By SJ Otto
M*A*S*H used to be one of my favorite TV shows. It still is. But I can’t help feeling there is no way that show would make it to prime time if it had been developed today. M*A*S*H satirized the military and the US war in Korea. Today all TV shows seem to glamorize war. War could not be more popular than it is today. Today we have shows such as The Code, which takes place in Afghanistan, where a real war still rages today.I live in a time when warriors are very popular. On the CBS Sunday Morning Show that provides us with interviews and explores both issues and persons, they often interview such conservative people as they did this Sunday with Admiral William McRaven, now retire. He was the commander who lead the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. It’s not that there are many people in the US that like bin Laden. He leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to popularity, at least here in the US. Killing a couple thousand people in the twin towers of New York is not something most Americans wanted to see. I didn’t want to see that either.
But McRaven himself leaves a lot to be desired. On the Sunday show he openly admitted he is a warrior. He said he doesn’t like times of peace.
"Peace was meant for some people, but probably not for me."….
….“But somehow, McRaven writes in "Sea Stories,""War challenges your manhood. It reaffirms your courage. It sets you apart from the timid souls and the bench sitters. It builds unbreakable bonds among your fellow warriors. It gives your life meaning. ... War would never lose its allure.”
I find all of that disgusting. To admire fighting wars has got to be one of the most disgusting ideas I can think of. He has been rewarded with a lot of attention, including being the University of Texas, at Austin, to be the commencement speaker in 2014. His speech led him to a book deal. So he has made a lot of his killing career.
Warriors are people whose occupation is to kill other human beings. I realize that there are times when we need war and killing people needs to be done. I don’t admire people who have chosen fighting wars for their personal ambitions. President Theodore Roosevelt loved war. He saw it as an opportunity for a young man to build a name for himself. If find such love of war revolting. I find warriors revolting. I am disgusted by people who see killing other human beings as career opportunity.
