Military Recruitment and Hollywood
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Help me make more videos!
/ popdetective
The sequel to the 1996 mega-blockbuster "Independence Day" hit theaters this summer but there was something a little strange about many of the trailers. What looks like a clever marketing campaign centered on joining the fictional "Earth Space Defense" was actually a cross-branded recruitment tool for the US Army. It’s part of a multi-million dollar joint advertising venture between 20th Century Fox and the United States Military.
PATREON
This video was made possible by support from viewers like you! If you’d like to see more videos focusing on the intersections of entertainment, politics and masculinity, please head over to my Patreon page and help fund this web series:
/ popdetective
PAYPAL
If you'd rather make a one-time donation you can do that via PayPal:
www.paypal.me/...
SOURCES:
• U.S. Army Using Independence Day as a Propaganda Tool
www.esquire.com...
• List on US military interventions since World War II
williamblum.or...
• Infographic of US interventions in Latin America
knowmore.washin...
• How Many Countries is the U.S. Currently Bombing?
• Video
• U.S. Escalates a Shadow War In Somalia
www.nytimes.com...
• McCann Worldgroup’s Lisa Nocella on NPR
www.npr.org/201...
• US Army spends 200 million per year on advertising
adage.com/artic...
• Only 15% of military recruits get the promised college degree
www.alternet.or...
• Soldiers Forced to Repay Enlistment Bonuses After Going to War
www.latimes.com...
• National Coalition for the Homeless - Veterans Facts
www.nationalhom...
• Sexual Assault in the Military - Fact Sheet
www.protectourd...
• Suicide rate of U.S. veterans rose one third since 2001
www.reuters.com...
• Military refused to assist on original Independence Day
www.motherjones...
• US Navy collaboration on Battleship movie
www.washingtont...
• X-Men cross-promotion with US Army
www.salon.com/2...
• History of Military collaborations with Hollywood
www.washington...
• Hollywood and the Pentagon: A relationship of mutual exploitation
america.aljazee...
RECOMMENDED READING:
• An Ordinary Person's Guide To Empire by Arundhati Roy
• War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges
• Killing Hope by William Blum
• Rogue States: The Rule of Force in World Affairs by Noam Chomsky
• Propaganda and the Public Mind by Noam Chomsky
• Necessary Illusions by Noam Chomsky
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
The Pop Culture Detective Agency is a brand new video series that looks at media through a critical lens with an emphasis on depictions of men and masculinity in movies, television, comic books and video games. / popdetective
Full text transcript available here:
popculturedetec...
COMMENTS
TH-cam comments are closed due to harassment of this channel. If you would like to participate in constructive online conversations about this video, please share it on your social media networks, or join other supporters on Patreon, where backers-only discussion threads are provided for each new video.
/ popdetective
FAIR USE
All multimedia clips included in this video constitute a 'fair use' of any copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of U.S. Copyright law, which allows for criticism, comment and scholarship.
Learn more about fair use with this awesome app by New Media Rights! newmediarights....
CREDITS
Writer/Producer: Jonathan McIntosh
Motion Graphics: Jonathan McIntosh
Logo Design: Justin McIntosh
Music: Jonathan Mann
/ jonathanmann
![[TH] VALORANT Champions Seoul - Grand Final - EDG vs TH](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvObMc9VelI/mqdefault.jpg)
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 76 | คู่เอก "ผึ้งหลวง vs สมิงดำ"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9SBshmGQOIM/mqdefault.jpg)
As a German who had no idea about these advertisement strategies employed by the US army, even less that they advertise the military at all beyond a few posters or pamphlets, this is honestly shocking and frightening.
This video is a great example of why the US Military budget is so ludicrously high. It's essentially America's most profitable industry. It also explains why free college tuition is being fought against, seeing as it's the main bartering tool for military enlistment.
I recently turned sixteen, and now about 50% of my targeted ads on TH-cam are for the military.
Even worse, they specifically market it like a video game, one phrase that stuck in my head is, "Learn real life pro strats"
the x-men ad is so insulting to the idea of what x-men should represent.
This literally looks like a Black Mirror episode
Scrolling through the comments and genuinely surprised by how civil they are...
Evening!
mysundrop He explained in the comment section of another video how he mods the comment sections so that it isn't flooded by angry man-children. It's a good thing imo, it makes the comment section still have civil discourse without it turning into an openly hostile enviroment that detracts from the video itself.
speaking as a female veteran, i really appreciate your honesty here. this shit is sinister beyond belief.
The things he's saying about the US army is something the rest of the world is very very aware of. The US economy and status in power is very much tied in with their military and wars.
I've seen so many ads lately that make life in the military look like a call of duty game. Freaking sinister is what that is.
I like how they played "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival on the trailer, a song written to show disdain towards the Vietnam War and war in general.
The ad of the college kids playing videogames is highly disturbing. It's so dehumanized. It makes us forget that you are killing other humans or, they are often helping victimized people. I don't know why they don't try to advertise humanitarian efforts if they want to clean up their image
Army propaganda: "help us stop these vastly more powerful enemies invading us!"
Army reality: "help us with invading these vastly less powerful enemies"
The dehumanization of the ennemy is the whole plot of an episode of Black Mirror. Would love to hear your thoughts about it !
I saw the Black Mirror episode you are talking about. So chilling and on-point, so much so that it was actually hard to watch. Good stuff.
Indeed, like most of the episodes ! But do you think that something close to this could ever happened ? Or is already ? Drones for example, are a crucial part of the modern warfare and all is done to dehumanize the targets. "Good Kill" scratched the surface but maybe it was paid by the military also ? I also remember that they wanted to put Xbox controllers in tanks, do you think this was to emphasize that it was just a game or they really were better performances from the soldiers ? Sorry for all those questions, I'm not from the US :)
There's something skin crawlingly sinister about hearing a military ad with a growly film trailer voice-over. Ugh.
Great video.
Is this why whoever the current enemy the U.S was/is at the time was/is portrayed as evil villains in certain Hollywood films. For example, for a while, the villains were mainly Russian/Eastern European, and now a lot of them are Middle Eastern?
I swear that ad of the dad talking about his daughter going into the army, I straight up thought that was just a regular military ad
"And we have a word for when the government does this kind of thing.......and that word is propaganda"
Living in England I had no idea that Independence day 2 had this marketing campaign and I can genuinely say It's really fucked up
#PAPERCLIP So many veterans I know from working as a receptionist at a free health clinic hate this sort of advertising with a passion. Glorifying any form of war is disengenous at best
When I was in high school, the army had us take one of their aptitude tests. They made it seem like it was as big a deal as the SAT. I scored a 96 and got bombarded with army recruitment mail. I never signed up and always threw it away.
I would hope most people who are thinking of joining the military would do their own research and ask veterans and current active duty and reservist members what it's like to be in the military. Most people who join won't end up seeing combat and serve in support roles, where they won't be doing what most war movies depict. That does not mean that you can't be sent to a war zone. My cousin had to go to Afghanistan and while he never had to shoot or be shot at, a mortar round fell 100 yards from him and that was the scariest moment in his life. Saving Private Ryan depicts war in a much more realistic and horrific way.
To all the people who don't like John, it's alright to disagree with him, but please do it in a much more constructive manner and don't resort to name calling or personal insults.
I was trying to watch TH-cam and clean my house. This channel is too captivating. Now I'm sitting down, and my house is a mess.
Dude, your videos are incredible. You're so insightful and articulate, and you're going after some really tricky subjects with strong and calm arguments. Nice job.
Thanks!
feels like that ep of black mirror where that follow that soldier & make them think they're fighting aliens when its actually people
Thank you for speaking about something difficult that a lot of people would get defensive against. I was very creeped out by the constant use of military logos in Independence day advertisement and the blending of real world and fantasy.
I served 4 years in the Navy and it was not the sci-fi spectacle it is made out to be in fiction, though as a lesser income first generation american it did open the door for me to go to college without crippling debt. You're very right that the military does do a lot to cover up the sexual violence within it, they're investing very heavily in programs to eliminate sexual violence, but the fact is that it is very prevalent. Thank you for being critical while being respectful and opening up a dialogue that many would find taboo with how intense and insidious recruitment tactics can be.
Joining should be a choice based on facts, not on manipulation.
I wish the american people could understand the way most of the world sees them, especially the way their military behaves. In their own country, soldiers are depicted as heroes, but around the world, we all see their horrible crimes and what they do in the middle east especially, but nobody has the actual military strength to oppose them...
i always say that college will never be free because the govt needs soldiers.
"The American army has been defending American independence for over 241 years"... And defending against the independence of our Economic interests for almost as long.
I've always thought it was bizarre to compare real combat to video games... Especially because these kids get the impression they'll be the main character and not the cannon fodder that are dying all around them in these games.
Aside from some very manipulative recruiting tactics though it takes a strong person to go through with the training and combat and you have to admire that.
Thank you for calling out the military targeting of lower income teens with the promise of free school.
The high school I went to was the poorest in our district and located in a lower income neighborhood of AZ's West Valley. Unsurprisingly, that meant we had a decent number of low income students.
Our counselor office had ads for the military plastered everywhere. Our primary and best funded elective opportunity was JROTC. And where middle class students were typically encouraged to go to university, the poorer ones were pushed to enlist. Community college and trade school options were rarely if ever mentioned. I don't think any of this was a coincidence.
So this is why all Americans love the military? I've always found that very strange, the way nobody want's to talk bad things about the American military in American media.
This is one of those things you probably see more clearly as a Canadian watching American films. Some of them really do just look like commercials for America (and what red-blooded American doesn't want to join THE FORCES!!!?). I had no idea how deep it ran with ad campaigns and the like though. Gross.
When I was living in Ireland, I kept getting ads for the British military (Spotify is terrible at making the difference between the ROI and the UK). They also avoided talking about what exactly does the army need you for, only focused on the salary and the 'sense of belonging' complemented by the pleasant sound of a pint being poured. I think no army on this planet would have a single recruit if they were actually upfront about what they do and what your life will be as a soldier.
This... this isn’t marketing. this is propaganda
No wonder most veterans come back disillusioned, angry and with anti-army opinions, especially as the veterans are usually left with no support after an injury or just trying to find what is their place in society. Must be a shock if you have only heard the politicians high praise propaganda, while the reality of a veteran is usually left to survive alone with little to no support... I've heard so many accounts of former soldiers telling their story from what was sold to them, that they are some sort of "liberators", but find that nobody really wants them there, except Exxon. Or how many soldiers are wondering why they, the usually poor Americans (of the U.S) are over seas killing other poor people for the benefit of not national security, but the security of economic systems.
U.S. Army veteran here. I agree with some of the creepiness of the military's newest version of advertising and that it's becoming more and more indistinguishable from our entertainment. I'm not the biggest fan of essentially fooling people into signing up for enlistment.
If you know what you are getting into ahead of time, then I don't think there is anything wrong with making the choice to join. I was fortunate. I grew up in a rural farming town that had a pretty good number of Korea and Vietnam era veterans who were able to honestly talk to me about what military life would be like. I still compared what I could look forward to by staying in my hometown versus taking a risk with military service to get a chance to go to college and I decided that the Army was worth it. Seeing how my hometown has panned out since 2004 has reinforced my beliefs.
I won't sugarcoat it. The U.S. government has done some awful things via the military around the world. And, service in the military is still not what it's made out to be in the movies. While I was serving, I occasionally joked that, in terms of long-term career advancement, it was better to be a rapist than overweight. But, I honestly wouldn't be where I am today without their help. For all their faults, I'm grateful for my experience. I know that my experience was also rare, and some people are chewed up and spit out by a pretty uncaring system. Just about everyone I served with that I've kept up with (that didn't retire after 20 years and get the lifetime payments) had a rough time at first when they got out, and a lot of them still haven't fully made it yet.
I wish it could be different. A lot of these young men and women served honorably and don't deserve to carry around the baggage that they do because some people in positions of power don't have a fundamental understanding of the value of human life. Thank you for bringing this one up. I think some of the younger people who view your content will be helped by being clued in on what you're saying.
I've been extremely defiant of institutions since a teen, I've been an anarchist for years, and still, _still_ I was shocked when I learnt that a 1/3 of American homeless people are veterans.
It's like each time I imagine there's a boundary to where governments or other big organisations are prepared to go, I learn that they crossed it years ago.
I assumed that those ads were supposed to be parodies of the actual US military advertisements, since the style of them in every aspect looks JUST LIKE actual US military advertisements. Turns out... it's actually because they really are US army advertisements.
WHAAAAAAT?!?! A video about the U.S. military that's negative and unapologetically critical?! It sounds like a beautiful fever dream...
Fuck. Just watched three of your vids in a row. One of my new favourite channels. Lots of stuff I've thought about before but expressed so succinctly and really well backed up with analysis!
Mind. Blown. This should be required viewing at public schools.
Not even a minute into the video, and there is some *potent* irony in a trailer for a movie that's basically a feature-length military ad campaign using "Fortunate Son", of all goddamn songs...
oh my god, i'm canadian and the only time i've ever been told about military recruitment was one time in highschool. but those ads looked like the kind of thing you'd just... see on tv. i'd heard about the united states pushing military enlistment, but i honestly never expected it to be... like this.
Don't listen to the recruitment video. If you wanna grow up to be an X-Man, be weird and stay in school.
Military recruiters are salesmen, more like used car salesmen. Most don’t really care about you personally. In my college days I try to sign up for the Air National Guard. I did the recruitment paperwork, got all way up to the enlistment processing and the physical, but before I started the process I watched a video that encouraged those signing up to be truthful about the questions they were going to be asked. I literally saw a film about “your life going up in flames” if you lied to the military. I went through the process told the truth and was excused from service for medical reasons. When I return to my recruiter with my paperwork he was very disappointed and he asked me why did I tell them about my medical history? Seriously 😳....? Because they asked and I wasn’t going to lie about it, that’s why. Considering what I’ve learned about military life for women through the years, and after talking to my Vietnam veteran father, maybe the military was not for me and I dodged a bullet that day. Sometimes the truth CAN set you free.
wait the usa has ADS for the army? And here I thought america couldnt look more dystopian beyond their ironic claims of "independence" and "freedom"
A big part of Army propaganda is making it look exciting, but every war vet i have ever met says their service was always either really scary, really frustrating, or really boring.
Thank you, thank you ONE THOUSAND TIMES THANK YOU. Honestly, military involvement in private media companies need to be outlawed. Propaganda is not okay. Thanks for saying so.
Full offence, America's relationship with their army/navy is so fucked up. Like how can they glorify the troops and war so much on one hand and then take so horrible care of them on the other?
Also, the thing said in the video, that it is always a point that the army fights for America's freedom, is something that has personally ticked me off for so long. Like, do people actually believe that? That the wars in the Middle East are somehow preserving the "freedom" in America? It is absolutely ludicrous and dare I say not done anywhere else in the western world.
I've lived in Germany the past 10 years and while there of course are ads for the Bundeswehr they in no way glorify the act of war as much as the shown American ones. One could argue that that is a byproduct of Germany's history but I've lived in the Netherlands before and there the ads also are not at all focused on war.
I was surprised that the video didn't mention Starship Troopers satire on this form of propaganda. funny, that the US Army took Starship Troopers as a guidebook. Great analysis here! thank you.
Isn't really ironic for them to use the song "Fortunate Son" in the trailer? Like, in the same way it was ironic for Reagan to use "Born in the USA" in his campaigns?
The irony being the coolest soldier charecter in the movie was a guerilla fighter from Africa. A type of soldier who fight against american forces worldwide.
I almost signed up. Had the pen in my hand, and idealistic hopes for being that sorta soldier who would be the "actual good guy" like Private Joker in Full Metal Jacket. Standing up for the abused and causing change from the inside out. Even had a background in photography and was ready to give my presumptuous superior officers tons of snark and cryptic commentaries on the Duality of Man,
But soon realized I'd probably just piss everyone off and get shot in the back by my own troops.
I put the pen back down.
I don't have anything to add. Good video. I think the part about military recruiters is particularly important. Back in my home town the way people talk about military opportunities vs the reality is a stark contrast.
This makes me appreciate Pacific Rim so much more. In that, Guillermo Del Toro refused to make his otherwise escapist fantasy of giant monsters duking it out with giant mecha a two hour recruitment ad.
Also, the MonsterVerse which showcases just how worthless the military is against animals the size of buildings by either showcasing them having no effect against the Titans, or their efforts to kill them just flat-out pissing them off.
I appreciate this video. It's based on established facts that intern support the opinion that the military is using propaganda and manipulative advertising to get people to enlist.
My sister is part of the military police and she HATES it when she sees the military glorified like that.
Fun fact, in the original novel the marines did not show up to cleanly rescue the remaining survivors. Instead, they doused the island with napalm.
For some reason, I automatically thought about the first Half Life game. Where the U.S military are unquestionably the bad guys acting out mass-murder on all these scientists (who thought they were about to be rescued) for the sake of discretion and display toxic behaviour. Think of the scene where Freeman is captured by a couple soldiers, who choose to maliciously kill him rather than continue with their orders. Made even more interesting by how at one point, the game was censored so that the American soldiers were replaced by robots. So as not to make them look bad.
I know we have ads for the army too in the UK but it's so weird seeing it advertised the same way as a product or like you said like a bag of crisp! Reminds me of the way prescription only medicines are advertised in the US
Damn, I´m not from USA and I had never seen those ads before but this is really scary.
You know, this entire video explains why the latest captain America movie bothers me, and other non-American friends so much. A little less with the military propaganda, but a lot more with us imperialism.
they actually used fortunate son, an anti war song, in the trailer.....
14:08 I disagree that there is no critical thinking or remorse required in killing aliens. The aliens are sentient, ofter more advanced and smarter than ourselves, and their civilizations are far far longer lived than ours. So, I think there is more critical thinking in that choice than let's say killing another human. If the only solution to that problem is through complete and total annihilation of their or our civilization, then what's the point of it all? Where did we go wrong that we think it's perfectly fine to portray genocide in positive way as the final solution?
The problem with these films is their basic premise. The idea that an old space-faring civilization will choose to destroy or enslave another younger civilization is dubious at best; they've survived for millions of years, have a language, culture, technology, history, so they must have highly developed systems to resolve conflicts most likely much better than ours, otherwise they would have destroyed themselves long time ago. Therefore, attacking another civilization and destroying it to the core serves no purpose except to give the viewer an ultimatum, to show that it's either us or them.
Sadly, those aspects are never shown in the vast majority sci-fi war films. Only a handful of films try to analyze and depict the aliens as living creatures that you can reason with.
I rewatch these periodically. What a refreshing message you share.
even veterans think the same, they know they've been betrayed
That was maybe the best video essay I have ever heard. Truly close to the pinnacle of what this medium can do for societal and intellectual good. Ultimately in way that can unlock the modern sphere for casual observers, and lead us to a better world. Of course, there’s a lot more hard work to be done, but I am glad you’re here making these. Thank you sincerely for it.
have you considered doing a video about the film "American Sniper"? I think you could provide some really good insight on the way the film blurs the lines between reality and fiction, and paints a racist as a hero
Thank you for conducting a careful, deliberate, almost surgical criticism on the matter. It is alarming to what degree certain recruiters and ad campaigns will deceive would-be enlisters. Throwing sequins and rose-colored glasses on a serious commitment and a change in lifestyle is beyond disingenuous. One can only hope that prospective recruits take a long, hard look at themselves and life in the service before enlisting.
Again, thank you for such a thoughtful analysis.
(gravely voice over man) First his dad fought them and won. Now, his son goes back to finish the job! In theaters from March 20th 2003. Iraq 2. The quest for more oil.
Another classic case of using "Fortunate Son" for jingoistic purposes, completely missing the point of the song.
two words : CAPTAIN AMERICA !
Captain America is the biggest USarmy advertisement !
Makes the satirical recruitment scene in Starship Troopers even more exceptional.
#PAPERCLIP: People Against People Ever Re-Enlisting - Civilian Life Is Preferred- a lot of my veteran buddies have paper clips tattooed on the outside of their right hand, visible if they were ever to salute again.
Thanks so much for this.
Jeez that's terrifying. Grateful I live in a country with an army smaller than the number of people I have following me on twitter.
I wonder if they realize the irony of playing Fortunate Son in the trailer. Do they even know what it’s about?
Hey, it's an American from 3 years after you made this video. The president just created the fucking SPACE FORCE. Yeah.
Godzilla (2014)
What I wanted: actual fucking monster fights
What I got: yet another fucking military circlejerk
Wow very insightful. Even in the context of this video, watching those clips made me kind of want to join the US Army. And I am a Navy veteran so I've already been there, done that. My experience was positive but I don't think for one second that the US military or its goals / missions around the world should be free from criticism. The whole point of the military is to serve the people, not to be worshipped by the people as a perfect force for good.
And you mentioned science fiction with no moral conflicts, but there are even movies out there like American Sniper that glorify killing real people as an uncomplicated decision which nobody should question. (and that movie did quite better at the box office than Independence Day 2016!)
You're the purest thing on this hell site. Wish I wasn't broke and could give you all my money
This video blew me away. It's crazy more people in this country don't care about this. So much for land of the free. Watching Captain Marvel was like watching a 3 hour army recruiting video. The jingoism in this country is disgraceful.
My school invites army recruiters to the school to talk to literal high school students actual minors... they give us mousepads and water bottles and the other week they brought a huge trailer out and let kids use a bomb disarm robot thingy to bring them a US army water bottle. It is so insidious.
Starship troopers was the best military recruitment parody ever.
I have deep respect for veterans and think its deeply admirable to join the military, but I think it's down right creepy that they hang around high schools in hopes of trying recruit teenagers who are fresh out of high school. They hang around in my school's cafeteria during lunch and even called my house because I was about to be become a senior. Its creepy.
I'm late to the party but just came across your channel and loving the videos so far! This all reminds me of the 1992 film "Toys" where the antagonist trains kids to play video games in the hope of one day using them to pilot drones to do the killing, therefore desensitising them as "it's just a video game". When you see where technology is going and the abundance of military-themed games, could this one day be a reality??
to be fair, when I run away from Raptors, I would like some Marines to help me. It seems like a reasonable idea.
Damn, and I thought the Norwegian "be a hero" posters were bad...
"Defending us independence for 200 years" defending it from, checks notes, Yemeni children..
This really reminds me of- and makes me appreciate the marketing campaign for Mass Effect: Andromeda. There are many notes they hit that are similar to the campaign mentioned here, only with the emphasis shifted heavily towards exploration, research, and peaceful cooperation between alien species. I know that campaign only reached its end recently, about a month ago (which is still about half a year after the release of this video), but I feel like it would make a great counter-example for some sort of a followup discussion? :)
Game dude: You look like you really like pretending to be shot at by terrorists. Do you want to really get shot at?
Me: umm no thanks, I like living
Reminds me of the Black Mirror episode where they put the filters on soldiers' brains to dehumanize the other side. Disgusting!
Here 6 years later, thank you for the breakdown! Well said
Wow wow wow, are you saying the war of 96 never actually happened? My whole life has been a lie and I now feel like the number of Will Smith posters I own verge on way too many.
Its really revolting. American culture as a whole are far too trigger happy compared to their allies.
When you consider the actions and attitudes of the US (particularly in regards to military) objectively, their behaviour is often worse than most other countries who we'd consider to be cruel dictatorships or military states...they've just managed to maintain much better PR over the years. This kind of propaganda really is scary.
Holy shit, I've never ever thought about it. This deserves to be seen by everybody
I'm conflicted by this video - not because anything you said is wrong, but because I myself have joined the military and I know a lot of people who are in a better place because of it, and also a lot of people in a worse place for it. I hate this kind of advertisement with a passion, because it misleads people about what we actually do. Most of us aren't in combat roles, and the free college is actually a thing. However, especially in the Army and Marines, there is a very toxic environment (which is why you see such aggressive advertising) that no one should be subjected to. All in all, I advocate for people joining - but only with a clear understanding of what their benefits will be and what they will be doing.
I'm just asking this myself right now: If someone went to the website with a foreign ip-address, because they're a fan of the movie, but live outside the US, would the military still try to recruit them?
Fighting aliens = fighting foreigners