A False Portrait of War

War is usually portrayed as a glorious act that makes men into heroes. War movies and stories share similar scenarios, beginning with a man going off to war reluctantly and leaving his beautiful girl behind; then leading his men into victorious battle. In our society, we make war sound as if it is a patriotic duty for men, and that it is glorious and will set a man up for a lifetime of happiness after he prevails over evil.

In literature and movies about war, people tend to leave out the fact that war is complicated and not one thing or the other. It is not as simple as good against evil because both sides think they are going to war to protect what is right and honorable. Also, the way movies and literature depict war overlooks women. In war settings a woman is depicted as the lady back home waiting for her “knight in shining armor”. This is ridiculous because women serve more of a pupose than just to sit around and wait for a man.

Another way war is falsely portrayed in our society is that it is glorious and that the soldier always knows the right action and the exact right time to execute it. This implies that soldiers never make mistakes and never question anything.