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As the twenty-first century unfolds society is confronted with the
normalization of warfare and political violence and their growing
allure for the young. Current global political events highlight the
extent to which young people have become the target of both State
and non-State actors in the prosecution of war and terror. The
conduct of what we can refer to as "social war" has increasingly
come to target the young through media (social media, the internet
and video games) and more directly through acts of violence (the
massacre of children, the reliance on child soldiers, and the use
of children in martyrdom operations) as legitimate forms of
conduct. The appropriation of the young as political and military
materials through the processes of both radicalization and
militarization warrants close examination. Drumbeat examines these
issues within the context of the ongoing process of militarization
and the establishment of a state of perpetual warfare. The book
distinguishes between radicalization, which refers to the
application of propaganda and ideological methods by non-State
agents, and militarization, which refers to the application of
propaganda and ideological methods by State agents in order to
effectively prosecute war. The focus of this book will be an
examination of the mechanisms through which forms of media and
other digital and web-based artefacts - social media, video and
video games - assist in the militarization and radicalization of
the young. There is a growing body of evidence which points to the
effectiveness of various forms of media in both the recruitment of
young people and the promotion of ideological frames. For example,
non-State actors (extremist religious groups and the Alt-Right)
have been highly effective in appropriating new media to project
their propaganda messages and their appeal to young people. The
book also argues that militarization has become a powerful societal
force, which is re-configuring the daily conduct of life in the
West. Just as radicalization seeks to prepare the young for the
conduct of war, militarization also functions to position the
broader society for war. This is a new form of the "civilizing
process" to which Norbert Elias referred. In this context new media
provides the conduits through which this process is legitimized,
celebrated and promulgated.
As the twenty-first century unfolds society is confronted with the
normalization of warfare and political violence and their growing
allure for the young. Current global political events highlight the
extent to which young people have become the target of both State
and non-State actors in the prosecution of war and terror. The
conduct of what we can refer to as "social war" has increasingly
come to target the young through media (social media, the internet
and video games) and more directly through acts of violence (the
massacre of children, the reliance on child soldiers, and the use
of children in martyrdom operations) as legitimate forms of
conduct. The appropriation of the young as political and military
materials through the processes of both radicalization and
militarization warrants close examination. Drumbeat examines these
issues within the context of the ongoing process of militarization
and the establishment of a state of perpetual warfare. The book
distinguishes between radicalization, which refers to the
application of propaganda and ideological methods by non-State
agents, and militarization, which refers to the application of
propaganda and ideological methods by State agents in order to
effectively prosecute war. The focus of this book will be an
examination of the mechanisms through which forms of media and
other digital and web-based artefacts - social media, video and
video games - assist in the militarization and radicalization of
the young. There is a growing body of evidence which points to the
effectiveness of various forms of media in both the recruitment of
young people and the promotion of ideological frames. For example,
non-State actors (extremist religious groups and the Alt-Right)
have been highly effective in appropriating new media to project
their propaganda messages and their appeal to young people. The
book also argues that militarization has become a powerful societal
force, which is re-configuring the daily conduct of life in the
West. Just as radicalization seeks to prepare the young for the
conduct of war, militarization also functions to position the
broader society for war. This is a new form of the "civilizing
process" to which Norbert Elias referred. In this context new media
provides the conduits through which this process is legitimized,
celebrated and promulgated.
The impact that First Person Shooter video games have had on the
evolution of youth culture over a decade or more has been the focus
of attention from political leaders; medical and legal specialists;
and the mass media. Much of the discussion concerning these games
has focused on the issues of the violence that is depicted in the
games and on the perceived psychological and social costs for
individuals and society. What is not widely canvassed in the public
debate generated by violent video games is the role that
military-themed games play in the wider process of militarization.
The significance of this genre of gaming for the creation of a
militarized variant of youth culture warrants closer interrogation.
War/Play critically examines the role that militarized video games
such as Call of Duty play in the lives of young people and the
impact these games have had on the evolution of youth culture and
the broader society. The book examines and critiques the manner in
which the habits and social interactions of young people,
particularly boys and young men, have been reconfigured through a
form of pedagogy embedded within this genre.
"I Was Castro's Prisoner" is a historically significant book that
in 1963 was a media sensation in conservative political circles.
Author John Martino presented first-hand personal experience to
virtually all the evils that had come with the Castro revolution.
He offered descriptions of ongoing, brutal executions held "against
the wall" and related stories of full-fledged warfare against both
the capitalist and professional classes within Cuba. What Martino
witnessed and was openly documenting were the very worst fears of
the Cold War: the victory of communism in a capitalist country, and
the subsequent destruction of a way of life for its people.
Originally published in 1963, republished now to accompany new
historical information on the possibility that Martino may have
played a role in a conspiracy that resulted in the death of
President John Kennedy. In later years, only months before his
death, Martino confided that he served as a courier and had certain
details regarding a conspiracy to kill JFK in Dallas. Martino was
also prominent among those who provided purported evidence to prove
Fidel Castro had been the moving force behind the accused assassin
Lee Oswald. You will not find the details of what Martino did in
1963 in "I Was Castro's Prisoner" --- what you will find is the
reason he acted as he did.
The impact that First Person Shooter video games have had on the
evolution of youth culture over a decade or more has been the focus
of attention from political leaders; medical and legal specialists;
and the mass media. Much of the discussion concerning these games
has focused on the issues of the violence that is depicted in the
games and on the perceived psychological and social costs for
individuals and society. What is not widely canvassed in the public
debate generated by violent video games is the role that
military-themed games play in the wider process of militarization.
The significance of this genre of gaming for the creation of a
militarized variant of youth culture warrants closer interrogation.
War/Play critically examines the role that militarized video games
such as Call of Duty play in the lives of young people and the
impact these games have had on the evolution of youth culture and
the broader society. The book examines and critiques the manner in
which the habits and social interactions of young people,
particularly boys and young men, have been reconfigured through a
form of pedagogy embedded within this genre.
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