Pop Culture Goes to War

Pop Culture Goes to War, by Geoff Martin and Erin Steuter, explores the persistence of militarism in American popular culture in the war on terror, from 9/11 to the present day. The authors detail the role of Hollywood and the entertainment industries in rallying both the troops and the public for war and show how toys, video games, music, and television support contemporary militarism. At the same time that popular culture is enlisting support for militarism, it is also serving as a major source of resistance to the war on terror through the traditional mediums of music and movies, and increasingly through the humor and insight of anti-war artists who are jamming the culture of militarism. The satire of The Daily Show, The Simpsons, and South Park are further examples of so-called culture jamming. This book is for readers who question the persistence of a warrior culture and offers new insights into the perpetuation of militaristic values throughout American culture.

This book provides an essential guide for the public to identify and deconstruct the pro-war messages lurking in much of commercial popular culture, including myths complicit with President Obama's sugar-coated militarism. Readers then learn how this menace to a potentially peaceful America can be subverted and reclaimed by and for a savvy public. Commendably, the authors' clearly written text avoids jargon making their crucial analysis available to a broad audience., One of the most impressive aspects of Pop Culture Goes to War is the extent to which the topics and arguments are well-documented, usually with sources drawn from a variety of disciplines and points of view. A work of this sort is much needed at a time when US military power, domestic and global, is expanding—at a time when the political and popular cultures are being shaped increasingly by military priorities and agendas., Geoff Martin and Erin Steuter's Pop Culture Goes to War presents a compelling overview of popular culture's responses to the George W. Bush-led 'war on terror.' I found it readable, informative, and insightful, and I highly recommend it as a textbook or supplemental text for courses in sociology, history, and popular culture., Martin (Mount Allison Univ.) and Steuter (sociology, Mount Allison Univ.) argue that militarism plagues US society and is "reinforced by our popular culture; a military-industrial-entertainment culture that sells war through our games and leisure activities." The book begins with a discussion of the costs of war and a broad overview of the claims associated with the manufacturing consent for war perspective. There are chapters on war toys, movies, the entertainment industry more generally, and the everyday expressions of militarism and patriotism that, according to the authors, shape US culture today....Finally, Martin and Steuter call for a struggle against US militarism. Summing Up: Recommended.

Geoff Martin is assistant professor of continuous learning and political science at Mount Allison University. Erin Steuter is professor of sociology at Mount Allison University.