War Is Demeaning American Sniper Analysis

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War is Demeaning, American Sniper by Chris Kyle When one considers the act of war, abhorrence and aggression typically come to mind. Hateful actions committed during times of war, are driven by differing perspectives and ideologies. Although war and its consequences can be recognized as being justifiable, there is one aspect which has ceased to be questioned. War is demeaning; every faction involved willingly uses excessive force against one another in order to achieve their goals, knowingly destroying a group’s well-being. During a war, the opposing sides tend to pursue extreme measures against each other in order to fulfill their motives; usually political, economic, or ethical. Whenever multiple nations and their soldiers begin to take…show more content…
“Silver Stars and Bronze Medals” (Kyle 403) along with other awards are given to those who achieved greatness and acts of heroism. But, is that really the full extent of what these medals represent? In order to receive a military award, actions must be taken during a call of duty which either saved someone’s life or committed great achievement leading to national gain. These actions may appear to be noble and worthy of an award, but there is an underlying issue unseen to many veterans. Often times, the life of an enemy had to be taken in order to save your comrades, or achieve greatness. Heroism and notable actions should be honored, but the recognition given to a soldier through the use of a medal or award subtly degrades the enemy who was killed, by indirectly stating that the life of a comrade was more important than that of the enemy. When multiple factions go to war against one another, there extreme acts of violence and hate lead to the dehumanization of everyone involved. Portraying the opposing side of a war shamefully and disrespectfully to the extent that they are looked down upon by others can be degrading and humiliating. The act of war is demeaning due to the use of excessive force in combat in order to achieve one’s goals, which ultimately destroy another group’s
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