Propaganda accompanies every war, but the flurry of images and slogans flooding social media in the opening month of the Iran conflict feels different.
The Trump White House has been posting videos that splice real footage of missile strikes and wreckage with clips from video games, sports and action films. One post overlays authentic airstrike footage with music and segments from the Call of Duty franchise. Another stitches combat clips between home runs and slam dunks from Wii Sports. Other mashups pair explosion footage with scenes borrowed from Top Gun, SpongeBob, Braveheart and a clip from Breaking Bad in which a character bellows, “I AM the danger!”
On the other side, Iranian state outlets have been releasing Lego-style animations: minifigure versions of President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu scheming; caricatured Iranian commanders pressing launch buttons; and tiny soldiers and civilians fleeing fiery ruins in animated takes on Israel, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
Chicago Cardinal Blaise Cupich, after viewing the White House material, called it “sickening” that a real war with real death and suffering is being treated like a video game. He warned such spectacles can desensitize viewers, making people addicted to the spectacle of explosions and risking our shared humanity.
A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, defended the posts at a briefing, saying legacy media shouldn’t demand apologies for spotlighting “the United States Military’s incredible success” and that the administration will continue showing evidence of Iranian ballistic missile strikes, destroyed production sites and thwarted nuclear ambitions.
But John Vick, executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, said applauding military success is one thing; “gamifying or making light of war” dishonors the sacrifice of Americans who have died.
Having reported from combat zones and spoken with many U.S. service members and aircrews, I’ve heard profanity, relief and pride in missions completed. I have never heard a soldier or pilot celebrate the death of enemy fighters or civilians. They have seen enough of war to know it is not a game.