Dirty Harry - A Real War Poem

The song "Dirty Harry" by The Gorrilaz on  their 2005 album Demon Days is poetry. You can see the lyrics here for the song. An important thing to note about The Gorrilaz, is that the songs are heavily correlated to the music videos, so to understand some things about the song, we have to take in to account. The setting is a desolate desert, with nothing but some animals, the band, and an armored vehicle. I'm gonna cut to the chase before explaining much more of the song, this song is a political commentary on American involvement and fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. Knowing this, we can assume that they are currently in one of these middle eastern countries.

The song immediately starts with the chorus, preformed by the main vocalist 2D and the children's choir. It goes as follows.

I need a gun to keep myself from harm
The poor people are burning in the sun
But they ain't got a chance
They ain't got a chance
I need a gun
Cos all I do is dance
Cos all I do is dance

Right now, the speaker(s) of the words is just anybody who dislikes the fighting that is going on, on either side of the war. They speak about needing to get weapons to protect themselves from the fighting, even though all they want to do is dance in the safety of peace. They are mostly focusing on the despair of the innocent residents of the middle east who are subject to the power of America. The word "dance" appears multiple times in this song, and the dancing represents freedom. The chorus repeats another time, then there is a short section of pure music, brought to an end by a yell. The yell marks the start of the meat of Dirty Harry, the rap.

Referring back it the video, we can see that the rap is said by someone who appears to be a US army man, judging from his dress. This is a shift in the song, as the speaker has now changed from a spectator in the war, to a participant. He knows something is going on with this war, something that isn't morally sound. He states how he is "a peace loving decoy/ready for retaliation." This refers to how the soldier believes they are fighting for some sort of reason, and he is struggling to accept why they are there. He believes that he is being mislead, but is still prepared to fight for his life. He gives several examples about the war's horror, like being buried in a pine box somewhere in the desert, and how it is "impulsive" and he "don't ask why or wonder" what all of this is about. He goes on about his orders are to kill and offer no remorse, and he obliges, but is being torn apart by his actions. He is "filled with guilt/from the things that i've seen." 

He also says the line "I'm the reason why you fill up your Isuzu." The line has two different ideas behind it; An Isuzu is a motorcycle, a machine that uses oil in its primary functions, driving home our setting of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as well as the fact that we are somehow able to relax in luxury while he is out fighting for us.

My favorite, and the most striking part of this poem comes in the last stanza were it reads:

At night I hear the shots
Ring so I'm a light sleeper
The cost of life,
it seems to get cheaper
out in the desert
with my street sweeper
The war is over
So said the speaker with the flight suit on
Maybe to him I'm just a pawn
So he can advance
Remember when I used to dance

There are quite a few things going on here. It starts off with some striking lines about the futility and immorality of the fight. It then speaks about President Bush directly referring to his Mission Accomplished speech when he declared the end of the Iraq war. The speech was controversial because there was still fighting going on in Iraq. The soldier believes he is used in a war he has no business in, and all he wants to do is dance, as in go home and relax. He uses the word "pawn" for a few different reasons as well. A pawn often represents something of little work, but also at the same time it is used to better everything else at its own expense, which is very similar to how the soldier is felling caught up in all of this pointless action.

America: The land of the free and the home of the screwed

  America is a country founded over 300 years ago. In these 300 years our country has risen to the fore front of the world, but as of late our country has been crushed by bad presidents, rising debt, wars we cannot afford, rising unemployment rate.

During the last eight years Obama has been president the unemployment rate and debt has substantially risen. In the year 2008 Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African american president. Instead of leading what should've been a beaker of hope and new era for African american people. He has helped the economy crumble. After Obama's first term the unemployment rate was 7.9%. This means that 7.9% of people in our country did not have a job. In addition to this the american government is under 19 trillion dollars of debt. Since Obama has been president the debt has risen over 9 trillion dollars with no signs of slowing down. About roughly 6 trillion of this money was spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan war. A war that our president promised to end but has not. The Iraq and Afghanistan war has claimed the life of 5,000 soldiers and wounded over 1 million of them. During the presidency Barack Obama has wreaked havoc on the united states of america and ways that even our next president cannot fix.
If the country continues to be run by bad leaders such as Barack Obama, america’s future will be a very dim one. This country needs a stronger leader that can rise to the challenge of fixing Barack Obama's mistakes. A president that will lower the debt, bring more jobs to america and end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Fear caused by ¨football¨

http://pcl.stanford.edu/campaigns/2016/?adv=Football


In this advertisement the codes that control nuclear war are represented by a football. This is done because they relate the codes to a football game by saying during the crucial moments of the game only the trusted and proven can touch the ball and only the president can hold these codes, so they should be in hands of the trusted and proven. In this ad they try to invoke fear into the viewers and show them clips of who Donald Trump is, they show clips of him saying " I'm good at war. I've had a lot of wars on my own. I'm really good at war. I love war." By doing this they are appealing not only to logos but also to ethos because the statements that he says can negatively affect his reputation when put in a video dealing with war. In the context of the video it makes you think about if this is the type of man you will trust with the possibility of nuclear war after he stated that he loves war. Not only did he state that he loves war but when he was asked about the possibility of war he already had part of his plan to include nukes and he felt strong about that answer, so the true argument of this ad is, is Donald Trump the man that you will trust with such a powerful tool?

Portraits by Jeep

              Super Bowls are one of the biggest showcases of American culture, and they happen every year. One of the advertisements in the most recent Super Bowl called Portraits. It is narrated by a war veteran talking about his experiences as a veteran, a man, and as a person. It is important to analyze this work because of how it discusses what men should be and what people should aspire to be. This is relevant due to the ever rising campaign of feminism and equal gender rights, as well as the views of our veterans by the country. It promotes some of these stereotypes while breaking them down at the same time. This ad is false because of the stereotypes it holds inside and how surreal the narrator's experiences are.

              This ad has a few stereotyped sayings that are spoken during the narration. The first one is inside of the first few lines the veteran speaks. He starts off with “I’ve seen things no man should bear and those that every man should dare.” This plays into the stereotype that all men should be daring and adventurous. He then explains one of these sighting is the beaches of Normandy, eluding to D-day from World War II. He uses the term “man” in his explanation, rather than terms such as no one or anyone. This says that women are not fit to see sights like this and perhaps shouldn’t be soldiers. The portraits in the background show women as well as men during these lines, causing a disconnect between the narration and the background of the ad, making it less true. The narrator also seems too unrealistic of a person for his tale to be considered a true story. He says how he's done many things such as “Lived thousands of lives” and “Outrun robots and danced with dinosaurs.” He says how he's been in the companies of kings and queens, although he is “no royalty or saint.” What he is saying seems unrealistic, even if some of his statements are purely metaphorical. He is too great and perfect of a person to be believable. This ad is fake because it plays into stereotypes, creates disconnects within itself, and has an unrealistic narrator.

Women Under Fire

The movie Courage Under Fire relates to recent changes in the United States military. Women, for so long, have not been able to fight in combat positions in the U.S. military. All combat positions are now open to all women. Women were and are still seen as weak, emotional, and not fit for the military. Courage Under Fire shows a female Captain in the Army, Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan), during the Gulf War, who does not represent this stereotypical female. She is the commander of a Medevac Huey. Her and the soldiers she commands sees other soldiers in distress and helps them just before their own helicopter goes down and then they become in trouble. She shows courage, strength and heroism

in a scary, hostile and dangerous place. These characteristics make her stand out to the higher ranking men in the military. Walden ends up getting killed for her act of courage under fire and receives a Medal of Honor. Giving this Medal of Honor to Walden, a female, is difficult because this is not a typical scenario. This movie shows a true women defying cultural stereotypes through her strength, power and courage in war.

In this movie, Walden refuses the female cultural stereotype in many ways. Just being a soldier in the Gulf War, Walden defies the stereotype that women cannot fight and handle being in a war. Because she is the commander of a Medevac Huey, Walden stands up to men and makes decisions and gives orders that they might not agree with. Women are supposed to take orders from men in our culture, so this is seen as not right to the men she is in charge of in some scenes in the movie. Walden ends up dying as a result of being shot after their helicopter goes down. Because of how she acts when she gets shot, she is seen as different and not normal. She is strong despite her getting injured. Just the fact that Walden went into the military and succeeded is a cultural backlash, being awarded the Medal of Honor is a specific event of how she succeeds in this field. Walden being the commander of this unit and her power that she has is definitely not a normal thing. She rejects the stereotype that men are “in charge” of women, she shows this when they are waiting for help after the helicopter goes down. She says “No surrender” to the other soldiers in a stern voice, this shows her commitment. She also makes a statement that they are not leaving the area where the helicopter went down because they have an injured soldier, she doesn’t want to risk his life or any other soldiers, this shows her loyalty. In the scene when she gets shot, she says “I gave birth to a nine-pound baby, asshole. I think I can handle it.” Walden shows toughness, strength and fearlessness to the other soldiers. Walden’s personality, character traits in war and the fact that she is in war is a unique and realistic part of our society.

Captain Karen Walden in the movie Courage Under Fire represents what our cultural thinks is false for women. Women in America are supposed to act, look and think a certain way. Women are put into categories and certain things are expected from them. This stereotype affects many cultural aspects of our society and everyday life. It is normal in our society for people to question women with jobs or hobbies that are reserved for men. These stereotypes are all around us and are even portrayed in movies and t.v. shows. Like Walden, women should defy stereotypes and do what they love no matter what other people think.

The Removal of a Culture in a Children's Movie

Pocahontas is a popular movie created by the well known Walt Disney Corporation that was ultimately targeted towards children. Normally, people would not bat an eye at this, but within the seemingly innocent movie is some extremely offensive content in respect to race and gender. Many times, the Native Americans are portrayed as "savages," and the movie endorses the idea of the good Indian and the bad Indian. Not only that, but the history of the movie is completely wrong, and it gives an idea that the colonists were at equal fault of the Native Americans, effectively oppressing them to the point where children do not think twice.

At one point in the movie, the song "Savages" makes an appearance. The lyrics are unbelievably offensive and racist towards these Native Americans. "They're savages, savages, barely even human," is repeated multiple times within the song. It portrays the Indians as unpredictable hooligans that only follow through with physical carnal pleasures with the song having a complete lack of acknowledgement for any intelligence whatsoever. The lyrics clearly outlaw the mixing of races, saying "They're not like you and me. Which means they must be evil. We must sound the drums of war!" I am honestly unsure what the writers were thinking as they wrote this song that was meant for children. Something that makes it even worse is that these "savages" retaliate, calling the settlers demon and "paleface," in an attempt from the writers to try and even out the aggression from both parties.

Sure, they end up making it a love story between Pocahontas and Captain John Smith, a Native American and an English settler, with a happy ending and all, but how much of this was actually the case? In fact the whole movie twists history entirely, leaving out the cruelty and killings of many Native Americans, not touching on the fact that Pocahontas was not even a woman when the events actually took place, she was about twelve.

Another thing the movie did wrong was the visual aspect of the humans. Pocahontas's image was in that of standard American beauty, instead of whatever would be the norm of her own Native American culture. The dignified image is the produce of Western colonialism entirely, and reinforces the idea that there is no Native American culture, only western culture's perspective on it.

Truth and Death

    9/11 is one of the most important moments in recent American history. It started (or at least justified) a war, sparked worldwide controversy, and forever changed our cultural landscape. Songs, stories, poems, apologies, in a single afternoon millions of lives were changed, and thousands were silenced.

    People dance around the subject all too much in my opinion. It makes people uncomfortable and sometimes even ashamed, and if it makes them neither of those it makes them angry. So we use euphemisms and meaningless phrases such as "never forget", as if simply repeating it enough will cement it in history rather than whichever historian fate smiles upon.

    Let's look at some numbers. In relationship to war, 9/11 was practically nothing. More than a hundred times than many Americans died in Vietnam for no reason at all. Even as recent as Iraq, the death toll of American soldiers is 4,425, and they were sent over in the name of ending the death caused on that September day. Of course, if you look at the Iraqi casualties in that war, estimates range from 100,000 to 1 million. Strange how we don't talk about those as often.

    Still, there must be a difference between deaths in 9/11 and war casualties, right? War is often justified, and the destruction of the towers was a brutal and senseless act of violence. This argument holds up less and less the more I think about it. The fact is, war has killed millions upon millions upon millions of people, often for nearly meaningless reasons in retrospect. Do those who die at war feel any differently about it than those in the towers? I doubt it.

    So why are we so adamant to never forget? Why do the lives of those thousands weigh so heavily upon the American people? Maybe because for once, the brutal deaths aren't oceans away. They aren't fought "valiantly" in filthy trenches with dozens of pounds of equipment strapped to their backs. They're regular people doing regular things who never for a second thought their lives might be on the line. They could be you.

    Death is everywhere. Cancer, suicide, murder. Slightly farther away we find starvation, water deprivation, disease. To think that because we humans have built ourselves a pillowfort or two, death is any more preventable is foolish. But that's what we have to tell ourselves to make it. So when two planes slice our tallest pillow into rubble, it rattles us to our very core.

    By the time I have finished writing this, it will be 9/12. The CIA estimates that 108 people die every minute. Most of them probably don't have pillowforts built for them. I doubt many of them look like me. But that doesn't mean that their deaths are any less valid or tragic.

    We are mere steps away from a true global community, united past skin and history. But for us to take that step, we need to realize that everyone dies. Everyone mourns. Over three thousand people lost their lives unjustly that day, but they are a mere droplet in the ancient pool of billions.

   Life is short, death is random. Love more than just thy neighbor.

Yemen's True Forgotten War Story

BBC News recently published an article "Inside Yemen's forgotten war" which discusses the most current events in Yemen regarding the airstrikes. In the article, they also posted a video where a BBC writer interviews Yemen's frightened citizens who give insight on the bombings.

One particular story was the bombing that killed a 13 year old boy, his brother, and 11 others. The 13 year-old, Ahmed Al Beyna, and his brother, Mohammed, set off to work at a close-by water bottling plant on the evening of August 29th. Just as they finished their night shift, a missile struck the factory. The men who discovered them tell BBC News they "found men burned to the machines" and that many "bodies were in pieces." Saudis try justify the bombing by claiming it was a weaponry factory and a training camp for African mercenaries, yet there is no evidence of any kind to support their "justifications."

Yemen's citizens are absolutely terrified of the constant air bombings, saying that they hit any and everything. In the video, one Yemeni man points to some rubble and says that it was a building where families inhabited, "families...NOT an empty building."

The BBC writer, Gabriel Gatehouse, pursued this story to shine light of the recent events that are being forgotten or noted as not as important. These airstrikes have been occurring for over 6 months, there are thousands of stories just as the one of Ahmed's. Each of them just as disturbing and unsettling as this one. These stories seem too surreal to be true, how can someone just bomb factories or homes without thinking twice? Every day, the airstrikes become more damaging and it's said that an impending advance of pro-Saudi forces. This story is an example of the extent to which war reaches. It reaches to the point where water bottling plants are bombed to demonstrate a point to further their own agenda. 

A True Global War Story

I recently read several articles ("U.S. Willing to Accept 10,000 Syrian Refugees Next Year" and "Europe's Refugee Crisis") regarding the refugee crisis in Syria. Each article describes refugees' journey from Syria's civil war-stricken state to safer environments, such as Germany, Lebanon, Hungary, Australia, and the U.S.

The story of the Kurdi family, in particular, provides a profound example of a truthful story. Exploding with popularity, a picture posted on social media shows 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi lying lifeless, washed ashore after drowning in the Mediterranean Sea. Aylan, his brother, and mother all tragically died during the treacherous migration journey; Aylan's father, Abdullah, was the only one in the family to survive the trip. The Kurdi family planned to travel to relatives in Vancouver, Canada. The boy's aunt, Tima Kurdi, posts on Facebook her condolences, "Where is the humanity in the world. They did not deserve this."

This recent event made headlines, and brought a lot of awareness to the growing issue of excessive amounts of refugees pouring into overwhelmed European countries. The story of this poor family can be labeled "haunting" and "a turning point in the debate over how to handle the surge of people heading toward Europe."

Besides the fact that this event did actually happen, knowing that such tragedy occurs can make one angry and uncomfortable with the way these situations are handled. Additionally, countries' aide proves help is near, as the U.S. plans to take 10,000 refugees and Germany plans to shelter 800,000 refugees within the next year. Factual evidence makes it difficult to believe that such falseness would come from this story. Hardship similar to this type of grief goes far beyond Syria's internal conflict but towards an inner depth of how war affects vast amounts of people worldwide.

On the Periphery: Marginalization in War and Culture

In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the narrator (Tim O'Brien himself) discusses his difficult decision concerning his conscription into the army during the Vietnam. He talks about how he was so torn up inside, to the point to where he became sick inside. Eventually he becomes so distraught that he decides to run off to Canada. He ends up in the far north in Minnesota, right at the Canadian border. O'Brien is divided in sentiment; should he cross the border and start a new life in Canada, or should he return to his home and be drafted into the army? In this way, and many others, the war causes O'Brien to feel marginalized, in all meanings of the word. At he periphery of his country, O'Brien is made to feel insignificant and isolated, faced with a decision that will change his life either way.

This idea of marginalization is not only found in themes of war, but also in modern culture. Modest Mouse's song "World at Large" describes the same feelings as Tim O'Brien. The lyrics describe a person who is uncertain about life:

Ice-age heat, wave can't complain
If the world's at large, why should I remain?
Walked away to another plane

Just like O'Brien, the song describes concepts of isolation. While O'Brien's story about travelling to Minnesota may be more based in fiction than in fact, and the song as well, the emotions expressed in each are true; feelings of being isolated and sidelined.

Hunger Games: Not As Fictional As It Seems

The relatively new cinematic phenomenon, The Hunger Games, shines a new perspective on the idea of war. While the movie comes off as being very fictional, due to the advanced technology and controlled society, it really just enhances the negative sides of war. Tim O'Brien talks about draft day and the stress that it put on the American men, resembling the scenes of picking who was to go to the famous "Hunger Games" in the movie. These clips seem very unrealistic because of how overdramatic they are. In reality, however, they take what was a huge problem during the Vietnam War time period and show it as being as horrible as it may have been for those specific Americans and their families.

The main idea that the movie and Tim O'Brien's book had in common was forced violence. O'Brien talks about his thoughts and ideas to run away to Canada, in order to escape the draft and not participate in a war that he did not believe in. The Hunger Games does a great job of showing the change in lifestyle when being forced to participate in a war setting. It also shows the idea that every man is for himself. O'Brien would argue that the movie is fictional in that sense. He does a great job of demonstrating the contradicting sides of war, as opposed to simply relating it to death and hate. Towards the end of the movie, there have been alliances formed and relationships that have grown, showing what O'Brien would consider "brotherhood".

Many fictional movies, like The Hunger Games, come off as being unrealistic, yet tend to exaggerate the hard truths that surround us, forcing us to look at situations through new perspectives.

How Donald Trump Would Create Distruction

Recently, I read an article called "11 Controversial Things Donald Trump Said During his Presidential Announcement." One of the first topics he talks about is how Mexicans are being sent over the border, they're rapists and drug dealers, and he plans to make a wall on the Southern border and make Mexico pay for it. Ending his statement with "mark my words." He's obviously failing to realize that the United States has immigrants from multiple countries and not just Mexico. Also, not seeming to recognize the conflict that would create with Mexico. How do you make such an ignorant argument in such an official setting?

Another one of his points was him expressing his love for China. It's kind of a touchy thing to talk about in your presidential announcement, considering China is run by a Communist government, and has been since 1949. It could be assumed from that statement that Trump could try and do things in a more controlling way. More as a dictator, or totalitarian, rather than presidential leadership. This mindset could easily be the start of many wars.

In other articles he says that the American dream is dead, but if he's elected president, he'll bring it back. But wasn't the original American dream built on white supremacy? He's also against public breastfeeding? Which is something necessary for a babies survival, and is completely natural. His ex-wife also said that she felt like she was raped by him. He has no regard nor respect for women. Between this, his obvious ignorance towards immigrants, and his holier than thou approach to his campaign, I believe that if Trump is elected president, oppression will become more common, wars will be started, and racism will become publicly acceptable.

The Generic Story of "The General"

The typical American war story tends to go something like this: a man gets drafted to go to war, is reluctant at first to go but eventually accepts his fate, spends some time learning the truths of war and life, then dies a hero. According to Tim O'Brien, in his novel The Things They Carried, a war story that follows these lines is most likely false. O'Brien argues that if a war story is moral and leaves one feeling uplifted, there is a high possibility that the story isn't true. 

At first glance, the song "The General" by Dispatch seems to tell a unique story about a general who "tossed in his sleep and wrestled with its meaning" and then decides to send all of his men home because of his vision about the upcoming battle. Upon further examination, however, it is clear that this story is just another generic war tale.

For starters, the song starts out by describing the general as a "seasoned veteran" and "with a heart of gold", which hints that the song is false because the general is painted as a man who has been at war for a long time and has learned and accepted the truths of war. According to O'Brien, this would make the story false because the word "seasoned" implies positivity, which is not an aspect of a true war story. 

The song then goes on to paint the general as a hero because he saves the innocence of the boys that he is commanding. The general tells his men that they "have no time to lose" and that they're "young men you must be living", which hints at the underlying falseness of the story because the general is saving the boys' lives and putting his own on the line at the same time. The song concludes with the general "preparing to fight" all on his own, the typical American war hero. Although this song appears unique from the outside, after digging deeper it is obvious that the story is yet another take on the stereotypical war story.

A Hard River to Cross

In Tim O'Brien's collection of multiple war stories, The Things They Carried, many stories stick out as very bold and not really holding anything back. My favorite of these stories is named "On the Rainy River." This story details O'Brien's actions after receiving his draft notice and thinking about what to do.

I really enjoyed reading this story because of the brutal amount of emotion put into how it was written. O'Brien did a really good job of taking his emotions and precisely as well as meticulously forming them into words on paper. For example, here's a short excerpt from the story:

I remember opening up the letter, scanning the few lines, feeling the blood go thick behind my eyes. I remember a sound in my head. It wasn't thinking, just a silent howl.

O'Brien's story, while very tragic, captures the perfect representation of the "typical" person's reactions to a war draft. He didn't read it, tell himself "OOH RAH, LET'S KILL SOME GOOKS", and face the war with sheer force. He was terrified. He wondered how running away would go, how he would survive in Canada, how the Government would hunt him down and prosecute him for dodging the draft. He didn't consider himself the bad-ass warfighter, he was a scared young man. The truthfulness and sheer amount of emotion in his words and the story itself really entrapped me in it, and I really recommend that you read the entire book if you haven't already.

Somewhere After the War

The song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is a song that was very popular when it came out, and continues to be popular now. The song is extremely beautiful, performed only on the ukulele, and talks a lot about finding a great place "somewhere over the rainbow." Pretty much, that means that Israel wants to find somewhere away from the crummy place that he lives in now.

This can connect to the idea of the Vietnamese war and the people who fight and suffer without a true cause. Those soldiers, who are often young hopeful men, are often hopeful of salvation and freedom from the fighting and discomfort. "Someday I'll wish upon a star / Wake up where the clouds are far behind me," are lines within the song that express a longing to leave, to break free. The star to be wished upon by the singer could be considered God, being prayed to for guidance. The clouds could symbolize the struggles of the war. Shooting and grenades and carrying burdens and homesickness all contribute to this storm that they wish is far behind them. Somewhere, over the rainbow, peace supposedly exists.

American Sniper: Another Untrue War Story

American Sniper is an award-winning, critically acclaimed but extremely unpopular movie. The movie is based off of Chris Kyle’s memoir of his time in Iraq as history’s deadliest sniper, which gave Americans a unique look at the realities of the Iraq War. However, many critics questioned how much of this story was reality and how much of it was Chris Kyle’s “reality.” After Chris Kyle was deemed an American hero for an ephemeral period of time, the release of the movie caused many to believe that Chris Kyle was racist, sexist, and, above all, a liar. American Sniper is a clear example of the predominant, invidious notion of Muslims in the United States which qualifies this story as false through stereotypes, historical inaccuracy and unrealistic heroism.

One major and recurring theme throughout the movie was that of seemingly innocent and gregarious Muslims eventually revealing themselves as terrorists and villains. In one scene, a Muslim man invites American soldiers to his house for a holiday meal, but is later discovered to be an informant and a terrorist. In another scene, a boy is seen carrying a cylindrical object, which he received from his mother, and that object is revealed to be a bomb intended to kill American soldiers.

According to O’Brien, a war story is supposed to make you uncomfortable; it is not pleasing nor moral, not simple nor straightforward. Chris Kyle’s account is simple and straightforward. The principle character makes it clear who the enemy is, and makes the viewer comfortable with that fact that he has killed over 160 people. Muslims are generally characterized as terrorists, which is what a large portion of the American public wishes was one hundred percent true. 

On top of stereotyping all Muslim people and even women in general, most of the “true” events were completely fabricated for the sake of Chris Kyle appearing as a modern hero. According to much research conducted concerning the life of Chris Kyle, many events that appeared in the book did not actually occur. The enemy sniper, Mustafa, that Kyle reportedly killed is still alive. The robbery at a gas station that he reportedly stopped never even happened.

O’Brien says war stories are never glorious, but Chris Kyle’s version of events is complete romanticized heroism. Although Chris Kyle is no longer here to defend himself, it is clear that his original story was false, which made the movie adaptation of American Sniper seem even less true. If this movie is what passes as a cinematic masterpiece, it is clear that Hollywood needs to diversify its' industry.

Hogan's Heros

In the 60's the world was still recovering from the second world war. People still had the idea in their heads that all German people were Nazis that hated any unpure white person. To lighten to mood of the post war world many Tv stations made satiricale shows poking fun at the war while still making the point clear that war was awe full and unnecessary. One of the greatest examples of Satire in the meadia of the time was the show Hogans Hero's.

Hogans Heros was a TV show that was aired on Tv from 1965 to 1971. It followed the lives of P.O.W officers captured by the Nazis. The only difference with this camp compared to the others was that Stalag 13 was ran by a incompetent fool Col. Willhelm Klink. Under Klinks nose Hogan and his crew were running  a escape agency through the prison camp Stalag 13. What made this show so sitiracle was the mockery it made of the Nazi army. It showed the war in a way never seen before, not the factual truth of it being a bloody massacar of millions of people but a goofy life where prisoners and a prison camp basically ran the camp and ran the Nazi officers who were in charge. This show was important to the time because it lifted the sad vail of depression over everyones head and encouraged people to laugh again.

American Sniper

American Sniper is a recent film directed by Clint Eastwood about the most lethal sniper in U.S military history, Chris Kyle, played by actor Bradley Cooper. It is based on Kyle's Autobiography. It begins during Kyle's early life, growing up in Texas, dreaming of being a cowboy. It then continues on later in his life, where he decides to join the Navy Seals. Shortly after 9-11, he is deployed to Iraq, where he serves four tours. He is accredited with 256 kills, the most in U.S military history.

During each of his tours, as a sniper, he has a bird's-eye-view of most situations. Many of the situations that occur regarding the depictions of the Middle  Eastern inhabitants are warped in such a way that it seems as if the film is trying to convince the audience that all Middle Easterners are radical Muslim extremists, who are willing to kill their own children in order to kill the Americans. 

One instance of this occurs in the opening scene. Chris Kyle is watching a group of Marines move down a street, when an Iraqi mother and her son begin to approach. The mother hands a bomb to her very young son, who runs towards the group of soldiers and is consequently shot down by Kyle. The mother rushes forward, and instead of grabbing her dying child, she grabs the bomb and attempts to hurl it towards the soldiers. The film is portraying the Iraqi people not only as violent and bloodthirsty, but as uncompassionate as well, to the point where the audience begins to question the humanity of the Iraqi people as a whole. The film clearly perpetuates the stereotype of brutish Middle Easterners. 

At one point, an Iraqi man offers Kyle and his comrades a meal and shelter in his house. But even this Iraqi turns out to be a deceptive insurgent in disguise. The film not only perpetuates the brute stereotype of the Iraqis, but the stereotype of that you cannot trust them.

If you are willing to look past a plethora of stark racial stereotypes, and are looking to kill some time, I highly recommend American Sniper. 

War Poem

He Wanted to Sleep Inside Her Lungs and Breathe Her Blood and Be Smothered

War is
Silent
Storms thundering through the moving sky
That they carry
Gravity

War is a cracked fable told by The Mother Goose
But in this tale
a tale of dreams
"the dead sometimes smile and sit up and return
to the world.”

War is hell but that's not all
Because it is also a mystery and a terror
War is fair
War is not fair
War is discovery, holiness, and pity,
and despair

War is thinking you will survive
But why strive
To find the drive
if its so easy to relive the pain of the deprived
Because even when the war is over and your still alive
your dead inside
Even with your blood pumping and brain flowing
your dead inside
“I survived, but it's not a happy ending.”
I survived.

War is wanting to explain it
How you've been braver than you ever thought you could be
But how you had not been as brave as you wanted to be
You say "You see"
"I want to explain how those are distinct"
It's important

War is not being able to soak up the bleeding
lines between falsehood and reality
It's like being inside a book that nobodies reading
The lethality

War is a difficult thing to discuss
How do you sing the song of the world's greatest paradox?
As each man sacrifices himself to this enigma
As his mentality adjusts
Its is then both the audience and speaker will see
These stories can save us

An Argument For Leaving ISIS Alone

Yesterday the president delivered his speech on his plan of action against the terrorist group known as ISIS: a fundamental Islamic extremist group that seeks to establish itself as a caliphate for Muslims across the world. ISIS has stretched its influence across a large stretch of land encompassing parts of Iraq and Syria. The group has taken advantage of the region's current state of turmoil and slaughtered many of the ethnic minorities which aren't considered pure enough for the Islamic State. Obviously this is a group driven by poor ideals and convinced that evil means are justified in their pursuit of this perfect religious state.

But why should America be concerned? The Middle East is notorious for such violent and rapid political and religious uprisings. There has been a civil war in Syria for three years which we have found no reason to intervene with even though thousands of innocents have been slaughtered by the Assad regime in acts that have been ruled as war crimes. There was also the Israel-Gaza conflict that recently settled down. Why are we so worked up by ISIS? In his speech Obama mentioned that ISIS has successfully recruited Muslims from both Europe and the United States into its ranks. ISIS has also threatened the West and its leaders. It has uploaded executions of two American journalists to the internet as well. The government is convinced that this is a real threat.

Obama's plan consists of continuing his airstrikes on the group in Iraq and then moving them into Syria as seen necessary. This is opposed to sending any troops onto the ground. Air attacks will ensure a minimization in the loss of American troops. The airstrikes will likely increase the group's hatred toward the West. As of right now it makes no sense for ISIS to instigate violence on any grand scale against the US as that would surely lead to war. Nobody wants war with the US. If we begin to bombard them with airstrikes then an attack against the US will seem far more justifiable than before we began bombing. Unfortunately the bombings have been going on for weeks now and we may have already dug ourselves in a hole too deep.