The young American soldier that just went on a shooting spree, killing 16 civilians, including nine children, had for most of his life carried "pictures-" and hostile "images in his head"(1) of Afghanis. He too had been defined and shaped by the hegemonic values and principles of Naziwood (See Part One of 'Act of Valor' or More Naziwood?). The conditioning processes of popular American films and the German Cinema, both of which shared similar values and norms, shaped German and U.S.audiences. These electronic habituation procedures "of the mind" bolstered the rise of the Third Reich and sustained the aims of Nazism. The harmonization of Hollywood and the Pentagon in producing war movies, like "Act of Valor," have also constructed an absolute framework of values and symbolic narratives for Americans to emulate.(1) Through an elaborate entertainment culture, consisting of celebrity worship, magnificent "omnipotent" spectacles, and patriotic Naziwood stars, Americans too glorify war, ultra-nationalism, and violent narcissism.(2)
The Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler believed the Third Reich's "one-thousand years" depended on the education of the youth. "A violently active, dominating, brutal youth," said Hitler, "that is what I am after. Youth must be indifferent to pain...I will have no intellectual training. Knowledge is ruin to my young men."(3) To achieve this, Hitler established two state-controlled youth organizations: the Hitler Youth (HY) and League of German Girls (LGG). Both offered something for everyone, like arts, crafts, hiking, camping, journalism, music, and above all self-worth and camaraderie. The HY and LGG also monopolized every waking and free hour. Eventually, and because it was considered a violation of civic duty not to participate, the HY and LGG took precedence over any kind of formal education.(4) Weaned from families and churches, youth became informers by notifying the police of those who objected, even parents. Youth contributed to Germany's wars by collecting food and supplies to send to troops and by writing them letters.
Still, Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Party Propaganda Minister, was a student of American advertising and promotion methods. He diligently studied Hollywood's techniques of mass propaganda and applied them to Nazism. His first Nazi Ten Commandment was to love Germany above all and through action. He also persuaded German film industries to encourage youth to believe "Germany's enemies are your enemies, hate them with your whole heart. Demand only duties for yourself and no other nation, then Germany will get justice. Be proud of Germany and the millions of German veterans who have sacrificed their lives for you freedoms. He who abuses Germany abuses you."(5) Through "positive censorship," then, the German Cinema backed Nazi propaganda. It also encouraged youth to feel and believe they were god-like, invincible, destined for greatness, and that they were extensions of military parades, uniformed soldiers, even advanced weapons systems. When wars became unbearable, youth could escape through mass entertainment.(6)
Youth in America do not have to be invited to Nazi rallies in Nuremburg, nor attend the German Cinema. These public spectacles and private showings, along with their ultra-nationalistic, war-like and aggressively narcissistic values of invincibility and of dominating the world, are brought to them via Naziwood. The Pentagon-Hollywood-Corporate Entertainment Complex consists of unlimited commercialized and electronic programming that glorifies ongoing wars and veterans. Through violent, yet entertaining, video games youth become extensions of weapons and uniformed soldiers. They learn to love America while "electronically" fearing and hating others. Even lyrics in mainstream music encourages youth to feel and believe they are god-like, invincible and destined for greatness. Through positive propaganda and "soft" entertainment, Naziwood civically and mentally disengages youth from thinking about, or protesting, losing military campaigns and atrocities, like the wars in Afghanistanand Iraq.
Some youth substitute Naziwood for their new family, school or church. Unknowingly and subconsciously, they are informers and propagators of Naziwood. Naziwood encourages a "double consciousness," or where youth see and view themselves through electronic medias and movies, like "Act of Valor." In other words, they try to live and perform what they see through television and the movies. Some will become like the young American soldier, who just went on the killing spree, and like Kurt Mobius who served in the Nazi Chelmno death camp. Mobius considered non-Germans to be a breed a part, less than human, even demonic and powerfully malevolent to the core. Later, he explained his thinking by saying: "It did not at all occur to me that these orders could be unjust." It made sense to him, since he was prepared like many German youth, to kill and exterminate the enemies of Germany.(7) One-thousand year empires depend on the education of youth, that is, a violently active, dominating, brutal youth indifferent to pain and critical thinking.
If much creative invention depends on mental imagery, then it is evident that Naziwood has colonized the majority of young minds. Television and video-immersed children and youth, along with their social and emotional IQ's, have been mentally and expressively hijacked by Naziwood's one-thousand year reign. This explains much of the narcissistic aggressive behavior displayed among youth (and much of the American population!). Not only have young minds been disordered and disconnected from reality, but a psychological and empathetic distancing has occurred. Alongwith intellectualism, Naziwood has eliminated compassionate and sympathetic feelings. Artificial intelligence has produced political leaders that after Sept. 11, 2001, had to embarrassingly race to a map to find out where Afghanistan was.(8) Artificial and electronic feelings have fashioned young and old to be indifferent to pain and the sufferings of others. Sadly, Naziwood influences (is?) the meanings that the young arrive at and the way they view the world.
It is a world that Gul Bashra described just after losing her two-year-old baby, killed by the American soldier mentioned earlier. She said, "They (Americans) are always threatening us with dogs and helicopters during night raids." A neighbor standing nearby claimed, "They (Americans) were all drunk and shooting all over the place. Their bodies (Afghans) were riddled with bullets." Naziwood and more movies like "Act of Valor" will merely produce more carnage and sustain America's thousand-year reign. They will also serve to disengage a citizenry from holding presidents and Congress accountable for slaughtering hundreds of thousands of people, as happened in Iraq.
Dallas Darling (firstname.lastname@example.org)
(Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 WeeklyReflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John's Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side OfChristianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for
www.worldnews.com. You can read more of Dallas' writings at www.beverlydarling.com and wn.com//dallasdarling.)
(3) Ibid., p. 163.
(4) Age Of Propaganda: The Everyday Use And Abuse Of Power., p. 320.
(6) Ibid., p. 187.