Happy Reunions vs. Flagged-Draped Coffins

We've all seen them. Over and over again on our local news programming, network morning shows, CNN, MSNBC and especially Fox News. You Tube is jam-packed with them. Sentimental snippets of families reunited after a long tour of duty. Or maybe even pets and their service member owners.

No doubt, it's sweet. Who wouldn't be happy for loved ones reunited? Only the most calloused, heartless jackwagon among us.

But the question begs asking - what is the real purpose of those videos? Or at least the real effect?

The effect is that the only thing the average, over-worked, time-strapped citizen knows of war is those feel-good moments. It's likely the only reference to the ten plus years of war that the average citizen will receive in any given week.

The subconscious message is positive. Evoking positive feelings of family, country and our war efforts.

But, obviously, the reality of war is much different.

On average, one service member a day commits suicide. Up 17% from this time last year. The article goes on to say that prescription drug use has tripled. Add to these concerns joblessness, bankruptcy, foreclosure, divorce and medical issues such as PTSD and physical injury.

But, most importantly, in contrast to the heart-warming images of countless homecomings is the stark reality of flag-draped coffins. Coffins filled with human beings - sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends - killed in the line duty while fighting a war in a foreign country for reasons ill-defined and ever-changing. For ten years.

These types of images have always been tightly managed but since 2003, the start of the Iraq war, they have been much more restricted, subject to FOIA requests, law suits and redactions. See chronology here. The simple fact is the government does not want citizens to see these images.

Can you imagine the outcry if we were exposed to these images on a regular basis? Would we have been at war for so long? Sure, some may argue that military personnel deaths are announced through official channels and printed in the back pages of local papers. But those are just words on a page and, maybe, a picture of a proud, young, uniformed - live - service member taken when they are first enlisted. Again, evoking sentimentality and pride.

So, again, the question begs asking - what is the real purpose of these reunion videos? I submit that it is pure, unadulterated propaganda:

Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes.

As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda, in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus possibly lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda. Propaganda can be used as a form of political warfare.

So please, the next time you are forwarded one of these videos or it is submitted to your favorite social media site, please consider the real impact of it before you click or comment. Look at who may have submitted or forwarded it. Do you know them or is it a regular member? Look at the time-line of the submission. Is it associated with a spike in criticism or controversy with regard to the military? Ask yourself "Why?" they submitted it . Ask yourself - Are you enabling the war machine if you pass it on?

If far more people were dying, I'd be willing to go 100% along with you. Problem is that most people come home, and the reunion is heartwarming.

And considering how many of those same men coming home in those same videos think that we shouldn't be in the wars we are in now? Still not worried.

here's a very interesting analysis of the 'viral marketing' of these pro-military homecoming videos on reddit:

I feel like I'm the only one who notices this, but... I find this strange... not the video - the video is touching. But every few times a month a "Welcome Home Blog" video gets posted, hits the front page and it's always by an account that this is the singular submission. Then the person deletes the post and their account. For example, anyone remember the girl who said she just finished a debate and her dad came up on stage after having served a tour of duty? I mean... are we a part of some sort of experiment? It's just strange, man. Edit: Further investigation down below. edit 2: glad this got so much exposure. perhaps the reddit admins are more aware now and maybe write a response. another note - user dapperdanfan found the original post that first aroused my suspicions.

more at the link. it goes very deep!

www.reddit.com...

reply to post by stanguilles7


Thanks for that. It's a prime example of what I'm talking about.

In one of those reddit runs a member is quick to assert that this is all just very stealth viral marketing. Some of it may be, but not all of it - as not all of it is posted to you tube.

However, I have to even question that which may be linked to viral marketing as really being a way to kill two birds with one stone. Propaganda against U.S. citizens is currently prohibited but soon to be approved. Marketing however is the American way. Propaganda disguised as viral marketing is just pure genius/evil and a way to circumvent the law until it is changed. Get rich and control public opinion in the process.

reply to post by KillerQueen


I am one of those who tends to think it is more 'marketing' than an intentional campaign by the military. Mainly because so many of the websites that collect and post them are commercial sites that monetize their views via ad-space.

Of course, I get that one can easily argue that the military can be behind these sorts of sock-puppets as well,a nd that the cover of a e-business is something they could easily accomplish. just tend to think its more likely that the military just allows it to occur, all at the hands of the same sort of online marketers tht make money with all kids of scams and fads.

Regardless, you desire to get people to think before they just mindlessly forward something is a worthy cause.

reply to post by KillerQueen

Why should we show that?Isn't the world dark enough without showing them the losses?You yourself rail against the evils of war all the time again and again.yet there is nothing positive from it.Do you think we don't know about our dead? We are so ignorant as to believe all this constant slaughter is beneficial to the future of mankind?
I did it,I know.And so do all the rest of us.so no,you are wrong.
Hope is best served by trying to focus our thoughts ideas and dreams on life and wisdom.
Leave the darkness to we who have it in us,and I don't want to share it, just use it ,as carefully as I can.
You shouldn't learn it and I hope it dies with me.
That is what warriors want.