Media and the Mind

Although we are all entitled to our opinions about the war, I question how we can truly have opinions if we aren’t basing them off direct sources. I’m no expert of the media, but I do know what a direct source is versus a report. Newspapers report things that are going on. But who is to say that the report isn’t a biased reflection of a very minor detail turned into something radical (and as a tactic used to scare the general public).

I wanted to take a closer look at the state of mind towards the war in Iraq. And I wanted to take this closer look through what I consider direct media. I looked at NPR and youtube. I figured what could be more direct than hearing and seeing the topic I wanted to look into.

Prior to actually looking at the two sources, I had the intent of trying to figure out the reasons for entering through an analytical perspective: psychology. But once I found website where I could listen to a psychologist’s perspective directly, based on her experience that she talks about, my motive took a turn.

So after hearing a psychologist’s interpretation of the war, and I wanted to see a veteran soldier’s reaction to the war thus far. And my expectations turned out to be the complete opposite.

First, when I checked out NPR (National Public Radio), I was able to find a psychologist’s perspective, through talking with soldiers. What made it so interesting was that a psychologist – someone who is trained in treating the mind – wasn’t able to maintain her treatment in her own mind. Heidi Squier Kraft was sort of “broken” in the sense that all she knew (on how to help other people) dissolved. Through listening to soldier’s stories, she found herself analyzing the war on a more humane level. It wasn’t about an army fighting the war, but it was about people (real people) fighting. She talks about how she was with one soldier in the hospital, who would constantly want to joke, to make light of the fact that he was a three-time amputee, and as she was trying to help him, she found herself unsure of what “textbook approach” to use.

When she came home, Kraft had to go through treatment herself. The experience of actually trying to help the soldiers’ mental states actually made Kraft’s mental state worse than the soldiers. The point of listening to the psychologist was to see if I could find a logical reasoning behind the entrance of war. And then I gained a whole new insight of how the mind really takes in the war’s “cost”. When soldiers are actually looked at as people, then new perceptions arise, that even psychologists (mind experts) cannot interpret.

The only bias in this radio broadcast was that the Kraft analyzed and treated American soldiers. So the listeners, as well as Kraft only really gained insight on one side of the fence. Had she listened to an Iraqi soldiers view on things, perhaps Kraft would have learned more.

Then, I checked out youtube. Now, I don’t consider youtube to be a “highly renowned” form of media, however, all the videos are direct sources. I figured this would be the perfect way to see a soldier’s mindset on the war. And just like hearing the psychologist, I was very surprised after seeing a few soldier’s interviews.

I expected the soldiers to give details about how horrific things were, while they fought. In this particular interview, one of the soldier’s – Jody Casey (scout sniper) – described fighting in a very cynical way. Casey is a veteran who fought in the war from 2004-2005. He described his mindset while fighting as a very inhumane one, looking at the enemy soldiers as animals, not as people. He said that he had to trick his mind into making it seem like a video game, and that targets were simply something to be killed. His interpretation is very different from the psychologists, however, since he fought in the war, I feel that his mindset (as cynical and corrupted as it may be) is what enabled him to fight for his country.

I don’t feel that the interviewee is biased, however, we don’t see the other side (the Iraqi side). And Casey only saw certain segments (based on where he was stationed), limiting his perspective. But even so, I feel that his opinion is the most respectable since he is the most direct source that I have come across – an actual person who fought.

The two sources are very different in that they compare two completely different mindsets (and just so happen to resemble the opposite mindset that they should be representing). A psychologist, a mind expert, wasn’t able to maintain her mind’s composure, while a soldier was able to create composure for the mind.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15858187
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vACtnZIoA44