This is probably a sensitive topic and I am pushing my luck with venturing into writing about it, but I think it is worth looking into and further learning about.

First, if you haven’t already, watch these 2 youtubes:

US Soldiers in afghanistan remake Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s “Telephone”

IDF Soldiers doing a coordinated dance to Kesha‘s “Tik Tok” while on patrol in full battle gear in the West Bank

After you’ve laughed your heart out (or gone raving mad) and are done questioning the sexuality of most of the actors in the two clips, let’s try to figure out if this is a celebration of tyranny and oppression, or just young individuals who like to goof off.

It will be hard for people who have been indoctrinated all their lives into honestly believing the ‘enemy’ is a bloodsucking, minion of Satan who has no heart and barely any human characteristics, to see the lighter side of these two videos. The atrocities committed by Israel on its Arab neighbors highly reinforce the belief that the IDF are demonic, miserable creatures. Given that we are not sure what these particular soldiers have done, I will grant them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are innocent until proven guilty.

Who are they? Soldiers in the late teens or early twenties. So, sort of like me and probably you… I know you’re upset I’m humanizing them, but get over it, they are human. I like Kesha too, for reasons I cannot seem to pinpoint, and Tik Tok was a very catchy song and video clip. I also cannot but help imagine if I were in that situation, forced to fight a war I inherited from several generations of bigots before me, afraid I might have to kill or be killed at any given moment, or lose one of the men in my company, I would probably take comfort in doing one thing: goofing off.

When I saw the IDF video,  I thought “That’s so us”. Why? Well, don’t tell me you’ve never tried to mimic a video clip or song, and videotape it. You haven’t? Your loss… I still archive them on my mobile and iPhoto and laugh every time I remember the horrible (or boring) situation we were in, and how fun it was to act stupid and be funny. My point is, having fun isn’t evil and it is customary to do so when you’re under that much stress.

You might be compelled to argue that in such dire and serious situations, it is insulting to have fun. Newsflash: not everyone involved in a conflict truly and wholeheartedly believes in it, or is as passionate about it as its most vociferous advocates whom we get to see on TV. If I was conscripted into the army by force, I would fight for the nation and to protect it, but at the end of the day, it was not my choice and I’d rather be sitting in peace at home watching a dvd, or out on the town dancing till the morning. Not because I’m lazy, but because the truth is, with conflicts such as the Arab-Israeli one, my death and/or struggle won’t really make much of a difference. So, why bother? Defeatist mentality you say? No, I’m just a realist and believe there are other, smarter ways of fighting for your existence and rights, which do not involve fanatical desires to become a martyr. Those alternative ways are for another time and another post though.

Anyway, both videos are an obvious indicator about the wars we wage today: the one’s fighting them don’t really want to, at least not personally. I don’t believe any US or NATO soldier wants to be fighting in Afghanistan, nor do the IDF want to fight in the West Bank or Gaza. On the opposite side, the Arabs and Palestinians and Afghans are forced to fight and defend themselves. As for the terrorist groups, they are brainwashed to believe they personally will reap rewards in heaven for their fighting, and are misled about the nature of the fight and who they are fighting. In other words, the terrorist don’t willingly and knowingly commit to blowing themselves up, they’re selfishly motivated by false promises of providence later on for killing someone now.

So, when you see these clips, don’t flip. Remember that none of us really want to fight a war, and we’d much rather be having fun and a few laughs than killing each other for something definitely worth a human life.