The Effect of Family

One thing I noticed from many of the blog posts in Week 1 is how a good portion of the replies mention that there is no immediate connection to the war. What I mean is that many of the students, including myself, noted how we have no family members or friends connected with the war, thus we do not pay as much attention to the goings-on compared to someone who has a family member fighting out there. This immediately reminded me of how the narrator in "Bartleby the Scrivener" mentions how Bartleby has no mentioned family members or friends. That fact could be one of the reasons why Bartleby seems so withdrawn and distant from everything. He really has no care for everything happening around him because all he has in the world is himself. As many people in the classes mentioned, having no connections to the war made them almost ignorant, in a sense. Bartleby has become detracted from society and almost immune to the world around him. I feel it could be due in large part to the fact that he is alone. Had Bartleby had anything in the world other than himself, his situation, attitude and overall motivations may have changed. He probably would have been more in contact with the world and contributed much more than what we are told about. Having re-read the blog posts, I firmly feel that having no family members or friends directly involved with the war has made many people less interested in the happenings and, similarly, having no family and friends made Bartleby completely become detached from the world about him.

Bartleby and Iraq

At first thought, I didn't see much of a relationship between Bartleby and Iraq, but after the class discussion and time spent going over the story on my own there were a few connections I noticed. In the story, Bartleby often stands by the window for long periods at a time just staring out at the wall daydreaming, lost in his own mind. I think this paired with his other habits and mannerisms can be compared to that of returning soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues that developed because of what they were exposed to in the war. When they come back many soldiers show behavior that seems distracted or they space out returning to memories and experiences they had while oversees. We don't know anything about Bartleby's past, but maybe he had gone through a traumatic experience that made him into the person we read about in the story. Another connection that is slightly more obvious is the narrator being a symbol for the United States and Bartleby representing Iraq. The narrator tries to help Bartleby throughout the entire story in various ways on many occasions. This is like the United States which has been in Iraq for years and has been trying to help there with many different plans and tactics.

The Power of Pictures and Words

From my observation of previous posts, I found a particular view that I found interesting. This view, which is held in common by many people, is that reports of the war are being twisted by the media to affect the public’s opinion of the war. Hearing news directly from those who are in Iraq can be a much more reliable source. Most of the news that we usually hear is passed over to a writer who has never even been in Iraq. Therefore, the stories can easily be bent to change the public’s perception. Even when we do hear report from people who have been to Iraq, the news can sometimes be very blurry. Some people look on the bright side and say that the situation has greatly improved. Others do not see that hope and are fearful of what is come.
This whole effect can make Americans a bit confused. Americans sometimes aren’t quite sure what the status of the war really is. This goes to show that the media can have a huge impact on the way the public thinks. If the media were to have a common theme of being optimistic and reporting all of the “good news,” then there may be more people supporting the war. As for now, most of the reports seem to be about violence, which is not good for gaining public support.

Keeping war hidden

Thinking about our earlier post on this blog and reading someone's previous blog "war porn" I have realized how much our own media tries to show little media coverage due to the sensitivity level of viewers. However, after discussion in class and critical thinking with our past post we have come to realize that war is everywhere. How you can take a simple movie, book, or television show and turn it into something about war.  I also think its quite odd that the media tries to show little coverage due to the sensitivity but yet people will run to the movie theature the second a new war movie comes out that'll be based on real current or past events. Why is it that we can watch a movie that can be a true story but we can't watch the true story on television as it is happening? Do a lot of us really enjoy "war porn"? Is that why we are so addicted to movies when they come out or is it that since the media shuts us off from the viewing these images of war that we are even more excited to go to the theatures? We can walk out of a movie theater about war and be like wow that was a great movie but have no sympathy towards the actual story but yet we feel bad when we see something on the media. All of this has really opened my eyes to see that even if you don't want to be involved in war or know of no one in a war you are still faced with it everyday, even if its through a simply show on television or reading a book that has nothing to do with war.

Bartleby and Iraq

Similar to how the Narrator in Bartleby the Scrivener felt pity for Bartleby, American citizens, or at least the American Government feels about the people of Iraq. Both want to help stabilize the lives of other people, and both the Iraqi citizens and Bartleby refuse the help. The main difference between Bartleby and the Iraqis, however, is the fact that the Iraqis are using violence against the people trying to help them, whereas Bartleby did nothing at all, or at least preferred not to. Also, a lot of the Iraqi sentiment is driven by the Muslim religion, which causes these people to do crazy things because it's what they believe in. Another aspect is the idea that if not stable, Iraq could be presented as a threat to the U.S. So in effect, we must stabilize them so that we can feel safe. But the Iraqis really don't want our help at all. They want to do things their own way, which is fine, but if we're helping them they should at least show some gratitude. But then again, their religion says that they shouldn't receive our help and that because we are a prosperous nation, we are an evil nation. This is why Iraq is kind of a lost cause. Religion is the only thing they got, and they're gonna hang on to it for dear life. Here in America, we have a lot of Religions, none of which are taken to the extreme like Islam is in the Mid East. This would be another reason why they don't like us; we're not religious enough. But after five years, the feelings of American pity for these people has turned into a sour disliking, sort of how the narrator felt in Bartleby the Scrivener.

Bartlby and War

The post Foreshadow made a great point in comparison to Bartlby and families of war. It is the same point that had crossed my mind after reading Bartlby. The war influences much of what we do on a daily basis. This includes things like T.V. shows, music, movies, and just the way we run out lives. Those with family members in the war, are being placed and questioned about their loved one and how things in Iraq are going. Just like Foreshadowing made a comparison by saying that in Bartlby he writes about war and its effects on helping families and others, I find this very true. We as humans tend to feel a sense of guilt when bad things are occurring. This sense of guilt brings out the good in individuals, and in a way somewhat forces us to help those who are struggle with whatever the situation may be.

Foreshadowing

Many of our posts from week 1 discuss our personal connections to the war in Iraq and the few we indirectly know who are fighting there. The post entitled “A Need For War,” however, shows the great impact that war has on society. Rather than dwell on the negative influence it has on the media, the author insightfully points out the positive effect it has on the economy. He concisely says, “war fuels industry.”

Furthermore, the author argues that war motivates people. He explains that in times of war, people feel the need to provide for their families and help others. “The War’s Impact on Me” is another post that made some novel associations between the war and change in society. This writer used the rising oil prices as an example of the obvious effects the war has had on American’s.

Clearly, many of the pieces we wrote during week 1 foreshadow the points that will be made in Project One. Some of the other posts that I briefly read touched on the war’s impact on not just society, but individuals. One specifically said that the war has made people fearful of their Middle Eastern neighbors and even more obviously of terrorist attacks. It was interesting to look back on these posts. Many of them include concepts that are parallel to ones that may be used for Project One.

Route of Withdrawal

Many of the posts made comparisons between the United States and the lawyer. The argument used was that the U.S. is helping Iraq out of pity and sorrow just like the lawyer helped out Bartleby. Therefore, our aid to Iraq is in the beginning stage, where related to the lawyer’s help, we are too scared to withdraw and let Iraq establish their own government. Assuming that we will eventually withdraw from Iraq, it is interesting to think how we will end our aid. Will we quietly withdraw from Iraq to let some other nation settle the mess, like the lawyer moved his office; or will we produce a massive invasion where we will decimate the entire nation to eliminate the threat of their government? The latter option would be similar to the lawyer calling the cops to have Bartleby forcefully removed from the office. Since in class most agreed that the more cowardly option is to prolong Bartleby’s hope by not assertively removing him from the office, it seems that the United States is following a similar course of action where it is prolonging the war, and therefore dragging out the time that the Iraqi’s have to live in a broken nation. I personally think that this war will end in the lawyer’s fashion, where we just drag it out, and then try to quietly withdraw our forces. However, the establishment that it is more humane to end a relationship, whether between the lawyer and Bartleby or a boy and girlfriend, does not particularly apply to military actions. While it is better to promptly end a relationship, ending a war forcefully would be equivalent to a nuclear invasion. History showed the degree of devastation that such an act could produce during WW2 when the United States used nuclear weapons against Japan. Therefore, it might also be better that we are not doing such an assertive act to end the war. This is just my opinion, although I am also confused about which act is more moral.

Bartleby and War?

So after reading this week's assigned blog, I began to question how Bartleby was connected to the war. After thinking for a while only one possible connection came to me. The owner of the scrivener's office tried to help Bartleby as much as he could. He offered him money, he offered him a place to stay, he tried to give him his job back, and he tried to get him good meals while he was in jail. This like the USA in Iraq. We are trying to set up their government, provide aide, and prevent the problems from happening.I feel that this is the only way that the two could be connected.

war porn

Looking back at all of our old blogs, I am starting to realize how little media coverage there is of this war. Because, as Prof. McCann said in class today, people don't want to think about the war because it will make them feel bad, we are very uninformed as to the horrors going on right now. Back in 'Nam, there were horrifying pictures from the war that sparked an anti-war revolution amongst the people. It seems as if in general people are opposed to the war, but are not enraged enough to do anything about it. This is because how little we hear about the war or see images from it. There are terrible things going on and we are completely unexposed to it. There is a term called 'war porn', when people can't help but enjoy seeing disasterous images from the war. Some people are even getting arrested from owning these sites because the government does not want us to know what is going on. There would be a great anti-American movement if we saw that everyday American soldiers torture and rape civilians. We need to take a stand and realize how serious this war is. We can't just walk around life blindly sheilding our eyes from what we do not want to face.

Blog 5: Week 1 and Bartleby

Bringing Bartleby in to a discussion about the Iraq war was unique, yet very thought provoking, and sensible. I can definitely see that there ca be a connection made between the inactivity of the lawyer and his struggle with how to cope with a nuisance like Bartleby is similar to how we are trying to deal with the war in Iraq. Also, it should be noted that the lawyer brought Bartleby to him, just as we brought the turmoil of the war on ourselves. Anyway there's a bunch of ways t connect and argue about the book and its relation to the war.
I noted that people have started to branch out into a lot of different directions, in comparison to the first week of class. we started relating the war to simple obvious things like our government, economy, racism, things typically having to do with any war, anywhere. And now there is a way to tie in movies, and shows like the real world into how we deal with the war and how the war itself effects us and leaves an impression, if any.
Gosh, its just great that you can take a book like Bartleby, fine similarities in the actions of the characters on the book and the ongoing war, and find solutions..."should we walk around it like nothing is bothering us and its not that bad and we'll find a way out slowly but surely, or should we just chop it off and kick out?"

Blog Recap

Blog 1: Iraq and Me
When thinking about Iraq, and how it specifically affects myself and my immediate family, I cannot find a direct connection. In fact the only thing that I can think of is that it creates political discussions at my dinner table. No one in my family is in the military, and none of my friends are either. I actually don't know anyone in the military. The only correlation between Iraq and myself, that I can draw, is how the Iraq war has had an affect on our economy. Because The war has had a negative affect on the economy, except the industries involved in war production, it has put small business owners, such as my parents, at risk. Everything is driven by oil, and when oil prices increase, so do the production costs of pretty much everything. So my parents, who own a business that prints and sells various paper products, they have had a hard time because of rising supply of manufacturing costs. I also believe that this affect has been widespread throughout the country, but it particularly hits home, as this small business is my family's only source of income.

Blog 2: The oil crisis of 1973
As a result of the war of Muslim nations against the Israeli nation, OPEC decided not to ship oil to any countries that supported Israel. This created widespread panic and confusion in the US, as the supply of oil was greatly cut off. Gas stations were running out of gas, there were huge lines at pumps, and prices had gone up significantly. I can recall my mother talking about the event as a time of great uncertainty, you never knew if you were going to have enough gas that day. There was a system that was eventually instituted that stated that license plates ending on an even number could get gas one day, and license plates ending in an odd number could get gas the next day. For myself, it was hard to believe that people were limited to when they could gas up. I am so used to running my truck dry, and then filling up as I please. My mom also recalled that my grandfather had multiple license plates that he would switch on his cars, so he could get gas whenever, because he lived in Philadelphia but worked in Trenton, so he had a long drive everyday and needed the gas. During this time, it seemed as though it was a lot more uncertain than it is now about our gas situation. And I feel that if we were able to get through that, they we can survive the uncertainty that we face today.

Blog 3: No Country for Old Men, and the War on Drugs
The movie No Country for Old Men has been compared to the on going war on drugs, and it portrays how ineffective it is by showing the carnage that it causes and the ineffectiveness of law enforcement. But, the movie goes beyond just showing that, as it portrays this message in every character. Anton Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem, in himself represents drugs entering America. The actor, along with the drugs, shows no mercy in who it affects. He kills the rich, poor, old, and young. He remains anonymous, as everyone who sees him ends up dead, and the "drugs" has no representative face. At one point in the movie, he offers a flip of a coin to determine someones fate, and much like drugs, it is a flip of the coin chance to whether we are affected by drugs in some way. This character, the killer, in himself represents drugs and shows how difficult and almost futile it is to stop such a problem.

Blog 4: Hockey and the War Overseas
The connection that I made with pop culture and the war on terror, is that of Hockey. Hockey, in itself, is a battle. Two teams enter the rink, one as champions, and one as losers. for one hour of play, both teams us their own unique strategies to defeat the other. Much like war, they try to out wit each other and come away as the victor. But one thing also made sense to me in this connection, and that is the thought of home-ice advantage. In hockey, you are more likely to win at home than you are away, meaning that the home team has a natural advantage because they have more at stake. They are trying to please their fans, as well as add another win to their belt. This war that we fight overseas is much the same. The terrorists that we fight have a much higher advantage being in their own countries, and many times they have their countrymen cheering them on. At home you have much more to lose, but the away team, the US, can walk away and try again another day.

These have been all of my blogs posts so far for this term
-Joshua Albasi

How much do we care?

I think that going back to the posts to the blog from week 1, there are many similarities that I can find. I think that the very first blog post asked about how the war has affected us. As I was reading through the posts from week 1, one of the common responses to how the war as affected us, was that it does not really affect many of us. This is not to say that there was no one that posted about having a family member in Iraq or knowing someone with a family member or relative in the military. But it seems that if you do not know someone who is in the military fighting in Iraq, we do not pay much attention to the war. Like we discussed in class, many of the people fighting in the war are from less wealthy, southern, young boys. Many towns in the south have huge numbers of soldiers fighting in Iraq, many who have died. But in the town I am from, I do not know of one person who is fighting over in Iraq. But as soon as are town hears that a soldier from our area was killed in Iraq, then we seem to care and pay attention. I think that the common logic about any issues is to not care or pay attention to something, unless it directly affects us. Of course, once people step back and take a look at the entire situation, they will see that it really does affect them, if not directly, then indirectly. The money we are spending on the war is ridiculous, and that affects our taxes, and how much money we receive.

Pop Culture and War of Iraq

HOW WAR OF IRAQ AFFECTS POP CULTURE:
7th Heaven is a television show that comes on every Monday on WB11. This show started in 1996 and the final season was in 2007. One of the major characters in the show, Martin, was the character that was directly affected by the War in Iraq. Martin’s father serves in the army to participate in the War in Iraq for two years, while Martin live with the Camden family for two years. This is a prime example of how the War in Iraq has affected pop culture. Through the tough time Martin had to deal with while his father was in Iraq is something that many families have to deal with when they have family members serving in the War in Iraq. Martin’s father leaving for two years revealed that as a father he missed out on a lot on Martin’s life, such as Martin having a son at an early age. This also connects to the real life in the sense that family members that serve in the War in Iraq tend to miss out on a lot.
In another episode, a police officer and a character in the show, Roxanne voices her negative opinion about the war. Roxanne’s opinion in the show is probably the same opinion that many Americans share about the war. Roxanne basically said that the war was pointless and the president has no clue on how to handle the mess that was created by him. In reality, Bush’s rating as a President have went down since many Americans truly feel that the President is handling the war in a careless manner.

Pop Culture and War of Iraq

HOW WAR OF IRAQ AFFECTS POP CULTURE:
7th Heaven is a television show that comes on every Monday on WB11. This show started in 1996 and the final season was in 2007. One of the major characters in the show, Martin, was the character that was directly affected by the War in Iraq. Martin’s father serves in the army to participate in the War in Iraq for two years, while Martin live with the Camden family for two years. This is a prime example of how the War in Iraq has affected pop culture. Through the tough time Martin had to deal with while his father was in Iraq is something that many families have to deal with when they have family members serving in the War in Iraq. Martin’s father leaving for two years revealed that as a father he missed out on a lot on Martin’s life, such as Martin having a son at an early age. This also connects to the real life in the sense that family members that serve in the War in Iraq tend to miss out on a lot.
In another episode, a police officer and a character in the show, Roxanne voices her negative opinion about the war. Roxanne’s opinion in the show is probably the same opinion that many Americans share about the war. Roxanne basically said that the war was pointless and the president has no clue on how to handle the mess that was created by him. In reality, Bush’s rating as a President have went down since many Americans truly feel that the President is handling the war in a careless manner.

Country Music

Pop culture has made its presence felt throughout the Iraq war. A main role player in expressing of feelings through pop culture is music. Man singers are commenting on the war in there music, whether it be talking about 9/11, or praising troops in Iraq. The main detail involved in this music is that everything expressed in the music is in a positive manner, there is not any trashing of the war. The main style of music in which this is found is country music.
One of the most popular country singers today is Toby Keith. Here is probably the most patriotic singer of any genre. Some of his song title include: "The Taliban Song," "American Soldier," and "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue." In each of these songs he is expressing that the USA is a power, and that our troops will succeed. "The Taliban Song," and "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" are basically kick ass songs basically saying do not mess with the USA. "American Soldier" is a ore sincere song in which he tries to examine war through the eyes of a soldier and is praising them for the service to their country. Along with writing several patriotic songs, Toby Keith has traveled to the middle east more than any other artist, and has performed for more troops than anybody else.

VOTE or die

In reviewing posts from week 1, I was expecting almost everyone to say something along the lines of, “ I don’t have any family or friends serving in the war, but I am impacted as most of my life has been spent while we invaded the Middle East to cut back on terrorism.” In reality, most of the responses were very different, however I found each person was able to pinpoint one area of their life where they felt connected – the economy, politics or within friendships.
I was really affected by a statement someone had written, “The closest connection we have is the feeling of horror that invades our minds when we turn on the news and hear a new report of the daily casualties in Iraq. And yet, the war has still deeply affected me, not physically, emotionally, or mentally, but politically.” With today’s primary and the upcoming election, it seems the war has invaded out lives much more than we were expecting, especially since we are trying so hard to release troops. Now, as I am legally allowed to vote, I am sure my counterparts and I will be hearing much more about the war. The right to vote is one sure way we are connected to the war. It is evident that our vote will determine if we are able to bring troops back or continue fighting until we grow old.
It is safe to say that regardless of how the war has affected us over the past few years – in the economy, our families, and our education – we are all very much part of the war now. Voting for the next president will really determine how connected we are to war, whether we chose to be or not.

NFL Draft and War

The NFL Draft will be watched by millions people but what does it have to do with the war in Iraq? Simple the draft is a place for teams to find solutions to the their team needs. What does Iraq need? Yes, thats solutions for the problem. Every year young collegiate athletes attempt to find success in the NFL. While a small portion of collegiate athletes will find success in the NFL the war in Iraq will be solved by students coming out of college. Drafted by the Army, Navy, and Marines these young kids will solve the mess that we call Iraq. It's a crazy connection but I do some odd similarities in the war and our coming Draft.

Harold and Kumar...

With perfect timing, here comes Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay...

NYTs review here.

Can you say, "class trip"?

ER

Because I am a nursing major and love and show that has to do with a hospital, I find myself watching the weekly episode of ER. WIth the War in Iraq and Afganistan, and with any war many soldiers who do make it through war often deal with psychological problems. Are our hospitals equipped to deal with all the soldiers when they start having problems down the road. Are show that our popular today that we find ourselves watching all the time like ER and House going to start featuring cases/senerios of people who were at war now facing these psychological problems? Right now we are trying to deal with it, but are we doing enough to make sure that we will be ready when we need to start handling all these soldiers coming back from war in the future? I feel like this is something we do not this of. A soldier can come back from war without a scratch on him/her, but are they really ok?

ER

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Desperate Housewives: a show about a particular street in a particular neighborhood with more drama in one episode than most of us experience in a lifetime. There’s blackmail, people setting fires to other people’s houses, crazy people, people hiding their dead husbands in their freezer, people getting together, and then breaking up, and then getting back together again, people trying to kill other people, people succeeding in killing other people, and, well, you get the picture.
The point is that this show is all about survival. It’s about the characters doing questionable things to get what they want, even when it means stabbing their ‘friends’ in the backs. Everyone who has ever been on the show has their own motives that they intend to act upon regardless of how it affects other people. There aren’t really any ‘good guys’ in this television show.
The connection to the war in Iraq is this: America is over there for personal reasons without regard to the best interest of the country. We want oil at prices that suit us, and we’re doing a lot to achieve that goal. On the other hand, the terrorists we’re after aren’t exactly ‘innocents.’ It’s a case of everyone involved being in the wrong in some way.
The difference – neighbors fighting over everything imaginable is a lot more relatable to the American public than what we’re doing over in Iraq, and it’s a lot more entertaining, as well.

Another instance of a war in U.S. history in which the media has played a prominent role.

The Spanish-American War of 1898 is similar in many aspects to the War on Iraq in 2003. Both wars were carried out in order to rid the country of tyranny and both wars reflect the effects of the media on the public sentiment.

In the 1800’s, Cuba was a colony of Spain. Spanish leaders made laws for Cubans. Spanish soldiers in Cuba enforced these laws. The Cubans had little control over their own lives and freedom. In 1868, the Cubans rebelled against the Spanish rule. Cuban revolutionary groups wanted their independence from Spain. The United States supported these rebels. In January 1898, riots in Havana, Cuba, destroyed shops and endangered U.S. citizens living there. Rumors also spread that Spanish soldiers planned to murder U.S. citizens. At the time, William McKinley was president of the United States. He did not want to start a war with Spain. But McKinley wanted to prevent U.S. citizens from being harmed in Cuba. McKinley ordered the battleship Maine to sail to Havana's harbor. McKinley hoped its presence would prevent U.S. citizens from being harmed. On February 15, 1898, an explosion erupted in Havana's harbor. This explosion sunk the Maine and killed 266 sailors aboard the ship. U.S. Navy investigators could not discover what caused the explosion.

Many people in the United States blamed the explosion on Spain. U.S. newspapers ran stories accusing Spain of sinking the Maine. These stories were untrue. But many U.S. citizens believed them and wanted the United States to go to war with Spain. Many U.S. politicians also spoke against Spain. They supported Cubans in their revolution. In April 1898, McKinley asked Congress to declare war on Spain. Today, historians point to the Spanish-American War as the first press-driven war. Although it may be an exaggeration to claim that Hearst and the other yellow journalists started the war, it is fair to say that the press fueled the public's passion for war. Without sensational headlines and stories about Cuban affairs, the mood for Cuban intervention may have been very different. Although Spanish mistreatment of Cuban locals was certainly a more common occurrence than was remotely acceptable, it was greatly over-exaggerated and over-used by reporters.

However, the single most influential and newspaper-exploited event in the process of bringing the United States into a state of war was media coverage of the mysterious and unexplained explosion of the U.S.S. Maine. Immediately after, many newspapers (particularly those such as Hearst's Journal that commonly practiced certain aspects of yellow journalism) carried headlines such as "Remember the Maine!" and articles immediately accusing the Spanish for the destruction. Some even went so far as to make up detailed stories, stressing that it must have been a mine or torpedo (delivered by, of course, the Spanish) that caused the deaths of two-hundred and fifty-two American soldiers. Within days, headlines became so blunt as to say "War? Sure!" With pressure on the government from the people, the press, and eventually even on certain parts of the government itself, a state of war came into effect on April 25, 1898 (made retroactive to April 22, 1898). Armies were mobilized, emergency funds were allocated, and ports were blockaded, marking the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

In the ongoing Iraq conflict, there is a growing realization among mainstream newsmen that they have failed the American public. Critics agree the role of the press in the war against Iraq has been to deter dissenting opinions and to be "cheerleaders" for the ongoing battle. Any attempt at objectivity was abandoned once the bombs started dropping and was replaced with one-sided and overly patriotic sentiments. Equally disturbing in the media war coverage was the reporting of Iraqi civilian casualties, and the framing that occurred to discern between U.S. and Iraqi actions. In an interview on April 2, 2003, with Amy Goodman from Democracy Now!, Norman Solomon commented on the reporting of Iraqi casualties.

Amy Goodman pointed out that, "In the news Iraqi civilian casualties get almost no attention, whereas U.S. casualties are carefully documented." "The visible anger of Iraqi people has roots in events that usually get described in antiseptic and euphemistic terms by U.S. media outlets," said Solomon.

"With a straight face, and a scant willingness to raise fundamental questions, American networks uncritically relay nonstop barrage of statements from U.S. officials that portray deadly Iraqi actions as heinous and deadly American actions as positive. They have "death squads," and we have noble troops. Their bombs are odious; ours are remedies for tyranny."

One can easily see a difference in the public sentiment regarding the war. The Spanish-American War was a successful venture of the U.S. Army; however, they haven’t enjoyed the same levels of success in Iraq which could partly be the reason people have a negative outlook towards the War on Iraq. There are still issues of security and stability in Iraq. A non-Iraqi can possibly argue that life in Iraq after Saddam Hussein has improved for the Iraqis, but in reality does anybody apart from those living there really know the answer? Reports from the news corporation BBC-UK provide disturbing insight into the life in Iraq post the Saddam Hussein regime, to say the least.

I find it unsettling that the Iraqis have to watch their homeland get blown into smithereens by external forces, even if it meant getting Saddam Hussein out of the way. There are numerous reports of North Korea possessing WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) and what’s bothering me is that the U.S. Government has simply “strongly condemned” this. This brings the following questions to my mind: Why the polite behavior in this case and what next? Will the U.S. and her allies be at war with North Korea too? In the unlikely event that it happens, I don’t think it’s not going to be as easy as invading Iraq in any case because, let’s face it, they probably have nukes at their disposal waiting to retaliate if even a paper rocket so much as approaches 50 miles of their boundary, which translated in layman’s terms means chances are they won’t be as powerless as Iraq. I could be wrong but that’s my two cents on the matter.

Terrorists and Obesity

After 9-11, the feeling of eliminating terrorism spread everywhere. To stop terrorism, we must go after the terrorists. To stop terrorists, we may have to go to war. It seems as though everyone nowadays has an anti-war attitude and wants to quickly pull out of the Middle East. They want to pull out of the war, and still dont want terrorists (even though our goal has not been reached in the Middle East).

Just like the terrorist problem, America has an obesity problem. We sometimes tend to have a lazy and inactive lifestyle. America loves its food, but hates the fat. The only way to get rid of the fat is to eat healthy and exercise. Thats right...no more McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell, pizza at the Handschumacher Dining Center...you get the point. We want to have a sexy body, but most people dont want to do the work to get it.

People want the results without doing the work. In order to eliminate terrorism, we must get rid of it at its root, even if it means war. In order to eliminate fat and health problems, we must live a healthy lifestyle, even if it means giving up some things we love. The attitude of giving up is widespread in America. We give up on the war on terror and we give up on our health.

CSI

The first show that popped into my head was CSI. I know so many people that are huge fans of the show and in more than one episode, war has come up into conversations. One episode I remember specifically I believe is from the Miami series. There is a solider that was killed in Iraq and his brother thinks that he emptied his gun into him on accident but there was only one bullet in his brother. It turned out that these contractors had been over in Iraq because it's a free trip and they get paid a lot to do work over there and one of them had actually shot the guy. He was in such a rush to get away from the gun fire that he didn't realize that he had done it but he saw the guy go down and instead of trying to help him, he just drove off. If he had helped him there was a chance that he could have lived. The contractor made the comment that it was a war zone out there and that the CSI guys didn't understand so he responded that I'm sure the man he shot understands. He was doing everything to fight for his country and this contractor, who was also his friend, ended up killing him. I know this isn't a ridiculous connection really but I found it very interesting because I know there are a few times that they bring up the war in Iraq. They also talk about terrorism a lot and other current issues like illegal immigration. I think that it's good for shows to use current issues in their stories because it makes it more interesting. I find them intriguing even if it isn't a true story, mostly because you kind-of know what's going on and maybe could see something happening like the story they tell. I know there are also other shows with refrences to Iraq and terrorism as well. I just love the stories that they come up with for CSI. There are some pretty twisted stories and they try to make it someone you didn't suspect. In the episode I mentioned you didn't suspect the contractor because you didn't even know they were in Iraq because they weren't suppose to be there, it was like a secret mission.

Blog 4

The War in Iraq has created many changes in American society. The recent spike in the population of viewers to American Idol. Do people have a need to watch American Idol because they are so sick of daily life and the war. Are we sick of hearing the news repeating how some type of bomb or attack has killed American troops. I know it seems far fetched but American Idol's mindless visual attraction has seemed to grow as the war in Iraq grows older. I remember that American Idol started to become popular when the Iraqi war had Started. Further research can probably prove my point.

Magnolia

Paul Thomas Anderson both wrote and directed the feature film Magnolia It intertwined around nine major characters into something like a three hour movie that you won't lose attention too. It's hard to believe but not many films can keep your attention for so long and continually build up like it does. The cinematography is the best I've seen in a movie to this day and helps the movie be as successful as it is. The underlying theme of these 9 interwoven stories is that weird stuff does happen. That real life events are ironically more 'out there' and unbelievable than what most people tend to see in movies and TV. Ever watch a movie and say something like "psh! that would never happen in real life." chances are something even weirder already has. For example in the graphic novel and recently released movie 300, the boy enters "manhood" after he goes into the wilderness to kill a wolf. In reality the "rite of passage" for young spartan boys was to sneak out and kill a slave without anyone knowing who did it. If that was in the movie people would be like "WTF?" but instead Frank Miller wrote something more believable and less morally wrong.

All this got me thinking is about the stories i hear all the time about things that go on in Iraq. Like when a famous person is not only killed while serving his country but he is supposedly killed by friendly fire. It's stranger than fiction... it's real life.

American Gladiator

No show on television encapsulates the physical aspect of war better than American Gladiators. Contestants go head to head with trained athletes in rounds that include mountain climbing, running, getting shot at with tennis balls, getting tackled, rope climbing, and of course the infamous obstacle course. Most of these are training exercises used by the army. American Gladiator is the classic underdog story. The average, everyday person battles with professional athletes. This is very similar to the original gladiators of Rome. Spectators watched men battle to their deaths. People are still very fascinated by violence. Whether it be American Gladiator on tv, or movies like Hostel in theaters, people are still as entertained by violence as the were back when public hangings were common.

An attempt to convey a message!

The movie kingdom directed by Peter Berg depicts a story of an American investigation group which is deployed in the middle-east to investigate bomb explosion of an American facility. The attack was carried out by a terrorist group based around the city, with the intension of causing chaos within the community. It was targeted at a group of American families on a park. The main initiator of the explosion watches his plan from a building at a distance to the bomb site. His son records the agony faced by Americans.

This is what the children of Iraqi and Afghan terrorists see everyday when their fathers go to the battle field. This is their day to day experience and by now, they have been trained, and convinced well enough to initiate a similar kind of war in the future. The depression, injustice faced by young children will surely affect their lives when they grow up. The director gives this message to the viewers. Americans will never give up in fighting. The leader of the terrorist group dies at the end of the movie, and his message to his child was, ‘take the revenge, never give up’ which simply means that terrorists will never stop fighting against America. The picture of war we see today will be much similar or even more intense in the near future. This war has influenced directly to the production of this movie. The director makes an attempt to convey this message.

SENASH

Effect of War on Pop culture.

The effect of War on the American pop culture can be most easily seen in the 2007 album of the band Linkin Park, named ‘Minutes to Midnight’. In my opinion, the cover song of the album named ‘What I’ve done’ is easily the most relevant song for the topic because, the lyrics of the song have a lot of meaning in them which isn’t apparent at a glance but which becomes increasingly clearer with each listening. I think the whole idea behind the title of the new album "Minutes to Midnight" can be interpreted as the awaiting for the dawn of a new day, because once a clock hits midnight, 'it's a whole new day' so to speak, which can very much symbolize a lot of people's desire to start afresh once more. The lyrics of the song can also be viewed as portraying the general feeling of confusion, emptiness and frustration that all people worldwide and particularly Americans, due to the deeply unpopular War on Iraq and the economy’s dismal economic slowdown, are currently suffering from. A lot of people are voicing their interest in ending the War on Iraq and they seem to feel that it probably would have been wiser not to have engaged in a war at all, in the first place. The War has generally made the masses more insecure about the future and more uncertain about solving the problems that lay in store for them. The lyrics of the song ‘What I’ve Done’ from the band Linkin Park encompasses this very idea of recognizing the faults of the past, and suggests moving on with the future in order to make progress. The fact that a lot of people listen to music implies that inspirational messages such as these will touch base with a lot more people than through the other mediums such as the print media.

Kanye West Words Against War

The war in Iraq has greatly influence artists. It has affected tv, movies, fashion, but most importantly music. Music, especially rap/hip hop has taken a new style and more serious tone as rappers switch from the lyrics about the glamorous life of superstardom, but to more serious issues about war and violence. Music has been greatly affected by the war in Iraq, and in turn has effected all of America and its listeners. A bigger message is now being sent, not about women or girls, money and fame, but about violence and war, and hardships and death. Kanye West is a great example of an artist, but more so a role model as he sends his message clear that he is against war and violence. His songs stand true to his message as he speaks about war, about terrorism, and more importantly war with ourselves. In his most popular song "Jesus Walks" he sings "Yo, We at warWe at war with terrorism, racism, and most of all we at war with ourselves." He brings dark issues into the light and allows those who choose to be ignorant be informed about what is going on with war.

Celebrity Rehab

In a weird way I feel like Celebrity Rehab relates to the war. The reason I feel this way is because so many celebrities, once known for their great achievements are either dead right now, or in rehab for using and abusing drugs. When most people come out of the war they have no idea what to do with themselves, such as those suffering from PTSD. They have been great war veterans and fighting was their life, but now they are haunted by the many scenes and positions they faced and they feel that the only way to subdue that is to use drugs. This shows how some celebrities are more open to express/show their experiences to society and resembles how some war veterans easily open up about their experiences and want help to move on from their horrid visions/experiences.

Real World Lives On

As the war in Iraq has trudged on, young people have clearly been exposed to the horrors of war. As most of the men and women who are in the military over in Iraq are in there twenties, it is clear that their experience have had a direct effect on pop culture. One connection I find most intriguing is the effect the war in Iraq has had on the MTV show Real World.

Real World has been an MTV cornerstone show for over a decade now. In today’s reality show infatuated era, it is odd to have the same reality show, different seasons and casts obviously, running on air for such a long period of time.

I deem that the show has seen such great success because the effects young soldiers have faced in Iraq. The media’s daily reports show young people dying overseas everyday. Because of this people are eager to tune in to MTV’s Real World show and watch people getting drunk and having fun with no cares in the world. It allows viewers to believe, just for a half hour a week, that somewhere in the world, a place exists where young people can kick back and half fun with not a care in the world.

The gauntlet

One of my favorite shows on tv is MTV's The Gauntlet. This show is about reality tv people that come together to compete in a string of activites. There are two teams that compete and it is always very competitive. The show points out the leadership qualities and people that are able to do each of the events. It is a mix between physical and mental tasks. The way the show is set up one can belive that it was compared to the military and the way they work. Th military always livs in one area, the barracks and so do the people on the gauntlet. Another similarity is that the tasks that are to be completed are both mentally and physically taxing, not exactly what the military goes through in war but the idea is being put across. The last major smilarity that I see is the leadership that is shown int he people through time. This is compared to the leadership in the military. Also, the constant commercials for the marines makes the comparison a little easier.

Go Green!

In today’s culture, it is plain to see that everyone wants to “go green” from the car industry to clothing stores like the gap. The world has a fixed amount of resources and today more than ever, you are constantly reminded. This may be because we need to learn how to become less dependent on foreign countries for resources. I feel as if the war with Iraq has reeved up the incentive of going green. Gas prices are constantly increasing as well as many of other products that we need but at the same time our dollar’s value falls. This war has impacted our culture by making us more aware of our need and reliance on resources. It also has made many companies re-imagine their business strategies and tactics. Recently I just got a new job and I was looking through the new hire brochure and I seen “Go Green” right on top of a page. As I read more, it wasn’t about how economically friendly the company was but actually how the company thinks about making money. I was surprised that they would use this term in this context. Money is green and people love money. And with money comes power. This green initiative may have been started because of our nations greed and demand to become self-sufficient.

Spurlock: Where's bin Laden?

Morgan Spurlock, the guy who made Super Size Me, is coming out with a new movie called Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? He travels to Middle Eastern countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Afghanistan to show us a different side of Islam: the non-violent side. He was hoping to find Osama and try to show him that killing many people isn’t cool. A preview showed him in an Israeli classroom that a rocket hit hours earlier. He says that he couldn’t imagine raising his kid in such a dangerous place. The movie should be cool to watch, since he goes right into these dangerous places and gives us a more human perspective of the Middle East. Most of the news we get about that region involves huge amounts of violence and unrest, especially with our troops in two countries. It looks like Spurlock is helping us find out what’s going on besides the war, and how people over there feel about the fighting and the US. It’s something I would want to see, so that I can know more about those countries than what articles on CNN and news programs have to offer.

blog 4: Iraq war and TV show

In TV show Smallville has made Lex Luthor an ultimate villain now. He murders his dad, just to get what he wants. In this case, smallville did go sort of little bit different from superman mythology. Then I realized that its so much similar to recent War in Iraq. Osama Bin Laden did go against his family, in order to get what he wants. He is an ultimate enemy, which is what Lex Luthor turns into. As you can see that war has made impact on pop culture and it will continue to.

My Dad is Better than your Dad

In a test of brains and brawn children everywhere are trying to sign their father figures up for NBCs new action pack family friendly show "My Dad is Better Than Your Dad". The military is based on these same principals of brains and brawn. Given success in both of the categories one will be able to defend their country (or family in the case of this show) in the best possible manner. Success in the military is gauged on your rank and honor, similarly, the show ranks fathers after every round and eliminates the weakest link. This principal of elimination is seen in the battlefield. When you are ill prepared some soldiers will be killed in the battlefield or not pass through boot camp.

Television show and War

I havent kept track of television shows in years; however, I do go on to tv network's website and watch episodes of sitcoms once in a while. One sitcom that was definitely an impact of terrorism and Iraq war is "Aliens In America". This show depicted our reaction to MiddleEastern people since the 9/11 event. The main character in the show who just recently came from Pakistan as an international student experienced bias such as being a suicide bomber. Another main character at the same time tries to show the international student American life. This in fact is sort of teaching people to embrace people of all races and not to blame others of another's wrong doing, something that happened in 1940s when the Japanese were sent to concentrated camps.

My boy Perez

A new cultural phenomenon has been born-- Perez Hilton.

For those out there that do not know who Perez Hilton is, I suggest you Google him, and then visit his website. I feel that Perez has affected both the American public and our pop culture. Over the last few months, Perez has jumped from being another gossip blogger to being on MTV, VHI1, on the radio, in magazines etc.

I believe that there are ties between Perez and the War in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the past few years, the American public has broken the bind between themselves and sites like CNN.com or MSNBC.com and have moved on to websites like PerezHilton.com. I believe that this happened because people were too overwhelmed with constantly hearing about what is going on overseas-- they need an escape from the real world, so why not go bum around on Perez's site? This site provides trivial and unimportant information about celebrities and their doings; it allows people to get away from the information about Iraq etc and focus on something else.

War and Television\

I have definitely noticed how prevalent war is in the movies and on television. I definitely see more subtle references to the war in Iraq on television. It seems that almost every TV show has some kind of connection to Iraq, and sometimes, you do not even realize the connection because of how much the war in Iraq is in our lives. For example, I always used to watch a show on the WB called 7th Heaven. The storyline was about a minister and his wife who had 7 kids and every one of their kids dealt with every kind of problem that any viewer could relate to. Once the war in Iraq started, there were always different episodes with one of the kids friends having a parent who was fighting in Iraq, or some other connection. After a while, it becomes so common that they know someone in Iraq or someone who has been affected by the War in Iraq that the viewer does not even notice it. I think that this shows how the war has gone on so long, that now most people have either had a family member in Iraq, or know someone with a family member in Iraq.

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.