Comments on: New US Iraq plan relies on imaginary army and real assassinations http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/1659 BTC News: News, politics, opinion and satire Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:52:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: dan http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/1659/comment-page-1#comment-354297 dan Fri, 25 May 2007 12:31:40 +0000 http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/?p=1659#comment-354297 Funny you would say "I wonder whether Iraq will have anything like the cultural impact that Vietnam did." I was wondering the same thing myself this weekend. Saigon fell in 1975, so it was four years from the last chopper to Apocalypse Now. Oliver Stone's Platoon came 11 years after the end of the war. I'd say that was the old pace for the culture sort of working through its war-time experiences. I'm tempted to say that we'll work through that experience faster now, but maybe not. With the exception of the people with family members in the sandbox, America is alarmingly disconnected from the fighting (re: "The Marines are in Fallujah; America is at the mall"). This is not likely to change until the Bush administration is ushered off the stage and the current cognitive dissonance starts to fade. And my guess is, once that happens we're going to discover that the centerpoint of our political culture has shifted. From what I can see of my children's generation, they're already profoundly distrustful of anything corporate/political/MSM. How will that jibe with the Singularity? With the two-way culture versus the passive-entertainment culture? Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night. Funny you would say “I wonder whether Iraq will have anything like the cultural impact that Vietnam did.” I was wondering the same thing myself this weekend.

Saigon fell in 1975, so it was four years from the last chopper to Apocalypse Now. Oliver Stone’s Platoon came 11 years after the end of the war. I’d say that was the old pace for the culture sort of working through its war-time experiences.

I’m tempted to say that we’ll work through that experience faster now, but maybe not. With the exception of the people with family members in the sandbox, America is alarmingly disconnected from the fighting (re: “The Marines are in Fallujah; America is at the mall”). This is not likely to change until the Bush administration is ushered off the stage and the current cognitive dissonance starts to fade.

And my guess is, once that happens we’re going to discover that the centerpoint of our political culture has shifted. From what I can see of my children’s generation, they’re already profoundly distrustful of anything corporate/political/MSM. How will that jibe with the Singularity? With the two-way culture versus the passive-entertainment culture?

Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.

]]> By: Weldon Berger http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/1659/comment-page-1#comment-350404 Weldon Berger Thu, 24 May 2007 05:44:32 +0000 http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/?p=1659#comment-350404 Funny you should mention that -- I watched the film last night and thought about it when I read the Post story. I wonder whether Iraq will have anything like the cultural impact that Vietnam did. On an unrelated note, I happened across a young Navy kid a few weeks ago who says the Navy is offering bonuses to personnel who volunteer for Iraq duty. He was involved in some sort of aircraft ground duty, and apparently there's a shortage of Army people in his specialty. He was pissed because the slots were meted out according to rank. Funny you should mention that — I watched the film last night and thought about it when I read the Post story. I wonder whether Iraq will have anything like the cultural impact that Vietnam did. On an unrelated note, I happened across a young Navy kid a few weeks ago who says the Navy is offering bonuses to personnel who volunteer for Iraq duty. He was involved in some sort of aircraft ground duty, and apparently there’s a shortage of Army people in his specialty. He was pissed because the slots were meted out according to rank.

]]> By: JackD http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/1659/comment-page-1#comment-350195 JackD Thu, 24 May 2007 02:38:32 +0000 http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/?p=1659#comment-350195 Why do I keep seeing scenes from the second half of "Apocalypse now?" Why do I keep seeing scenes from the second half of “Apocalypse now?”

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