Is there a Soldier in all of us?

Nowadays, more and more adverts leave me bemused.

There are lots of reasons for this. Firstly, I now spend a lot of time in the USA. There are a lot of adverts here. Many TV programmes have the first advert break before the titles. More adverts, more chance to be bemused. And there is a cultural factor too, with some things American simply not understood by those with less experience of the US.

Next, I’m getting older. I used to belittle my Mum for not trying to understand the internet. Well, gradually that becomes me, as the next generations of modern technology confuse me so much that I go into denial. New technology is where a lot of advertising dollars are nowadays, so it is no wonder I’m bemused.

Finally, advertisers are segmenting more. In the past, many adverts had a very wide target audience. This has narrowed considerably, as the discipline has matured, and technology has enabled smarter use of data. It is noticeable. When I watch sports, most ads are for rugged cars, or for Viagra. Those are the same thing really. When I watch news, the ads are for medical goods for old people – very depressing. When I oversee the programmes my kids are watching, all I see are mobile phones and games.

So I should not be surprised to be bemused on occasion. But one particular ad running at the moment set me thinking. It is for a Call of Duty game product. The footage is of four teenage boys engaging in fantasy violence. The tag line at the end is “There is a soldier in all of us”. Something in me was repelled by that claim.

Such violent ads don’t just bemuse me, they also repel me. Many games seem to glorify violence, to maximise it, legitimatize it, and trivialize its impact. This might be damaging.

Of course it is only a game, and players will generally be quite adept at separating their fantasy world from anything real. It might even be argued that giving young boys a way to let off steam with computer guns will make them less likely to seek out the real thing.

I am not so sure. The heroes are violent. Violence is portrayed as fun. Most problems are solved through force, albeit with some military type of strategy. Characters are one-dimensional good guys or bad guys. There appears little consequence of violence apart from the positive reinforcement of moving to the next level.

Computer games are the most blatant, but the same tendency occurs in Hollywood movies and TV series. Cops and private eyes and vigilantes and even regular guys are portrayed in gun battles. Many mainstream movies seem to require a few car chases and some shootouts. Personally, it just gives me a headache. But I guess I must be in a minority (and not in the target group) since marketing people nowadays know what their customers want.

Surely there is a risk that this translates into the minds of some kids? Not all kids have non-violent homes and schools to ensure fantasy remains as fantasy. It only takes a few to create a more violent society. There may follow a vicious cycle of negative role models, more armed police, ghettos, and force prevailing in more situations.

This ad would have washed over me like all the others were it not for the tagline. Is there really a soldier in all of us? I don’t think there ever was in me, even as a young boy. I am not sure that there is a soldier in many girls.

Was I so unusual a child, and if so, why? Do I have some innate feminine tendencies? Maybe, who knows? I certainly had an older Dad who played less of a role in my life than my Mum. Did I have an unusual group of peers? For the middle class England of my generation, I don’t think I did. I certainly was not physically strong, but that might have been an effect rather than a cause for an aversion to violence.

One thing that I always had was skepticism. If someone told me what to think, I would always doubt. An advert always led me to question why someone would want me to think a certain way. I got this, together with resulting frugality, from my Mum. On balance, skepticism has been a great gift, so thanks Mum.

Linked to the soldier reference, at least in the US, is unthinking veneration of the armed forces. The seventh inning stretch at MLB games is just the tip of that iceberg. Now, I respect for military personnel. It is a job someone has to do that I would not like myself. Mind you, so is garbage collector, and we don’t sing for them during baseball matches. A military career is a choice, one with unusually good lifetime benefits attached in fact, though of course there are significant risks. No doubt many join in order to serve, and I certainly don’t begrudge the benefits.

But uncritical veneration has its risks too. Military methods project force as a means of settling disputes. They tend to over-simplify good and evil. They can also place a nation about general humanity, and lead to a culture where spying on friends is acceptable.

So “there is a soldier in all of us” hit me twice. It seems to defend not just violence but also a military way of life. I did not like it.

So, have I degenerated into another “why oh why?” old man, critical and bitter of others, yet offering no solutions. Maybe I have. I won’t descend to the knee jerk reaction of some columnists, blaming the parents and the youth of today, and advocating bans on computer games. That is too simplistic.

Actually, there is reason to be optimistic. Violence is markedly down in most developed societies. Recently I read a theory that a leading cause may be the abolition of lead in petrol, which had a positive effect of young male hormones. Perhaps getting rid of trans fats would do the same.

As well as a less violent generation of boys, we also have some excellent mayors and other politicians with helpful campaigns. The trend towards acceptance of homosexuality can only help, enabling boys to find less simplistic role models.

And the steady rising influence of women in public life is perhaps the most helpful trend. It is symptomatic that the only functioning part of the US congress nowadays appears to be its female contingent. One day we might get some female generals. One day, a deal could be negotiated and successfully implemented to rid a state of chemical weapons without mainstream opinion labeling it a surrender. Watch out, Obama and Kerry: if you strike a deal on Iran, and I sincerely hope you do, be ready for the backlash at home.

I’m not sure we can do much about the violent games or even the Hollywood movies, beyond the sort of regulation we already have. They may well contribute to more needless early deaths, but popular demand usually wins out.

What we can do is applaud our enlightened legislators who campaign for things like reducing lead in petrol or gun control or smarter education for all, usually in the teeth of opposition from the rich white male reactionary tendency. We can be skeptical in our own lives and encourage it with young people we influence. But, most of all, we can wait with optimism for when boys can proudly announce that there is no soldier in them without risking social acceptance, and when women finally get to achieve balance in positions of power. If even bullying in the NFL can be scrutinized, perhaps we don’t have much longer to wait.