GoArmy?

[drewbear]

The GoArmy commercials really tend to bug me. Not because they're recruiting for the Army; I respect people who choose to join. What bugs me is the subtle message that NOT joining the Army means you're not a "real man" (it's always guys who join up in these commercials, you notice).

The first one shows this fresh-faced kid in his greens (not full formal, but more than everyday wear. I dunno what the outfit is called), probably right out-of-boot-camp sitting on a porch with his father. And dad looks over at son and tells him "When you got off that train, you did two things that you'd never done at the same time before. You shook my hand. And you looked me straight in the eye." So the implication is that sonny-boy wasn't a grown-up, wasn't an equal to his father until he joined the Army.

The other one that chafes my ass is the one where the (presumably high schooler) is trying to convince his dad to let him join the Army Reserve. His argument basically consists of "it's not the real Army, Dad! I won't get deployed unless we join an endless war that chews up troops and spits them out, creating an insatiable demand for more bodies!" And when dad finally caves a little and asks whether the training will be good, Son simply replies "It's the Army" with a "duh!" left unsaid at the end.

The one that really bothers me, though, is the one with the black kid and his mother. Basically, Kid is joining for the sign-on bonus and Mom is afraid for her son's safety. It's the most true-to-life of the 3 I mention here and sadder for it because, to me, it reveals the kind of financial desperation that enters (but not necessarily dominates) the decision that a lot of these kids make. A "real man" takes care of his family, after all.

Again, I have a great deal of respect for the men and women who choose to join the military and protect our country, but I find some of the advertising and recruitment methods that the military (the Army in particular) uses to be disturbing.

Comments

[conner24.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Besides, the Air Force pwns the army *Former Air Force Brat*.

[drewbeartx.livejournal.com]

Navy brat, m'self.

[cubhaystack.livejournal.com]

I hate the slogan. "Army of One." Gives the "I can do what an entire branch of the military can do on my own without anyone's help, so don't offer me your crap help because I'm in the Army and I'm an army of one, bitch," vibe to me.

[drewbeartx.livejournal.com]

Oh, my dad HATES that slogan. He's ex-Navy and knows that joining the military, any branch, is about being part of something larger and stronger than the individual. You may have unique skills, but they're always used as part of a larger group.

[fattastic.livejournal.com]

Being a former Navy man, I hate all of the military commercials. They need to tell the truth of what joining the military is all about. Don't get me wrong because I loved the Navy and I loved the education I got. I only went in the Navy because of the Nuclear Power program. I didn't want to go to college but I did want to travel.

[johniebgoodin.livejournal.com]

I spent a fair amount of time last year explaining to youngsters who were reaching out for opinions (and more than one shocked parent) the realities of military life, with the "improvements" added by Rumsfeld. I am happy to say all who responded later said "I'm gonna consider other alternatives." (not all of them non-military; 'I'll finish school, maybe a ROTC commission, then go.')

The ads, by and large, are wicked and desperate lies; the recruiters' promises carefully worded and omitting more than they say: caveat emptor. I feel for them, though: dedicated professionals who want to serve where it's toughest because they have certain gifts, being used by wicked and cynical people. It's them I truly despise: Cheney, Rumsfeld, GWB, Kristol, Perle, Wolfowitz: agh!