militainment

Wed
8
Apr
2015
New translation available
Submitted by antimili-youth

Moscow: Pictures of young Russian children posing with mock AK-47 rifles and other weapons at a kindergarten have provoked a storm of controversy, but some defended them as patriotic education.

Pictures making the rounds online show boys...

Fri
31
Oct

Competing Messages: Mass Media Effects on Recruiting

Competing Messages: Mass Media Effects on Recruiting

This study examines how the mass media’s portrayal of the military, including the war in Iraq, affects U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps recruiting. A telephone survey of households in Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas was conducted to measure parents and young adults’ exposure to information about the military in various media sources and how much attention they paid to those sources of information for information about the military.  This study was hampered by a small sample size (N=119) that limits the ability to claim significant findings for several hypotheses. However, the study did uncover a pattern that indicated that greater use of newspapers and entertainment television reduced chances of young adults joining the military, whereas use of movies depicting the military enhanced the likelihood of joining. Also, media use predicted people’s attitudes about the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq.

Thu
25
Sep

Canadian military spent thousands on Xbox Live recruitment ads

There are a lot of young men who play Call of Duty on their Xbox consoles, so it makes sense that the government would use Xbox Live as a billboard for recruitment ads for the Canadian Forces.

In case you weren’t aware, Xbox consoles connected to Microsoft’s online service show paid advertisements on the system’s main menu screen. The Ottawa Citizen reports  the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces started paying for these ads between 2006-07. So much of the ads likely appeared on the Xbox 360.

Documents say the purpose of the ads was indeed to reach an audience of males between the ages of 18-24. The audience is described as “18-24-year-olds, male & female, looking for adventure & excitement and/or interested in helping others.”

Tue
23
Sep

Militarising Communities: The Armed Forces Community Covenant

As we mark the centenary of WW1 the UK armed forces are enjoying the highest levels of public support that they have seen for decades. One result of the global 'war on terror' has been the elevation of military service, not just as an exceptional form of labour which is due particular rewards, but also as an occupation that benefits the whole society. The last few years have seen the increasing application of military values, methods and even training in civilian spheres such as education, youth work and leisure.

Tue
16
Sep

Playing War: How the Military Uses Video Games

, October 10 2013

A new book unfolds how the “military-entertainment complex” entices soldiers to war and treats them when they return.

Photo: A screenshot from America’s Army

Tue
06
May

Japan increases military recruitment with drawings of manga girls

The objective: to obtain new recruits. And if to get them you have to resort to anime, you use it. The Okayama prefecture Cooperation Office, in the south west of Japan, has promoted since last July military enlistment with drawings of three manga girls by the artist Huikane Shimada. The experiment has been a success, considering that new recruits have increased by 20%, according to the Sankei Journal this Tuesday.

Japan increases military recruitment with drawings of manga girls
Mon
17
Feb

No place for “Noobs: Computer games and the militarization of youth culture

Computer games and the militarization of youth culture

John Martino -

Tue
11
Feb

The popular geopolitics of military video games: Answering the ‘Call of Duty’

Call of Duty

Daniel Bos was awarded ESRC +3 funding in 2011 to research the popular geopolitics of military video games. The research will specifically focus on the geopolitical and militaristic significance of commercial first-person shooter video games, such as ‘Call of Duty’. Furthermore, the project will use multiple, innovative methods to investigate players’ engagements with the games.
The research will contribute to current academic discussions by:

Tue
11
Feb

Scientists to spend £500,000 examining how toys shape opinions of war

Hayley Dixon -

 Scientists are to spend £500,000 finding out if playing with toys like Action Man shape children's opinions on war and terrorism.

The two year study also plans to look at whether such dolls have a role to play in influencing the future of our armed forces.

The project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, is the first analysis of the role of toys in the making of young people.

It's hoped the findings will be published in 2016 shortly after the expected withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, which itself will inform the research.

Professor Klaus Dodds, of Royal Holloway University in London, who insists the money is well spent, said: "We are not examining whether war toys are good or bad or the psychology of such play.

Sun
02
Feb

Air Force Beach Games

Michael Schulze von Glaßer -

Mon
20
Jan

Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth

On 23-29 November this year, activists from across the world are taking action against the militarisation of young people in their countries, cities and towns.

Join us this November in the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth with your own nonviolent actions and events!

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