Why Are We Obsessed With War?

Episode 3 of 5

From war memorabilia to war reenactment and movies, we seem to love nearly all aspects of war. What is it about war and even violence that draws us in so much?

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Sources:

The War Items Fetching Record Prices At Auction:

“Seventy years ago this month, Britain celebrated the end of war in Europe – and by the summer hostilities had ceased in the Far East too. And 75 years ago this summer, the Battle of Britain raged above England, with our brave airmen dominating the skies."

Nazi Enigma Machine Sold At New York Auction At Record Breaking $365,000:

“A very rare, functioning Nazi Enigma machine was recently sold at an auction in New York for a record breaking amount of $365,000. Out of the 1,500 M4 Nazi Enigma machines built during World War II, around 1943 to 1945, only 150 were recovered, according to the Guardian."

History In The Sand:

“In September 1980 the wreckage of a Spitfire aircraft emerged from the sands of Calais beach. It had crash-landed during the Second World War. Initially, the identity of the aircraft remained a mystery but following its recovery by the manager of the nearby Hoverport in January 1981, the Spitfire was identified as P9374, an early Mk 1 version of Supermarine’s finest creation."

The Numbers: Where Data And The Movie Business Meet:

“For more categorization information, please see our Market Charts, which summarize the financial performance of films by genre, production method, distributor, MPAA rating, source and creative type."

The Military Influence On Fashion:

“The military of the world have had an unmistakable impact on fashion. Whether it be the varied terrain, weather encountered, or nature of living in one’s uniform, over the last several hundreds of years these factions have become responsible for pieces that don’t just merely take up real estate in the closet, they are cornerstones of menswear."

Influence; Soldiers Of Fashion:

“In my teens, I thought I looked fabulous in the army-surplus camouflage fatigues I wore with heels and silk blouses from Calvin Klein. Last season, I actually might have, in John Bartlett's camouflage-print leather jacket over a beaded shell."

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[thebatmanover]

It is because thousands of years ago the saiyan race interbred with our prehuman ancestors.

[sixmake]

Most wars just make great stories, especially WW2, they have a begining, conflict (duh), point of no return and a climax. It forms the basis of good story telling. Also talking about all out war here, not little proxy wars or two nations being angry with each other (North and South Korea for example).

[brendanrisney]

1/3 of the comments have the word "America" in them.

[Drownedinblood]

Personally I find all the creativity, ingenuity, and the military culture itself interesting. Almost everything in the military is designed with practicality in mind and using resources efficiently. I find this design philosophy admirable and so I have quite a few favorite things. My personal favorite though is probably my genuine M-65 field jacket. Heavy but water resistant, windproof, tough fabric(resists cuts and tears), with huge pockets that let you store a whole bunch of stuff you may or may not need, and is able to be dressed up or down for the weather with a removable artificial down liner. Imo it's ingenious, and has probably been the inspiration for modern civilian 3 in 1 jackets.

[AholeAtheist]

"Which sounds like a downer, but not always."

Wonders why "we're" obsessed with war.

[heartfthedragn]

I'd hate to brake it to you Trace (and also most americans), but the US didn't 'win' WWII. In fact, the US's involvement in the war changed almost nothing, save for quickening the end of Imperial Japan by a few years. The British ( I'm including in that term all the Crown Colonies, Australia and India) and the USSR won the war, not the USA.

[wendell]

When Trace said Gettysburg, Im thinking wow, Im only a 20 minute drive away in central Pennsylvania.

[nobodyfromnowhere]

We love war because it reveals the true colors of mankind and the true nature of the world. In war we see true heroes and villains we see compassion and cruelty we see strength and weakness and makes us realize how important the peace is.

[SuperAerie]

Its interesting how almost all of humanitys pivotal/greatest moments are from wars

[lusitanimendes]

I love how "AMERICA SAIVED THE DAY" insted of the allies or the 22 million russian dead, and polish, and french, and english....etc

[Dantick]

The US has a "military channel?" xD

[tylercross]

I'm a Marine finishing up my training to be a Rifleman. My Platoon Commander had us read The Warrior's Ethos. Trace, you should read that and use that as a basis for a video in the series

[interstellarbruce]

because it doesn't matter how much war changes. war never changes.

[thelastone]

I think we love overcoming horrible things

[khaplex]

Who are "we"?

In general, various groups of people, especially those who experience war, do not like war, it has been recorded repeatedly as far as war was recorded.

I have forgotten a particular quote of ancient China during the Warring States period, its general meaning however is as, young men generally do not want to war or to enter battlefields, therefore, a recruitment strategy is to chastise such men with their family through social engineering and making it the norm, such as the concept of honor.

During Alexander III of Macedon's campaign, his army eventually refused to prolong the campaign, such is an example of the decreasing rate of morale over prolonged campaigns and thus wars.

Whereby, the most glaringly extensive example is during WW1, I would recommend for anyone to do some research on the conditions of trenches during WW1, wet, infested with vermons, occupied by malnurished soldiers who are unable to sleep due to the constant noise from constant artillery strikes, in specific locations, you cannot even show your head due to the potential danger of snipers, or long-range riflemen, you're essentially trapped in a very small enclosed space along with others like you who are malnurished and who cannot sleep properly, that is why some people would fake physical injuries and mental conditions in an attempt to exit such a condition, but of course, many people were victims of physical injuries and lasting mental traumas.

Romantising war into fiction is all well and good, but it is important to really evision yourself in such a situation, especially in more historical times, consider this, such a large coordinated group requires extensive logistics, food and water isn't the only thing to worry about, a lack of clothing is not an unusual problem suffered by armies of attrition from the past, especially given the conditions of winter.

[istvansipos]

just because you asked for it: 1 of my favourite objects inspired by the military is the P-51 Mustang. That plane looks as if they had designed it for a beauty contest

[angelic]

Never answered the question.. -.-
My take on it is that our brains are wired to pick up on hostile actions, fear and all that.
We remember it more clearly than most experiences. And it forms our personalities more than most experiences.
There is a reason why traumas can carry through life. It helps us survive and learn from it, but it also has some clear drawbacks.

I think rehashing tales over and over of "you" people winning gives a sense of security. It emboldens and helps people feel like they can tackle the hard things in their lives.

I may be way off on that. But it sort of makes sense in my mind at least

[MrHsuLaoshi]

Favorite military inspired thing: drum corps! (Might be indirectly inspired)

[eniotanaka]

I am obsessed with peace! Not really, RTW.

[Blakethelego]

People don't seem to understand that BOTH the USSR and USA contributed major parts to the war that could not have existed without the other. It was the fact that Germany had to fight two fronts that led to their downfall along with Hitler's horrible management. As for Japan, USA just tossed a few nukes over because a land invasion is expensive.