The IDF and the Media

           In my American Anti-War Literature class, we had a speaker from the Israeli army come present how the media had an effect on his life as a soldier. While the class itself tended to be more left-wing, this particular Israeli soldier was particularly conservative. He had an interesting take on the ethics of war, efficiency vs. morality, and the civilian’s role in the greater scheme of things. He presented both sides to all the issues he reported, and clearly noted when he was giving his own opinion.

               He was extremely adamant when describing the detrimental ramifications of the media on the larger Israeli army and strategy as well as the more specific psychological and emotional state of individual soldiers themselves. He included a powerpoint with several pictures he found online and on mainstream media outlets. He proceeded to ask us what it looked like, and then followed by giving us what really happened. The first  picture really resonated with me. It looked as if a soldier was pointing his gun at a young child. However, he used several ways to explain how that was in actuality not the case. For example, the way his finger is placed on the gun shows that he is not in the active position to shoot. Furthermore, you’re never supposed to hold your gun down while you’re in the army. Also, children are often used to transfer weapons or bombs and the soldier, if he’s doing his job, should absolutely be on the defense. There are several pictures in this powerpoint that tell very different stories from what they first appear to say. 

                Throughout this class, there was a more positive tint on anti-war writing. Because war used to be so glorified and sugar-coated, it was considered relatively progressive to describe the reality of its horrors. Perhaps, however, the media has taken it too far. Perhaps, they are trying too hard to provide their readers with some mind-blowing reality, that they are actually misconstruing it? This slideshow attests to that at any rate.

 Here is the link below:
PowerPoint of IDF Pictures