War Zombies
My favorite computer game is “Civilization,” a world-building simulation game that starts you off as a wandering band of nomads and ends with you being the first civilization to build a starship. During the course of the millennia, you end up fighting a lot of wars against opposing nations. The game has within it the concept of war weariness, i.e., the longer you continue a war, the more and more unhappy your people are made by it. Eventually you have to increase your “luxuries”, build lots of coliseums & theatres or impose a more authoritarian form of government.
We are in the midst of a ten year war in Afghanistan. Sure, there is a “timeline” for leaving, but still, every week, scores of Americans, Canadians, Brits and half a dozen other nations’ soldiers die in a war that already has a schedule for ending… WTF?
Where is our war weariness? Are we so numbed by the theatres and coliseums? Are we being bribed by luxuries? I find it interesting to examine politics through the lens of my obsession with the Civilization game.
Sometimes, it feels like we’re a bunch of zombies. Brain-dead denizens of the night, enjoying our brain cocktails, watching our big screen TV’s and playing ukulele.
Speaking of ukulele, I had the day off today and I felt it was finally time to record a song with my new instrument. Sorry, SPK, this one isn’t the one I promised you yet. Instead, it is an anti-war song. “Zombie” by The Cranberries (1994). I learned that the song is about “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, but it’s applicable to any human conflict.
Maybe we aren’t exhibiting the war weariness we might otherwise because we aren’t really exposed to the horrors of this war. I wasn’t alive during Vietnam, but my understanding was that the social movement against that was in part because it was being broadcast into America’s living room every night. We see no such thing with Afghanistan though.
SO… Be forewarned, this video contains graphic images of the reality of war. What started off as a little ditty on the uke turned into something I feel is worthy of being the first thing I play on the new instrument. This took me all day; I christened the uke with anger, tears and grief.
Now, some might say, “but Joko! Even the Republicans are starting to come around to being against the war Afghanistan!”
True, but they’re doing so for fiscal reasons, not humanitarian ones. They care more about dollars than human lives.
Moving.
Thanks, Joko.
I think we are weary from not being heard.
The war machine learned a lot from the Viet Nam war. The media was left pretty much on its own. In both Afghanistan and Iraq the media was embedded with the troops so the military has control over what they can report on.
I admire you so much Joko. Not as much as i love my dog but damn close.
This was excellent Joko. Well done! 8)
I grew up with Vietnam. Frontline reporting and military death tolls during dinner, MIA/POW bracelets and dog tags as required fashion, draft dodgers, and every male high school senior wondering if he would make it to see his 21st birthday. Eventually everyone saw the stupidity of Vietnam because eventually it touched everybody. The wars we have today do not.
Our military today is volunteer or bought-and-paid-for soldiers. They haven’t been dragged kicking and screaming to boot camp. They didn’t have to try to find the money to run to Canada, get a deferment, or end up being shipped to some jungle against their will to possibly lose all sense of what sanity they may have had. Parents can still try to talk their children into not joining the service rather than spend their time praying that the phone won’t ring calling them in.
My father had served in the army during the Korean War but as far as Vietnam was concerned he swore that the military would not get his son even if he had to maim my brother to do it. I always thought that was a bit harsh, but looking back on Vietnam and seeing how the art of war has progressed since then I think I would be swearing the same. In my view, it wasn’t just the media coverage that turned us againt the Vietnam war, but also the fact that our children were being forced to serve and die. When it’s all volunteer it’s so much easier for everybody to just not think about it.
Great blog, by the way.
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Good job on the video!!!
I love Civilization too. I know it’s very simplified in comparison to real life, but it really gives you a good feel for the dynamics behind any society. I always tried to get started on religion fairly early into the game in order to keep citizens happier during times of war and also to be able to win over and absorb nearby enemy cities later in the game. I always enjoyed using telecommunications and culture to win territory instead of war. I think that’s where the USA really dropped the ball. We’re not exporting any weapons grade culture anymore and we’re starting to lose worldwide relevance because of it.
I am having a serious connection issue these day and am unable to see the vid. But I am not going to let that stop me from correcting some of the bits of misinfo that I do see. The Vietnam war was never broadcast directly into anyone’s home. What was broadcast however were daily updates from the area of conflict every single night of the week, every week of the month, every month of the year. If they had even shown a small iota of what was happening to the civilian population in Vietnam, it would have ended a lot sooner. There are documentaries that were made by German, Dutch, and Australian film makers that do show what I am talking about. Unfortunately I do not know any of the titles, directors or producers. But they are out there and they are really terrible to watch. Emphasis on the REALLY TERRIBLE.
But I do have something that I know no one here ever heard of before. So listen up.
There is a producer that I work with in New Mexico. IN addition to being very intelligent, and knowledgeable about all aspects of film making he is everything that you think the perfect gentleman should be. Well kept silver hair. trimmed beard. soft spoken, well manicured, classy dresser, the whole nine yards. He is in his early 60’s but easily can pass for 50. All together he is a kind human being who is very generous with his knowledge and is not afraid to get his hands dirty on a job. I am only trying to provide a contrast between him and what we normally associate with producer. In that context he is a genuinely unique individual.
But there is one obscenely nagging detail about this fellow that’s completely wrong. Its so wrong and noticeable in fact that no one ever dares to say a thing about it to him. Not even as a joke. On the side of his palm he has a tattoo. In big crude black letters where everyone can see. he has the words FUCK YOU tattooed there.
It had been a long tough job by the time we were getting around to having our crew wrap dinner and I happened to be sitting next to Alton when I finally cracked and had to ask him what was up with FUCK YOU on his hand.
He jumped up so fast and suddenly his chair shot out behind him and crashed into a table and he stood there and saluted me like I was some kind of general and yelled the “SIR YES SIR” thing right in my face attracting the attention of the entire restaurant as well as everyone on the crew. And then he quietly sat back down, smiles, and says,
“It kept me out of the war. They could not have a soldier who said FUCK YOU to any officer every single time he ever saluted them.”
Mate, I’ve been war-weary since I was eight years of age…
(I loved Civilization too…haven’t played it for a while.)
Yeah, we have an all volunteer military today, but they focus recruitment in our poorest neighborhoods, where the kids don’t see any other way out
Perhaps the G.O.P. are more against our Afghanistan adventure now because of business-as-usual partisan politics?
This issue you raise is just one of a number of reasons I am of the statistical zero percent of political dissidents in The U.S.A. that instead supports various alternative political parties.