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| [Apr 30, 2012, 09:51 am ET] - Share - Viewing Comments |
CNET Australia - Anders Breivik, video games and the militarisation of society.
Both critics and supporters of games and gaming, it seems, are unable or unwilling to address the big picture: that Western societies are undergoing a process of militarisation.
Militarisation is the social process through which societies are organised in ways that allow for the production of violence. According to the feminist writer Cynthia Enloe, militarisation describes a process through which individuals come to view militaristic ideas and military needs as being significant and the norm.
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| 27. |
Re: Op Ed |
Apr 30, 2012, 20:25 |
eunichron |
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jdreyer wrote on Apr 30, 2012, 19:57:
Also, the author missed a big opportunity to look at empirical data. This chart shows that conflicts between countries are on the rise, yet the number of deaths from those conflicts is falling. What to make of that?
I would chalk that up to more advanced weaponry (guided munitions; laser and GPS specifically, as well as advanced reconnaissance and visual systems like infrared and thermal). It's much easier to pinpoint a strike with less error today than it was 10-15 years ago. In addition to that battlefield medical technology. We learned a lot about battlefield medical treatment in the 90s with the first Gulf War and especially Somalia, almost all of our current military medical treatment knowledge comes from direct study and analysis of what happened in Mogadishu. As a result more soldiers survive engagements, but there is also a higher ratio of permanently injured, disabled, and amputee soldiers. It's a never-ending cycle, the best business a corporation can get is a government contract, and right now the money is in the military and law enforcement sector.
What pains me is that while this article purports that video games are militarizing our society, as a veteran who has been home for 5 years it seems to me that the public is increasingly distancing itself from our military, and I know I'm not the only one that feels that way. I saw a recent editorial in the Washington Post that said, "One percent of the nation has carried almost all the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while the rest of us essentially went shopping. When the wars turned sour, we could turn our backs." The editorial was an argument for bringing back the draft, which I don't agree with, but that line right there was a point that really hit home for me. |
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