-----Original Message----- From: Michael Perelman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >During World War II, bomber pilots and their crews had extraordinarily >dangerous jobs. Although a bomber could kill many people, the pilot >faced greater risks than his targets the ground. This imagery of >heroism continued in the cinema. >Today, pilots face relatively few risks and can inflict far more >damage. Does this lingering imagery make our behavior in our twin wars >more respectable in the eyes of the U.S. public? Since I find bombing about as heroic as the Serbs killing Kosovo civilians, I might agree with Michael that there is a bit of lingering respect, although the public who supports intervention has said pretty strongly that bombing alone can't solve the issue. As far as bombing heroism, I think Doonesbury hit it best when he showed three frames of Phred the Terrorist, his loveable VietCong character, having his village blown up by a B-52 bomber. He screams at the sky, crying "I hope you can live with yourselves, with the destruction you cause. I hope you can sleep at night." Last panel shifts to the cockpit, as one pilot turns to the other and says, "Who are you picking for the Knicks game tonight?" Which may be how a lot of the public also sees it, since most don't really think of video games as that heroic. --Nathan
