or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
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"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
April 08, 2007
Toy Soldiers
Here's a video worth watching from Code Pink:
I approve of this, of course...though on the other hand, I'm uncomfortable with the use of people in the military as political footballs for any side. Partly this is because I think it's unfair to them, and partly because it plays into a weird fetishization of the military that helps make us a more militaristic society.
Posted at April 8, 2007 01:04 PM | TrackBackwhen is a soldier not a toy,
except in self-defense?
I have often thought about the military worship that seems to be an indelible part of America. It is weird when you consider what the military is used for and what it does. The atrocities committed by the military that is reported is quite probably only the tip of the iceberg yet this is similar to what you said about Donald Graham in that the military is only the tool of the government who in turn are the tool of the wealthy.
We often hear about the sacrifice of the military in regards to how they are defending our freedom yet when you look at what this country has been involved in it is a sick joke to say they are defending our freedom. But then this is part of the compartmentalized thinking that says murder is bad but when done by the military it is a good thing.
The predominance of the use of violence and war as themes in popular entertainment is probably a holdover from the Cold War mentality, yet another unintended consequence of rallying popular support for policies that are, at base, antithetical to the real world interests of most people. It's a flaw in national character that will take -- at the very minimum -- a generation to fix. Probably longer, if at all.
Posted by: Sam Thornton at April 9, 2007 12:22 PMI can't remember if I said this yesterday, or if I was interrupted in my crusade to set the world right by typing insightful blog comments by my wife who wanted to use the computer for her own frivolous purposes, but anyway--
it wasn't that terribly long ago when MASH was one of the most popular shows on TV. And it took a pretty healthy view of the military, IMO at least. You had the Colonel Potters to show that there were decent honorable men in the service, but also plenty of buffoons and numbskulls in high command. And that CIA psychotic (Flagg?) who showed up every few episodes.
I think MASH was made in a short period of time where, because of Vietnam, militarism wasn't fashionable. But it's fashionable again.
Posted by: Donald Johnson at April 9, 2007 12:56 PM
