IS the reality show "Stars earn Stripes" an indication of a renewed fascination with military fetishism? Well it DOES feature a Palin. Update!

Courtesy of the New Republic:

That the military supports television projects as a way of promoting itself is nothing new. But reality shows, with their non-actor participants and murky line between staged drama and real-life scenarios, are a confusing hybrid. “Stars Earn Stripes” is not representing the military. It appropriates the mechanics and set pieces of military duty—shooting guns, kicking in doors—and uses them as ways to quantify winners and losers in a highly stylized game.

Executive producer David Hurwitz brushed off concerns that the show trivializes war. “I can see how naysayers who will always look for something would say that,” he told me. “But Todd Palin’s son is serving as an infantryman in Afghanistan. Someone like Nick Lachey, who people might think of as a pop star, is the same age as most of the officers now serving.” (And yet he is NOT serving is he?) Moral concerns aside, he emphasized that “Stars Earn Stripes” is mostly just designed to be a spectacle. He called it “the biggest and most explosive show ever on television.” No matter that the show feels culturally tone-deaf, a campy artillery bonanza just weeks after Aurora has begun to fade from the headlines. 

Yet “Stars Earn Stripes” also fails as entertainment. The show is not officially Pentagon-supported, but it still plays like unapologetic propaganda. Phrases like “honoring the troops” and “real American heroes” are thrown around so many times, with so many moments set to patriotic music, that the drama hits just one shrill and numbing note. The gun blasts blend together. Todd Palin manages to remain perfectly dull even while saying things like “I usually use a 338 caliber rifle that knocks a moose down pretty good.” And Nick Lachey, to the surprise of no one, is not very good behind a gun. 

As for Wesley Clark, he looks mildly uncomfortable and generally nonplussed. “Thank you for your service,” he says at the end of the premiere, and for a moment it is unclear whether he is addressing the stars or the soldiers. Then he turns toward the first celebrity to get the ax. “You are dismissed.”

I have to say that after subjecting myself to the premiere of this pile of crap I will not be sitting through any more of them. I had thought that I would be the most offended by Todd Palin's participation (Whose son, as you can see, is being used as some bizarre form of rationalization for his participation) however I actually found the entire program incredibly distasteful and essentially an example of military porn.

Having Wesley Clark's participation, somebody that I once, but will no longer admire, does NOTHING to lift this out of the bullet riddled mud, but instead allows it to drag him right down to the level that is currently occupied by the likes of Sarah and Todd Palin.

THEY embody the idea of faux military, violence laden, pro-American sensibilities. Each of them is a coward at heart, yet enjoy the trappings and reflected glory of associating themselves with military themed activities. And each of the "celebrity" participants in this program are now essentially their reality show cousins in that regard.

If this were simply JUST this one TV program I might not be too worried, however I attended the movies this weekend and found that we are currently in the middle of a renewed fascination with the Ronald Reagan inspired eighties styled films that drove pieces of garbage like "Rambo" with Sly Stallone and MIA" with Chuck Norris to the top of the box office charts.

"The Expendables," Arnold Schwarzenegger's return debut "Last Stand."  "GI Joe:Retaliation," and even a remake of the incredibly xenophobic "Red Dawn." are all slated to hit our movie houses within the next several months. All of them focused on America, or Americans, facing danger from foreign entities, where the only hope for salvation lies in the access to an endless supply of weaponry and the American penchant for violence.

Personally I would like to take a look at just WHO is backing these movies, and would be VERY surprised if they did not have connections to the military industrial complex in some way.

Now don't get me wrong I am an dedicated movie goer and have never shied away from movies that feature violence or even military themed movies ("Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down" are two of my favorites.), however what I think I am seeing is a trend toward a purposeful glorification of the military that is very reminiscent of the kind of atmosphere that was omnipresent during the military buildup of the eighties, when Ronald Reagan was saber rattling in virtually every speech and invaded Granada in 1983 just to give his now beefier military something to do.

I DON'T believe that this is driven by our President by the way, and would be none too surprised that IF it is receiving some sanction from the Pentagon that it is happening despite President Obama or without his knowledge altogether.

Update:  I think the argument that his respects the military and the troops is ridiculous on its face. What a program like this does is reduce the idea of military service, which is vital in keeping America safe, to a series of military flavored "Fear Factor" stunts that are only attractive to the kind of individual who gets their entire understanding of war from video games. Resulting in military trained glory hounds, adrenaline junkies, and those attracted to the idea of government sanctioned killing.

And we already have the an example of the kind of soldier that produces.

WARNING! GRAPHIC IMAGE BENEATH THE FOLD!