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Anybody's Son (or Daughter) WIll Do - Ed Jewett - 22-04-2010
A preamble:
I chose to put this here in its own thread for a specific reason. It adds to and follows on a discussion in the thread about the WikiLeaks video which showed scenes of war and the question naturally arose as to how people can be brought to a situation in which they are soldiers, or murderers. I thought the question was universal enough -- given multiple incidents, histories of Operation Phoenix, various discussions about psychology, brain-washing, mind control and the like, and the "endless" war we are told we must fight and which looks to be looming on the horizon in many places on the globe. There are no doubt songs that come to mind such as "Universal Soldier" etc. but I'll refrain.
The post comes in two parts. First, is the short piece found at Cryptogon. The second part is the expansion from CounterCurrents which I copied out to an MS Word document for ease and re-posting elsewhere. It involves video, and the link is available or the actual six segments are available at the primary source link. I did not take the time to "lift out" the YouTube links for each of the six segments.
Here, then, without further delay:
Anybody’s Son Will Do
April 22nd, 2010 Or daughter, as you’ll see if you watch the film.
Via: Counter Currents:
The film shows the process by which young men become psychologically engineered to kill or die on command. While the model used is the U.S. Marine Corps, it’s made clear that the modern techniques for creating soldiers are refined, dehumanizing and universal.
Anybody's Son Will Do
By Bill Willers
20 April, 2010
Opednews.com
In 1983, the National Film Board of Canada produced a 57-minute film, "Anybody's Son Will Do". Arguably the best anti-war film ever made, and tailored for public television, it scared the hell out of the U.S. military machine, which has done its best to "disappear" it. For years it has been nearly impossible to find a copy, but some kind soul has posted it on YouTube where it can be seen in six segments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DShDaJXK5qo
The film shows the process by which young men become psychologically engineered to kill or die on command. While the model used is the U.S. Marine Corps, it's made clear that the modern techniques for creating soldiers are refined, dehumanizing and universal.
Military forces will take boys as young as the law allows, as witness African militias that, unrestrained by regulation, recruit children as young as ten. People into their twenties, having begun to think for themselves to too great a degree, tend not to be sufficiently malleable. In the U.S., recruitment below age 17 is not legal. However, as war has become ever more computerized, need is growing for tech-savvy recruits who can kill coolly and indiscriminately from great distances, as if playing video games. The military has become very good at video games.
What this leads to in the real world is exemplified by this recently publicized footage of the slaughter by U.S. military of 12 civilians. The video has been a much-needed awakening for many. But as distressing as the carnage itself is the callousness with which the people go about their work: "Alright, hahaha, I hit 'em... Nice, good shooting.... Thanks"
http://www.collateralmurder.com/
AsGlenn Greenwald has correctly declared, the tragedy of this is that it's not aberration but commonplace. What is unusual is that this particular episode was made public. http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/39266
What is also tragic is that it represents precisely what the U.S. military wants to make of recruits who will be
reeducated -- brainwashed -- to see it as manly, patriotic, heroic. And what youngsterwith percolating hormones, negligible life experience and no basis for critical thought doesn't want to be like that?
Go to http://www.americasarmy.com/ and click on "America's Army Graphic Novel" to see what age group and level of education the Pentagon is aiming for. The "novels" are 28-page comics with text bubbles over GI Joe action figures and brightly colored noise representations: "KRR-AKK", "BLAM", "RATATATAT, CHAKA CHACKA CHAK...".
And now with their arcades open to the public, the military has its foot in the door of the minds of younger children who, if asked, would likely insist they can tell the difference between video games and reality.
click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/world/americas/05iht-army.1.19086159.html
As for "Anyone's Son Will Do", DVDs of it should be in every junior high and high school in the country. Parent-teacher associations should have screenings. With any luck, it might get us headed toward a day when a common sight will be bumper stickers "Support Our Peace Makers".
Bill Willers is emeritus professor of biology, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh now living in Middleton, WI. He is founder of Superior Wilderness Action Network (SWAN) and editor of Learning to Listen to the Land and Unmanaged Landscapes, both from Island Press. He posts occasionally online at OpEdNews, Common Dreams, Counterpunch and Dissident Voice.
The article has the six segments of the video embedded here:
http://www.countercurrents.org/willers200410.htm