By: Rory Zeman

Culture Editor

War, one of the largest causes of death and destruction throughout human history, is also one of the biggest markets for entertainment. Although such media — whether it be movies, shows, or games — grants people exciting, inspirational, and intense stories, it also gives them watered-down, falsified, and exaggerated narratives that depict violence in a positive light. Essentially, violence itself becomes a market. Firearms, shooter games, war movies, superhero franchises — consumers love it all. However, what sort of problems accompany this new age of violence? People, along with mass media, need to stop glorifying war, as this glorification only incites global violence, desensitizes people to brutality, and causes people to scapegoat entire groups of people.

People glorifying war and weapons only warrants more violence. For instance, in the 20th century, propaganda in the media generated nationalistic, pro-conflict fervor among Americans. Specifically, the consistent showcase of new nuclear arms and the prideful reports of American heroism in proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam highlight the use of media by the US government to elicit pro-war sentiment among Americans. This nationalism encouraged US involvement in numerous foreign conflicts, including the Afghan-Soviet War, the Ethiopian Civil War, and the many civil wars in Yemen. During these wars, the public openly supported the US-backed group against the villainous communists, which is what the media often portrayed them as. Even movies like Oppenheimer showcase the scientific weight that the development of the atomic bomb had on global affairs, implicitly glorifying a weapon of mass destruction, which escalated the already growing arms race among world powers.

It is also important to note how the glorification of war can desensitize people to the level of human suffering that results from large-scale violence. According to the American Psychological Association, “exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior.” Although these forms of entertainment may appear to pose an insignificant threat, in reality, they can damage how people, especially young people who have not been exposed to more realistic adaptations of violence, perceive war and its horrific ramifications. These war-glorifying games cause players to get the wrong idea about war, often making it out to be a sort of competition, and because of this, the players themselves become violently competitive.

Finally, glorifying war against certain groups can cause people to target entire groups rather than guilty individuals. For instance, after 9/11, Americans became much more involved in Middle Eastern affairs, often committing atrocities on innocent people. For example, the US established a government in Afghanistan and had a strong military presence there up until 2021. However, the US withdrawal from the country in 2021 left the Afghani people to fight for themselves against the extremist Taliban group, which swiftly took over the country and killed thousands of civilians. War movies and propaganda depicting Americans as innocent heroes defending their country from Muslim terrorists only magnified the issue. As people glorify their role in a war, they tend to villainize the people they are fighting. For instance, films like American Sniper and The Dictator portray North African and Middle Eastern people as ridiculous and barbaric, only amplifying American Islamophobia. After American Sniper’s release, many American Twitter users took to the app to express their pride in American veterans and their hatred of Muslims. According to BBC, The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee wrote a letter to Director Clint Eastwood and star actor Bradley Cooper addressing their concerns, stating, “the majority of the violent threats we have seen over the past few days are the result of how Arab and Muslims are depicted in American Sniper.” Films that glorify American involvement in opposing countries can evoke sentiments of white saviorism and racism. 

Although war and violence surround people in the mainstream media, it is important to have a true grasp of the death and destruction that war truly embodies. It is necessary to understand that war is not what the media makes it out to be and that its glorification can lead to more violence, aggressive behavior, and unfair targeting of certain groups. 

(Sources: APA, BBC, CNN, IMDB)