may argue that this song is not about Iraq at all, but is rather about religion or just a general song of hopelessness and disillusionment, and they may have good points because of how vague and open to interpretation the lyrics are. However, my theory is backed up by the facts that the Arcade Fire recently played two free Obama rally concerts before the Ohio primaries, and I read somewhere that before playing this song at one of their concerts, Win Butler, the lead singer, introduced it by saying something along the lines of "This song is about a former governor of Texas and uhh...well f*** him!"

By the way, this is an amazing song, and I still get chills every time I listen to it, so I highly recommend it.

Minutes To Midnight

In the last few years since the Iraq Wasr began there have been an increasing number of songs and albums that carry a certain anti war message. One of the leaders has been Linkin Park. There new Cd Minutes to Midnight is an anti war cd that follows with their past anti war messages. The war is not a popular one in the minds of the American public and now artists are using that to both sell more albums and have new things to sing about all while singing about something that is important to them and impacts everyone. The can used their status as recording artists to try and effect the American public and maybe this will lead to a change. Especially with the primaries coming up and the NAtional Election following that maybe if enough artists get there message out about the war it can have an effect on what happens with the war in the future. This war is really effecting the music culture just as wars in the past and other large momentous events have caused similiar changes in the past. This is nothing new to the music industry and hopefully it continues because it can really help bring about change by making the current events more relevant to younger people.

Iraqi War's effect on American Pop Culture

First of all, we're living in the so-called 'information age' and it seems to me that whoever holds the most information or knows the most stuff about Iraq and politics and all that stuff nowadays seems to be the man on TV. I know it's been said before, but the only reason the the Daily Show and the Colbert Report are popular TV shows is because they have a plethora of material to pick from because of an unpopular president and an unpopular war that resulted from the horrible catastrophe that was 9/11. The daily show was on air before 9/11, but it wasn't nearly as popular because they had no easy targets. If the war in Iraq was a popular one, they probably wouldn't be making too many jokes because our president's plans would be working. But since they're not working, it's a free-for-all to see who can have the most extreme jokes without going too over-the-edge for the best ratings, and it just makes me want to turn off my TV. I am so sick of hearing about Iraq and President Bush and the upcoming election that I am pretty much past the point of thinking about voting at all. And it's all because of the bullshit that's on TV. Everyone in the TV industry is a liberal, except for those guys over at Fox news, and they take the opportunity to put as much dumb crap criticizing everything that's bad about America on TV, and the worst part is that these dumb people believe it. Perfect Example: Frank TV. I watch a lot of TBS because they show Seinfeld and Family Guy and the Office, but they always advertise for Frank TV, who is this fat asshole who dons a President Bush outfit and makes jokes that are now five years old. Who would watch that shit? Not me. And now I'm just starting' to get mad so that's that.

Blog 4: Effect on pop culture

Ever since the war started, more and more artists are including something about the war or the president in their lyrics. For example the song "Dear Mr. President" by 'Pink' criticizes President Bush on the Iraq war along with many other things he has done during his term as Presidency. “How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?" are just some of things that are said in the song. I don't recall any song that was solely based about the president and criticizing him. A song like this would have faced plenty of bad remarks and scrutiny if it was sang before the Iraq war. But a lot has changed since the war started and certain things which before could not be said, are now being done.
Another song which is related to the Iraq war and criticizes president Bush is sang by Eminem called "Civil War." The following lines basically sum up what the song is about.
Look at the shoes you're filling
look at the blood we're spilling
look at the world we're killing
the way we've always done before
look in the doubt we've wallowed
look at the leaders we've followed
look at the lies we've swallowed
and i don't want to hear no more

(http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Eminem/Civil-War.html)
The rapper talks bout the lies about weapons of mass destruction, and the amount of deaths that are occurring over this lie. A lot has changed since the war, many of these songs would have never been written; musicians are using their talents and voice to protest this war.

Blog 4: Collateral Damage

What else could be better to reduce civilian deaths and maximize enemy causalities? Engineers design bombs to meet that very requirement. Minimizing civilian deaths by decreasing the collateral damage only provides a win win situation for the U.S military. Civilian deaths can cause many problems the Military ground troops, which was sometimes the case in Iraq. When a bomb kills your friend, your parents or your siblings, your not just going to accept it and move on; you will seek revenge. That is exactly the case sometimes in Iraq, when a bomb does not land at its designed target. So by solving that problem, and reducing civilian causalities, we are not keeping the civilians safe but our ground troops as well. And most importantly no one has the right to kill innocent human beings, no matter who they are or where they might live. Anther important point to note is that in 21st century battlefields, the scenario will most likely be in a city full of civilians. The enemy will use Guerrilla warfare to try to get the civilians involved and make the situation more complicated for our troops. This technology will help our troops get pass that and destroy the enemy without bringing any harms to surrounding troops.