"Strangely, a war without victims does not seem like a real war but rather… a war even more inhuman because it is without human losses."
In regard to this quote I'd have to say Baudrillard makes a lot of sense. I'll just take this quote out of context to analyze it as a general statement unspecific to the Gulf War because I think it is politically and socially accurate. For example, if we think of the Cold War, which was not even a declared war at all, it seemed much scarier and and more real than any war fought physically overseas. Though no one was hurt, the constant threat of devastation and the unknown is scarier than anything, I think. I believe that the "cold"ness of that war, and any war "without victims," comes from the fact that it's not passionate, patriotic bloodshed and fighting that goes on. It's an almost emotionless mental battle between parties, and I believe that makes it seem robotic and metallic, and therefore, cold. In my eyes, that's what Baudrillard is trying to say in this quote from his article.
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ReplyDeleteI think you're very close, Kelly, with your reading of Baudrillard here when you write that 'It's an almost emotionless mental battle between parties, and I believe that makes it seem robotic and metallic, and therefore, cold' as a way of understanding his claim of 'a war even more inhuman because it is without human losses'. I'm not sure it's at root for him about 'patriotic bloodshed' so much, however, as the point that we have entered dangerous territory with our mechanized, stage-managed warfare -- when you had to look someone in the eyes and stab him with a bayonet, that was utterly horrible in its own right, but at least you had to do the act, and deal with the consequences and your feelings... which is part of your humanity.
ReplyDeleteDoes a war suffer human losses when you don't ever see the enemy? Not in a realistic sense, but does it feel like the war is really a war? Drone pilots can now perform a bombing from their living room in the heartland of the USA. How does that feel like a war? This has been the topic of countless sci-fi books and hollywood films. It terrifies people and yet it's the reality of modern warfare.
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