Comments on: When Soldiers Become Warriors

By: Nathan

Nathan — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:33:35 +0000

Since I wrote this, the Vietnam-era creed has been abandoned. Now, the second text appears under both headings.

By: Militarism and Heroism | The Row Boat by Nathan Schneider

Militarism and Heroism | The Row Boat by Nathan Schneider — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:55:19 +0000

[...] After that I went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with yet another friend. With the previews came Kid Rock’s promotional video for the National Guard, mixing rock ‘n’ roll with stock cars with benevolent, courageous soldiers. It’s called “Warrior.” (More on the implications of that term.) [...]

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:10:06 +0000

No, I don’t mean to say that McCain had a hand in it. But he does play to that conditioning when he insists that the situation in Iraq can only be thought of in terms of victory and defeat.

The connection with marketing and business is interesting. I’ll think about that. Reminds me, again, of Adam Curtis’s Century of the Self documentary, which talks about how advertisers and politicians came to treat people as driven my unconscious desires rather than rational thought.

By: Joel Dietz

Joel Dietz — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:06:10 +0000

The Rumsfield reformation marks the application of business rules to warfare. In this respect, the Army makeover should be considered a marketing move — I doubt McCain had a hand or motive in it.

Hooah!