slimpanzee

The media and Hollywood have also done a good job at glorifying war as well. Stop the bad guys and save man kind... and get the girl in the end, all the while jumping through explosions, saving small children, stopping terrorist attacks and just kickin' ass in general.

I also wonder what kind of effect video games have. Seems as though people forget that the real cost of war is human life... you can't hit re-start.

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Snowolf

Some of us have been there done that and got the Tee shirt. As an ex military member myself, I know the levels of brainwashing toward a particular mindset that goes on from the command level down through the ranks. Everything you have said is so typical of the brainwashing coming from within the military.

You make the accusation that we can`t know what is going on because we are not there in combat. Well, let me tell you a little something about being in theater on the ground. When in the thick of it, you do not have access to the bigger picture. Your world revolves around your unit and day to day tasks of survival and mission. There is no time to look at the situation from a global perspective. This is why the military has civilian leadership under our system of government. When things work correctly (as they have not for 8 years) our government and diplomats conduct foreign policy and if the military needs to be used it is controlled by those who have this broad view, not a field level myopic view of the situation.

In the case of this Gaza conflict, it is`nt your fight as a military member anyway. This is a situation between two parties that have both conducted their affairs badly, but Israel, who has done more never gets called on their bullshit. You blindly come to Israel`s defense as an emotional reaction without looking at the facts. And don`t give me the "media sucks" bullshit. If you have the IQ of a sack of door knobs, you can navigate the Internet to find the truth through multiple media as well as governmental outlets. If Brian Williams pisses you off, it is your responsibility to look for "better" news sources.

As for locking this thread, there is certainly no need to do that when the discussion going on has been educational and civil. It is you that cannot seem to handle any viewpoint that challenges the brainwashing you have received.

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Snowolf

One of the things that I find interesting is how we are somehow never supposed to be critical of the Israeli government for fear of being labeled an anti semmite. Everyone seems to fail to recognize that within Israel, not everyone agrees with their policies. Like us, they have many opinions about how their own government is acting. I get really tired of some people`s attitude that we can never speak bad about Israel. Bullshit, they are a nation like any other who does good and bad things. Just as I will be critical of my own nation when it strays, I will be critical of Israel when it acts ogreish.

There is more than one side to a coin. This video comes out of Israel and is highly critical of Ehud Olmert`s actions and those of the IDF.

CBC Video

Another fact check confirming Israel broke the cease fire:

Israel Breaks Cease Fire

Here is another side of this coin:
If American`s knew

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PaoloSmythe

i would love to... but without resorting to his ancient text of preference, Vlaze flails.

even efforts to make modern day parallels, to draw An ethical comparative thru modern expectations of morality fail to even garner comment.... and so what can i do?

i have tried to keep the minutae progressive; to avoid running in circles; i have even resisted dragging up the source of Israel's vast arsenal and impetous and yet....

this is true. but given his name and avatar (and i admit i presume much) i hope that what he lacks in 'lyrical composure', he compensates for thru sheer first hand experience.
silly terms of phrase aside, i wouldn't disregard him on 'presentation skills' alone.....

even if i do treat as i find and consequently reduce myself to a 'level'.

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PaoloSmythe

well so too has the IDF extolled this fiction of descrimating precision.

a recent film clip was released, alleging to show a laser guarded weapon following a 'terrorist vehicle', only for the laser dot being moved away from the desired target at the last moment, due to the jeep (seemingly being aware of its imminent doom) moving to 'hide' amoungst a crowd of 'innocent civilians'.

naturally this one cherry-picked clip of black and white vehicles and human figures filmed from on high, does everything necessary to relief the IDF of any suggestion that the hundreds of dead children thus far, were nothing more than unfortunate and highly regretable victims of Palestinian aggression.

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PaoloSmythe

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slimpanzee

^^^Not exactly what I meant, as this movie is making fun of the movies I was talking about. But funny none-the-less

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gezsweet

well, over the years I've seen various people from the arms manufacturers hype the latest weaponry they produce with video footage and simulations of their missiles being tested, with the emphasis always on ever greater destruction with ever greater accuracy, usually down to within a feet feet of the intended target, or so they claim.

such claims are later reinforced by military generals and other figures at the Pentagon, MoD, etc, when they produce footage of 'successful' bombing operations undertaken in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, etc, so it's difficult for me to be sure of just how accurate their missiles are.

that's like saying Marilyn Manson is to blame when some angsty teenagers in long coats decide to shoot up a school.. or when rap lyrics are responsible for a drive-by

slimpanzee

^^^I know you're saying it without intention of a debate, but I think my point was missed. I'm not blaming video games, I'm just wondering what effect they have on people's perspective of war and it's casualties. It's proven that long term exposure to certain media can skew ones perception on things. I would think a child that views murder movies, war movies and other crime type movies, will have a different outlook on things that a child that watched nothing but Adam Sandler and Will Ferrel. However, movies, unless watched over and over, tend not to occupy the amount of time video games do. People tend to play countless hours of video games. And when exposed to first person shooter war games at a young age, I wonder if that child's view on war becomes skewed from reality. Thinking that possibly the technology in the game is the same in real life, when in reality, you don't have weapons with that type of accuracy. Nor can one person take down an entire country and it's military.

I however, do not believe that it an excuse for bad behavior. At some point, one needs to be responsible for their own actions, and blaming it on a movie, media, or video game is ridiculous.

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PaoloSmythe

slimp - your fears sound like those coming from a parent whose child has recently shown / is about to show an interest in cert 18 video games like GTA etc...

the fears of desensitising children is at the heart of censorship and certification of games and films etc.... it serves as the basis for the banning of things like 'A clockwork orange'.

however, with this said, i do not think it is an unreasonable concern.

'A clockwork orang'e and more recently, 'reservoir dogs' were released for public viewing, with the overwhelming opinion being "what was the fuss all about?" to me, this serves as evidence to mass desensitisation.

for eg. can you imagine a film such as one of the 'Saw' movies ever being conceived, let alone made in the 1950s or 60s?

the emphasis is forever on 'more extreme' and as such, the boundaries of what is taboo get pushed further into the realms of the amoral.

for me though, as fearful as this ever spiralling situation might be, i simply see this as being more freedom, which demands greater personal responsibility. deviation from this, by acting 'irresponsible' ought to be punished by proportionally 'more extreme' methods

it is all called 'progression'. can you leave your front door unlocked like your parent's parent undoubtedly did?

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