New York Times/Outpost Films/National Geographic Entertainment

Interesting article, just out, on Sebastian Junger and America’s male identity crisis, as he releases a third film The Last Patrol which includes one of the soldiers in Restrepo, Brendan O’Byrne.

“The whole society is fascinated by war,” Junger says. He tells me about giving lectures across the country. He’ll stop in the middle of his talk and ask people to raise their hands if they’re against war.

“Everyone raises their hands,” he notes. “And then I’ll say, ‘But who here has paid $12 to be entertained by a Hollywood war movie?’ Just about everyone raises their hand.”

“War is so compelling that you can even get a room full of pacifists to pay money to be entertained by it.”

READING

1) Dexter Filkins “The Forever War” to end

2) Restrepo and the Imagery of War, also Infidel (NYT)

3) Restrepo Director and Photographer Killed in Libya (NYT)

Assignment: Write a 500 word blogpost on your response to Restrepo.  Was it balanced and impartial? How effective was it? Analyze your response to the film compared to the Vanity Fair article and the photographs Tim Hetherington took of the same soldiers in the New York Times pieces above. In your view, which was the most effective in conveying the reality of conflict?  And has it changed your views on the efficacy of embedding for journalists?  (for Tuesday Feb 24th 12 noon)