Soldiers filming in Iraq: documenting war or morbid fascination?

It's a morbid fascination of these tourist soldiers, no damn doubt about it! And of course, they have a good nose for fame, that's why they post this kind of sick videos in entertaining news channels.

Arguments of the "kill or be killed" variety always seem to miss the point that the problem is not being in combat but being at war. This is a discretionary and absolutely meaningless war.

"War looks cool when it is on the television or in the movies... not when you are there seeing your friends killed by an IED."

If the writer believes this, he only proves the point that the media manipulates people with lies. Americans were manipulated into believing that Iraq was a threat. It's tragic that so many young Americans had no better economic opportunities than to become cannon fodder for corporate interests.

Destroying another country for no reason and killing hundreds of thousands of its citizens is inhuman. When you dehumanize others in order to kill them, you can't help but destroy your own humanity.

Billions of dollars simply disappear into the pockets of military contractors. This war is theft at the rate of more than a billion dollars a week.

If all you can see is the combat, you've seen too many good-guy, bad-guy shoot em ups at the movies.

The quote/transcript of the soldier's words is incorrect. He did not say "You lose motherfucker," he said "You Muj motherfucker." "Muj" is pronounced "mooj" -- it is a perjorative, short for Mujahideen, "holy warrior" in Arabic.

Is about making money and spending lives.
Not much else actually.
Now folks, as you watch the vid try this on for size... Imagine that was down the street from your house.
Just try, I know it's hard because brown folks aren't real people, but try anyway.
Peace, Steve

The reality of war is that you are facing people who want to kill you and those in your unit. If you have never been in a situation where you are looking at another person, knowing that only one of you will walk away alive, you don't know what it is like. You are lucky if you don't know that...

The joy and happiness that he feels is probably that he has lived another day... ironically it's his birthday. In war, you celebrate every day you get - especially birthdays - because you don't know when or if you will die.

I don't see this as "morbid fascination" - I see it as a survival mechanism, and a crying out against death and destruction "I'm here! I'm alive! That motherfukker didn't kill me!"

Also, if more people see videos or read blogs by people who are in war situations, maybe the reality of it all will be realised by people. War looks cool when it is on the television or in the movies... not when you are there seeing your friends killed by an IED. I think war videos will help turn people from Chickenhawks to a more peaceful view.

i don't know Ernest, i can see how being there one becomes insensitive to the destruction one causes. i can see how killing somebody can make you happy if that means you are the one who doesn't get killed that day. i just wish more people decided to think for themselves before they put themselves in that position (ie before they joined the army). if more people did that and actually analysed why armies (particularly UK and US armies of late) are sent to war in the first place maybe they'd realise there's no point in putting yourself in that position. then they wouldn't have to show off about killing people (which, frankly is sick). another point is that given the amount of friendly fires and 'collateral damage' one hears of in relation to this war, as well as the fact that we shouldn't have gone there in the first place you have to wonder how many strikes are actually called for...