Anything But War

There is a habit among Americans which has rankled me over the past few months. A while ago, I saw an Andy Rooney piece where he criticized the media's usage of the word "troops." He correctly pointed out that a "troop" is a group of individuals, not a single soldier. This is just one illustration of an American proclivity to use military terminology, often incorrectly. The words are used so commonly, embledded into our lexicon, that they essentially lose their meaning.

While Kellen Winslow was playing for the U (Miami FL), he created a public outcry during a post-game interview after a loss in 2003.

"It's war," Winslow said Saturday, his voice raised in the locker room. "They're out there to kill you, so I'm out there to kill them. We don't care about anybody but this U. They're going after my legs. I'm going to come right back at them. I'm a ... soldier."

This was a single event which created a backlash but it strikes me when Sunday after Sunday I hear announcers and commentary personnel use adjectives describing the game as “a war out there” or a tough player as “a warrior.” Coaches describe playing the game as “going to war” and the clash of offensive and defensive lines is regarded as “the trenches.”

It occurs to me that maybe Americans expect war to resemble a football game. It is dangerous but everyone is expected to come home. It may be violent, but they have protection and are professionals, the best in the world. There are moments when it overwhelms viewers, but as long as we know the score, we can tell who is winning. We expect it to be tough, but we expect it to end in 60 minutes.

Maybe it is the increased usage of war-terms on things which have nothing to do with war. The war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on ignorance. Maybe all this war-talk has made Americans weary of seemingly endless conflict. Maybe the need to see a definitive end point reflects the rise of football and the decline of baseball, a game without a time restraint. Maybe a Sunday football game is the closest thing to war comprehensible to most Americans.

I’ll close with part of Winslow’s apology: “I cannot begin to imagine the magnitude of war or its consequences." Sounds like most Americans to me.