-Kat Denizen of Argghhh!
Speaking of supporting our troops, I found this article at Small Wars Journal: Yellow ribbons on cars don't measure real support. And, I agree with most of this article. That is to say that, for the most part, America goes right along, every day doing what they have always done with little thought to "our men and women" except maybe when the local news flashes the picture of a local man or woman injured or killed. Then, I think, people might have a "how terrible" moment. Then, nothing. Unless, of course, they are the family of that soldier. Then it is all too real.
Of course, there are always the "minute" part of the population, like the Patriot Guard and
And, that lack is sometimes very real, though, at other times, it is simply hidden. When we are at events, people are very willing to listen, to give support, fill out post cards, donate money, ask how they can get involved and a million other little things that go to support the troops. It's too bad in this day and age of mass, instant communications, we can't just instantly beam these moments to the troops so they know and others know that this support is there. It's not missing, it is just below the radar. You know, because CNN isn't going to Cleveland, Missouri for their town fair where people talk to us all day about how they can support the troops. It's not cost effective as the Armorer notes repeatedly about the "negative coverage".
In an interesting juxtaposition to how the Vietnam veterans were treated on their return, our troops are, in the main, ignored by the media and a larger swath of the people. Honestly, I can't tell what is worse: the ill treatment previously received or the total lack of interest. Serving your nation in a time of war and defending the nation has gone from honorable service during most of the wars leading up to WWII, then to some sort of semi-victimization during Korea though similarly being ignored as today and then swinging all the way out to "criminal" and "dishonorable" allegedly during Vietnam because they had to gall to fight when they were called or even volunteer, back to "honorable, but hurry home" in Desert Storm and now, finally, we have reached "it's just a job". Our troops have become tools of the trade. Tools that, like some poor schmuck working on his hobby car on the weekend, can be left sitting around, tossed on a bench and forgotten until the next weekend when he wants to work on the car again.
While the troops might be humble and tell us it is "just a job" and that they are no "heroes", the fact that civilians have come to see them as just that: workers getting paid to get shot at and implement government policy. Nothing spectacular here. At least, not according to our new found view of the military: tools of the trade who should not be pitied, criticized, appreciated, honored or otherwise thought of lest, you know, we become "too militarized". Much better to show a "studied indifference" so the world doesn't think we are a bunch of warmongering cowboys.
We've become too sophisticated for that, now. Or maybe we are just lame?
And Hollywood? They are so lame along with the politicians, I had to throw them into flash traffic.
Not only are their regular movies lame lately, but I've seen the trailers for some of their "war movies". Not only are they pretty much all the same genre about bad soldiers or victim soldiers paired up with "bad authority figures", they are equally lame. The plots are stupid and the characters are working hard to convince you they are sincere while simultaneously appearing, well, lame. It's not really any great Hollywood anti-war statement. It's really about Hollywood continuing to be lame.
Our troops in Hollywood? "Tools" and "Props" to try to turn one aging, I used to be a cute hippy, star into a "one more for old time's sake", lame anti-war activist on screen in one more lame Hollywood stinker.
Even I can't get up the gumption to really lambaste the movies because, well, they are so lame and so cookie cutter to every other Hollywood "the authorities are bad people" and "war is full of paradoxical angst, confusion, immoral acts and the choices of bad and worse that no one can really be a hero" movie, I can't work up the steam and agitation to tear them apart individually or together besides repeatedly saying how lame they are.
There is some sort of bizarre malaise and fatigue that makes even the anti-everything protesters in DC Lame with a capital "L". Unlike the past, this movement isn't really gaining ground. This is definitely NOT Vietnam, at least based on this one paradigm, though many a commentator and pundit has tried to equate it as such. The Democrat party that they hoped to way lay is still walking a tight rope between polls that show that citizens want out of Iraq, but not at the cost of defeat while simultaneously realizing that they have no real power over the next year to change the current war and cringing wondering exactly what they will do if they get that final election boost and make it into the power seat.
Also, strangely, this seems to have translated into a general "I don't care" attitude about politics from the public. I'll be frankly interested to see who gets elected next year. From all I can gather as I talk with people, no candidate is sparking any great love. Except Ron Paul who is the right's Dennis Kucinich since it seems the people who are supporting him are just this side of the coo-coo nest (I know, I was accosted by one at a funeral).
And, while many a pundit talks about President Bush being a "Lame Duck" president, trying to establish his "legacy" before he leaves office, I have to say that the "anti-war" (anti-everything) crowd is really rather on the "lame duck" leg of their tenure as well. The war is winding down and other issues of the day are starting to take over the press. The actual battles in Iraq and Afghanistan are drifting further and further to the back of the newspaper and barely staying on the top news stories for AP for more than an hour. They are being surpassed by ongoing rhetoric over Iran and economic concerns.
The truth is, no one cares anymore enough to be passionate one way or the other. The war isn't going to end with a big "surrender on the USS Missouri" signing. And, just as the war will slowly fade away, so will any idea that people put it all on the line, every day, doing some fantastical feats defending the "lame" that will only get written in a few books that no one will read and some "war is h_ ll" movies that will be on everyone's "C" list to watch: right after they get that latest Halloween 120th addition: The Horrors of Michael Meyer's Closet Full of Tutus or Now We Know Why He Had to Kill His Parents. The poor guy.
Lame, I'm telling you.
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