Don't Call Me In The Morning

The most striking issue in "The War Tapes" to me was the importance of dehumanization.

As odd of a concept it may seem, it makes perfect sense for the soldiers to be using in wartime to impersonalize the situation that is occurring. Without this coping mechanism, it would most likely be extremely difficult to make rational decisions and attack peoples. The term "Haji" being used was the explicitly talked about example. However, the times when the line was blurred and the Iraqi citizens had to be seen as human made for some of the most insightful parts of the film. Namely, the incident where the woman was hit by the convoy and the reactions therein were traumatizing, startling, and eye opening. Also, when Sgt. Bazzi would translate with the citizens, and the incident where the parent wanted to take his sick child to the hospital across the street, were incredibly moving.

Another, extremely puzzling problem that arose would be how it seemed the soldier's relationships back home took on a less human capacity. By this, I mean that it seemed that all of their relationships got more distant upon their return. Sgt. Pink's post traumatic stress disorder is an obvious reason for his, but if you look at the body language in many interactions, it seems more unattached than you would expect loving couples to exhibit. Also, the issues of communication get shorted since the significant others of the soldiers simply can't understand what went on in Iraq and the effect it has on the soldiers. Honestly, I don't even know how we can judge the soldiers's issues appropriately since there is a year's worth of footage that we didn't necessarily see.

Ultimately, the question becomes where does the dehumanization begin and end. Is it an indoctrination of the service, a necessary function for survival, or both? Is it on and off, or a blanket approach to life? These are distinct issues that would be interesting to study further, but there are inherently problems involved in this. Nonetheless, I propose that the soldiers's lives are inevitably and invariably affected by the dehumanization well after war, and that this issue probably provides many long-term issues when dealing with trust, committment, and the necessary aspects of healthy relationships.