Military Recruitment
Starts Early in the US These days
I was watching Dexter's Laboratory on Cartoon Network (couldn't deal with another thing serious), when up pops up a fast-paced commercial showing an aircraft carrier and fighter jets and stuff. "Life" it says, followed by a big graphic and more fighter jets. Next comes "Liberty" and more jets. Then "and the Pursuit of all who threaten it." A big ol' "NAVY" logo wraps it up.
Interesting this was show during a prime-time kids' show. In all fairness though, they didn't scare all the little kiddies by showing footage of these fancy jets dropping bombs on sleepy villages and the resulting 'non-combatant' carnage. So nice of the Navy . . .
They focus group kids. They're targeting the boys and know they get more, "oooh, cool!" at watching the bombs hit, the adrenaline rush, makes a lasting impression, a little imprint to tuck away for later, all wrapped up with those associations of "life" and "liberty" and with the pursuit of all who threaten little Georgey's happiness. Their lopping together life and liberty and the excitement of bombing with death and the destruction of villages is starting kids off early on the callousing training that by the time they get into the army already requires the most ridiculous lipservice of a sensitivity training just so they can get along in the military and society. At this point, most haven't even seen real battle yet. They're just salivating from all the simulation.
Nick
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The Journal of History - Fall 2002 Copyright © 2002 by News Source, Inc.