Event Title

Analysis of the Glorification of Warfare in American Media

Location

Diamond 223

Start Date

30-4-2015 2:00 PM

End Date

30-4-2015 2:25 PM

Project Type

Presentation

Description

Everywhere we go these days, we find it impossible to avoid the constant stream of militarized images and media that permeates our everyday life. On television, we see heroic depictions of American soldiers waging war with Americas enemies, both past and present. In video games, we even control the actions of these glorified soldier super-heroes. Even our sports and newscasts are constantly depicting images of soldiers, or comparing certain content to war. American media has fetishized and glorified soldiers and warfare. The images and media stream we have indulged in has led to this. We have, essentially and successfully, turned the horrors of war into entertainment, the likes of which has surged to the top of our ratings and box office rankings. But why? And how? What is it about our culture that drives us to consume such violent media and call it entertainment, and what is the result of this? Through literature review and moderate ethnographic research, I explore the reasoning behind why this phenomenon has occurred.

Faculty Sponsor

Winifred Tate

Sponsoring Department

Colby College. Anthropology Dept.

CLAS Field of Study

Social Sciences

Event Website

http://www.colby.edu/clas

ID

1702

Share

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Apr 30th, 2:00 PM Apr 30th, 2:25 PM

Analysis of the Glorification of Warfare in American Media

Diamond 223

Everywhere we go these days, we find it impossible to avoid the constant stream of militarized images and media that permeates our everyday life. On television, we see heroic depictions of American soldiers waging war with Americas enemies, both past and present. In video games, we even control the actions of these glorified soldier super-heroes. Even our sports and newscasts are constantly depicting images of soldiers, or comparing certain content to war. American media has fetishized and glorified soldiers and warfare. The images and media stream we have indulged in has led to this. We have, essentially and successfully, turned the horrors of war into entertainment, the likes of which has surged to the top of our ratings and box office rankings. But why? And how? What is it about our culture that drives us to consume such violent media and call it entertainment, and what is the result of this? Through literature review and moderate ethnographic research, I explore the reasoning behind why this phenomenon has occurred.

https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2015/program/223