In my opinion our class is really starting to come together with this weeks reading and radio shows. We've talked in class about how to view a picture, what responsibility that photographer has/doesn't have and who has the write to view these photos of people in distress. We had multiple reading to do for tomorrow's class, all of which get at extremely different yet similar points. Now is when I think the classes thoughts are going to takes some individuals turns.
I'll start with that radio podcast because it stood out to me because you were able to listen to it, hear it coming out of other people instead of reading it yourself. It was very eye opening to say the least. the first part was a segment of a movie entitled "will they know me back home?". It was about three soldiers coming back from war and the small segment that was played was talking about whether going home would be the same. The older man said they were nervous out of the service, that honestly hit me pretty hard. I then began to think, I can't even begin to comprehend the adjustment that these men and women make to fight in a war, but then later to come back home; if they are lucky enough. How do you turn that switch on and off? That question came up at perfect timing because then the radio show started to give actual account of people that went to war and what it was like to make those traditions from normal life to war and vice-versa. The letters from husband to wife were difficult to hear, you could hear in the letter their connection drifting apart. In war the see stress as an injury and will dismiss you but as a medical case. It's rough to hear these soldiers tell their stories and say that they had suicidal thoughts. What I took from this podcast was what does a war really do to a person? It changes you inside how?
Moving on to the Phillips' book chapter ones starts off bringing up some really wonderful questions. What does the uniform of a soldier mean? Why is their first priority to change clothing? We heard the same thing in the second half of the podcast. First thing these soldiers did when getting off the plane was change into normal civilian clothes. Why? Does not being seen as a soldier change what and who they are viewed as? Does it make them feel more at home? It goes on with this very heart touched story about this man named Adam Gray. He was an energetic full of life kid who went to war that way but came back a totally different man. That's where the question arises for me if you go to war are you being tortured yourself? In this book it mentions the post-traumatic stress disorders and how they are on a steady incline. Is fighting a war an automatic torture for both sides?
In my opinion trying to answer some of these question, one can never honestly know what it feels like to experience these things. I look at a soldier and I think wow that person is risking their lives to fight for our countries freedom. One thing I never really thought of, is the only way you can realize a person is in the service is by their clothing. Maybe that's the reason they want to get rid of their clothing as soon as they can, to be able to blend in without drawing attention. I have nothing for respect for them, but I never really have had to think about what it is that they are risking. Phillips almost go as so far as to say that it's not just that individuals life that is at stake, but all the people who are close the them and love them; parents, spouses, children, friends.
As I mentioned in class, and as Omar discussed in regards to hearing the wife and husband drift apart, hearing the voices (regardless of whether they are actors or not) really hits home. The voice is so personal, more than a photograph, and hearing the emotion in someone's voice (or lack their of) sent shivers up my spine. I didn't really think about this while I was doing it or until after class today, but I listened to the radio show while folding my laundry. It makes me think a little bit about what it means that I can sit and fold laundry, do my "busy" work, while I listen to these stories of soldiers that are struggling to live in what used to be places that were safe: their home. We talk about privilege, understanding, how to respond etc. and I can't help but admit that I listened to the stories and felt an emotional response to it...but continued to just fold my laundry. This class as a whole makes you think about your responsibility as a person. If we do all participate in society, then to what extent are we responsible to do something when we have a negative reaction to something that occurs within or by that society. After reading about the torture and what happened to innocent civilians in Afghanistan, I was appalled...But what is acceptable in my response? Is emotion enough? We talk about this in almost every class and I continue to go back and forth. I can’t imagine as a twenty one year old having an impact or the ability to change something, but then again how do I know if I take the easy route and not try. As I said before, we can't just respond and act on everything...we would go crazy. Sometimes we need to just continue folding laundry...But I can't help but feel slightly guilty that I have the privilege to do so. I can fold laundry and "forget about it"...Some people just simply don't have that luxury.
ReplyDeleteI think Omar brings up some great points about the Phillips book. One of the first things that Adam Grey’s stepfather mentions about the day Adam came home was the clothes that he was wearing- normal clothes instead of his army uniform. As Omar said, why is this his first thought? I think as Americans, we hold soldiers in high regard and have a lot of respect for them. We would assume that they would take pride in wearing their uniform. So when Adam came back wearing normal clothes, and the first thing that the soldier during the This American Life radio show wanted to do was buy new clothes, we see that as strange. I think that for some of the soldiers (especially evident in the stories we’ve read) the trauma that they experience during war makes them lose pride in what they used to stand for. They lose pride in being a soldier and don’t want to wear their uniforms when they don’t have to. When they wear their uniform back home, it’s inevitable that someone will come up to them and say, “Thank you for serving our country.” But if they are ashamed of the things they experienced (like in the case of Adam Grey) having someone come up and say “thank you” could increase that shame.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me the most about the Phillips book and the stories that we heard was the fact that before being a soldier, these people were completely normal people, living every day lives. Phillips brings up Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment where normal people were placed in a prison situation, half as guards and half as prisoners. The fact that the guards brutally abused their prisoners within a week blows my mind. These were normal people put in to a position of power and they chose to abuse it so quickly. Adam Grey was a normal boy with friends and a happy life, but he was put into a situation that traumatized him to the point of suicide. One situation can completely change a person.
Finally, I want to bring up a point that we briefly talked about at the end of class today- PTSS, and the fact that our unconscious does not know time. I think that people who have been through traumatic and painful events live with that pain for the rest of their lives. This brings to mind the Butler article that we read- when we lose someone, we lose a part of ourselves. But I also think that when we experience something, it sticks with us forever. If we experience a traumatic event, like being in combat, that experience will be forever in our minds and in our being- it is a part of who we are from that moment on. At any time, those feelings and memories can come back to haunt us. I hope we can get more into this idea on Thursday.
I'd like to think of the gentleman's uniform as a lens that captures an image in a particular way, the same way the angle of a photograph can tell a similar story. This idea of having 'something' to identify a(n) individual/culture/people is very interesting. It is evident that clothing, just like setting, has the potential to change a persons' experience. In regards to the solider from the radio podcast, he was able to change his clothing/ setting over time; which in itself can be seen as a luxury (going back to Eliza's point). However, relating to today's discussion, if 'we' are to consider the ways our government is protecting us through the objectification of the enemy then do we or does anyone really have the luxury of changing their clothes or leaving their location without some kind of negative stigma attached?
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