Propaganda is produced by all sides in war. But the images and slogans roaring across social media in this first month of the war in Iran may be something new.
The Trump White House has posted videos that weave real images of missile strikes and destruction with clips from video games, sports and action movies. One post shows real air strikes in Iran set to the soundtrack and snippets from the Call of Duty video game. Another intercuts combat footage with home runs and slam dunks from Wii Sports. Other posts splice explosion footage with clips from Top Gun, SpongeBob, Braveheart and a scene from Breaking Bad where a character shouts, “I AM the danger!”
At the same time, Iranian state media is distributing Lego-style war animations: minifigure versions of President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu plotting; Iranian commanders pressing launch buttons; soldiers and civilians fleeing fiery wreckage in animated scenes of Israel, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.
Chicago Cardinal Blaise Cupich, after seeing White House videos, called it “sickening” that “a real war with real death and real suffering” is being treated like a video game. He warned such videos can make viewers “addicted to the ‘spectacle’ of explosions” and risk numbing our humanity.
“A real war with real death and real suffering being treated like it’s a video game — it’s sickening,” he said.
“The legacy media wants us to apologize for highlighting the United States Military’s incredible success,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told a briefing, “but the White House will continue showcasing the many examples of Iran’s ballistic missiles, production facilities, and dreams of owning a nuclear weapon being destroyed in real time.”
John Vick, executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, said while the military’s success should be saluted, “gamifying or making light of war also undermines the sacrifice of the Americans who have died…”
I have covered many U.S. soldiers and fliers in combat. I have heard them swear — plenty — and exult about succeeding in their missions and surviving. But I have never — and I repeat never — heard a soldier or pilot rejoice over the death of an enemy soldier or civilian. They know war too well to see it as a game.
