The term "embedded" has become a kind of signature term for this era of conflict. Journalists use it to refer to their status alongside military personnel in covering the conflict. As the conflict has continued, however, the number of "embedded" journalists has dwindled.
In the meantime, however, war has become more staunchly "embedded" in the fabric of our society.
During the Vietnam conflict, Hollywood and TV production companies shied away from portraying the conflict. Unlike WWII, when movies were enlisted to serve the cause, the Vietnam conflict saw the pointed avoidance of rendering the war for audiences---the war was, however, a staple of TV news reporting on a regular basis.
In fact, one could argue that much more of the war in Vietnam was "witnessed" by the home front through the news crews and reporters who put themselves in the center of it.
Ask yourself when was the last time you saw footage of the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts on mainstream US media?
I will bet that you can't remember the last time.
A decided shift from the way that the endless war in Vietnam was portrayed.
But there is another shift.
Hollywood and TV, it seems, do want to portray our current conflicts. From Fahrenheit 911 to Generation Kill, In the Valley of Elah to Control Room, movies and TV shows have been turned out in a steady stream.
Fictional and non-fictional portrayals, along with war memoirs, war blogs, and a host of other war-related products have been made available.
So what gives with this?
In 2003, Michael Moore uttered the first truly public statements against the invasion of Iraq when he accepted his Academy Award for best documentary.
He said (in part):
"I have invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us, and we would like to — they're here in solidarity with me because we like nonfiction.
We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times.
We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president.
We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons.
Whether it's the fictition of duct tape or fictition of orange alerts we are against this war, Mr. Bush.
Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you."
Fiction. Interesting.
Perhaps one effect of the embedding of war in our culture is that we can see it as fiction. A story. A narrative. A play.
We can watch it. And shake our heads.
But in the end, we "consume" the war story. It is part of us.
In the meantime, however, war has become more staunchly "embedded" in the fabric of our society.
During the Vietnam conflict, Hollywood and TV production companies shied away from portraying the conflict. Unlike WWII, when movies were enlisted to serve the cause, the Vietnam conflict saw the pointed avoidance of rendering the war for audiences---the war was, however, a staple of TV news reporting on a regular basis.
In fact, one could argue that much more of the war in Vietnam was "witnessed" by the home front through the news crews and reporters who put themselves in the center of it.
Ask yourself when was the last time you saw footage of the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts on mainstream US media?
I will bet that you can't remember the last time.
A decided shift from the way that the endless war in Vietnam was portrayed.
But there is another shift.
Hollywood and TV, it seems, do want to portray our current conflicts. From Fahrenheit 911 to Generation Kill, In the Valley of Elah to Control Room, movies and TV shows have been turned out in a steady stream.
Fictional and non-fictional portrayals, along with war memoirs, war blogs, and a host of other war-related products have been made available.
So what gives with this?
In 2003, Michael Moore uttered the first truly public statements against the invasion of Iraq when he accepted his Academy Award for best documentary.
He said (in part):
"I have invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us, and we would like to — they're here in solidarity with me because we like nonfiction.
We like nonfiction and we live in fictitious times.
We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president.
We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons.
Whether it's the fictition of duct tape or fictition of orange alerts we are against this war, Mr. Bush.
Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you."
Fiction. Interesting.
Perhaps one effect of the embedding of war in our culture is that we can see it as fiction. A story. A narrative. A play.
We can watch it. And shake our heads.
But in the end, we "consume" the war story. It is part of us.