Perception of Wars’ Myth and Reality

Perception of Wars’ Myth and Reality

The myth of war and the reality of war are often perceived as one in the other. But according to war journalist and correspondent Chris Hedges, the myth and reality are two entities cautiously interlaced by governments and war mongers to promote the bankrupt causes of war. In his book “War is a force that gives us meaning,” Hedges, in quoting Lawrence LeShan, says that “mythic reality” (Hedges 21) of war is necessary for war to prosper, however once lost, the war and its cause become null and void and “doomed for failure.” In “sensory reality,” as Hedges goes on to say, we see things for what they really are. Yet in wartime our sensory reality is abandoned for a more nationalist propaganda that imbues events with meanings they don’t have.

Outside of wartimes, we (the public) see war for what Hedges claims as “organized murder.” The myth of war opens the doors for war mongers and governments to commit atrocious acts of human desecration and physical annihilation. When in peace time these acts are called “war crimes,” in time of war they are considered a “regrettable cost of war.” (Hedges 35) The myth of a war creates an artificial reality, a fog so to speak. We are lead to believe that we are the oppressed and someone must pay for that oppression.

In peace times we view the other side as human on a global level. Yet in times of war “we view ourselves, our people, as the embodiment of absolute goodness,” while we “reduce the other side to objects and eventually corpses.” (Hedges pg. 21) Our morality is quickly dusted for a united propaganda and eventually proceeding under a new moral code that condones the killing of others. The myth is portrayed as an attainable conquering of another. Each small victory is viewed and glorified as a step towards triumph. Yet, it is in the reality outside of war that this hypocrisy is seen for the bankrupt excuse for the fight over power. The enlightenment of the myth constantly reminds me of playing “war” in the streets of my neighborhood as a child. Each of us would talk about how the other team was coming to take us down and riddle us with their Super Soaker water guns. We were under the constant assumption that the other side was out to get us. Thinking back, each side always so consumed with the thought that the other guys were coming to get them, we never tried to attack them, we were always in “protect” mode. It never mattered what team you were on, the other team was always the enemy and you were always the “do-gooder.” In the belief that the “other guy” is our enemy, we embody the figure of the enemy in our acts towards them.

The myth of war is embedded in our nationalist propaganda and released through various forms of media. Recently, the exponential popularity growth of video games has helped to instill the myth of war and its apparent greatness. Using black and white footage, grainy videos and