by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
One of the key concepts of advertising is “get ’em while they’re young”. Building brand loyalty in a child can make for a lifelong customer. The same adage applies to propaganda. Young minds are impressionable. There was valid psychology behind the Nazi’s formation of the Hitler Youth. Just so, there is valid psychology behind the production of war toys. When you teach children that American military might is always right (as well as hours of fun!) and that violence is not only an acceptable but the preferred method of dispute resolution, they are getting the message. You don’t see a lot of “Ambassador” or “Diplomat” toys. The G.I. Joe toys and plastic Army men of my youth were little more than jingoistic bits of plastic designed to give children the chance to vicariously be a “real American hero” without the trauma psychological and physical that we all eventually learn usually accompanies being an actual war hero in real life.
Back in the day, you could go to the store and buy your children all the war toys you wanted them to have. You still can. The only thing that has changed is the need to go to the store. Now the store comes to you via the Internet. An item currently for sale at Amazon.com carries on this tradition: the Maisto Fresh Metal Tailwinds 1:97 Scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft – US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator with Display Stand. You read that right. You can buy drone toys for your children or for yourself if you are so inclined.The sale of this toy in the Information Age is a bit different than the transactions of my un-wired childhood. Not only does the Internet bring shopping into the comfort of your home, it also allows unprecedented amounts of news and raw information to be at your disposal to help inform parents and children alike about the world around them. And on commercial web stores sites like Amazon, they allow for instant customer feedback. The feedback this toy is getting at Amazon is quite revealing as an example of propaganda gone wrong – from the government standpoint anyway. We’ll look at some of that sadly hilarious feedback, but first, let us discuss the inappropriateness of a drone toy in and of itself.
Toys that aren’t pure exercises in imagination like building toys such as Lego and Tinkertoy and even simple wooded blocks or art supplies are an abstraction one step removed from reality. They are – even when highly detailed – non-functional representations of the real world one step removed from reality by the very merits of their non-functional, scaled down design and manufacture with cheap materials. However, they do represent an idea in physical form. Communicating an idea and fostering acceptance of it is the heart of what propaganda does. The same can be said of advertising and branding. Old school toys like G.I. Joe and plastic Army men had a single layer of abstraction. This changed somewhat as G.I. Joe evolved into the 80’s and a fantasy/science fiction element was added to the toys, but even then the toys were a single step away from reality as the toys were direct proxies for individual action, i.e. you were the soldier in direct conflict when at play killing “the enemy”. This drone toy makes “play killing” even more distant from reality. Drones proper are an abstraction from the consequences of killing as pilots in Houston use video game-like systems to remotely control robotic assassins from above half a world away. A real distancing from the consequences of killing compounding the already existent layer of make-believe that toys inherently provide. A drone toy is simply a bad idea for that alone. Add to this picture that drones – a topic largely avoided by the mainstream media – are still managing to be both an international and a domestic scandal for their role in not just killing non-combatants as “collateral damage” but for the international diplomatic and public relations backlash they are creating and our government’s willingness to use them in whatever theater they wish whether we are officially at war with a country or not. Not to mention the issue of their desire to use drones domestically as “law enforcement support” and “solely for surveillance” Sure that’s all they’ll be used for, uh huh. Until, of course, it becomes simply more expedient to launch a missile to stop a high speed pursuit. Let’s also consider the sheer inappropriateness of the drone toy as represented by the following comment posted to Amazon by a user named “genevieve”:
this is crazy disturbing.
how am i supposed to explain to my child that these drones represent real murder robots that are currently killing CHILDREN across the globe?
a drone recently attacked a school because they “thought terrorists were hiding there’
BOOM! murdered children everywhere. you wanna know ‘why they hate us?’
drones and murdering robots. and our military has been murdering their families since the 90s.buying this toy today in history would be like buying an atomic bomb toy right after hiroshima and nagasaki. disrespectful. ignorant.
or more accurately, would be like purchasing a toy torture cell for the toy inmates at guantanamo. these moments in history when our military violates the geneva convention should not be taught as fun to our kids!! our children should learn from these mistakes when they take american history class as adults.”
Which leads us to this toy being an interesting example of propaganda gone wrong at least as far as the adults paying attention are concerned. The comment section for this toy at Amazon is filled with snarky comments with messages similar to the one conveyed by “genevieve” above, but funnier. Here are some samples:
I just have to say that the educational value of this toy is GREAT. I just tell my son: This is what the West is using to kill the Rest. We fly these wonderful planes carrying bombs and we drop them on people we sort of think are terrorists and other people, including other kids (but no worry, only kids who are not white or citizens of countries that matter) and who happen to get in the way. It is a great development, you see, son, because during the Vietnamn war, the West had to have actual people dropping napalm and other things on the enemy and then some of us were upset because we had to face casualties of our own, and some brave men flying those planes were not too happy about killing babies and such, but now we can murder and pillar JUST LIKE IN VIDEO GAMES isn’t it great? No Americans or Brits coming back in coffins, well – not that many anyhow, at least we don’t have to see it on TV, we focus on sending these nifty white drones to do all the killing. So this toy is pedagogical in that sense because it describes this fantastic thing that happens when historical processes such as technology and imperialism sort of mutually reinforce each other!” – by “Rsel”
“My little Jeremy’s birthday is coming up and I just don’t know what to get him! He already has quite an arsenal of toy guns! Since this toy drone is out of stock, I need some suggestions! I was thinking maybe a toy rape kit? That sounds really cool! It would have to have real duct tape and a ski mask, though. Does anyone know where I can get one?
I know rapists aren’t nearly as glamorous as baby killers, but hey, I’m running out of ideas here!
Oh! I just remembered someone mentioned a toy waterboarding kit. Does anyone know where I can find that? Little Jeremy can practice on his friends, so he can grow up to be a good servant of the Nobel Peace Price Killer. After all, killing for pay is an honest job, right?
I’m just soooooo glad they’ve made killing so much nicer! Gosh, now they can just kill, kill, kill, all from the comfort of their gaming chair! I’ll make sure little Jeremy gets lots of violent video gaming practice! Then his adult job will just be another video game! Fun, fun, fun! And he won’t have to deal with blood and guts, or severed baby’s legs, like older generations of soldiers did.
sigh
Isn’t the world getting just better and better every day? What a nice planet we are leaving to our children! They can grow up to fight in wars without all that yucky stuff…just slaughter children from afar. They are so lucky!” – by “all love based paths lead to God ‘loveisthekey'”
“Unfortunately this is out of stock right now so I can’t buy it. But that’s all right because what really excites me is when they get the whole set. Eventually we are going to be able to buy the Army’s version, Homeland securities version. There will be different versions for different countries and states. I’m really curious about the design that my local police force will be using. I wonder how long before the toys will come equipped with toy weapons as well? Exciting!” – by “george”
“For month’s I’ve been very lost. I have tried over and over to purchase the United States Military Aircraft – US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator. However, the US Military claims they have the exclusive rights to kill things with this UAV. I have continually been refused the rights of owning one!
Until now…
A few days ago I came across the 1:97 scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft – US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator here on Amazon.com; I instantly knew what I needed to do.
I ordered the 1:97 scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft – US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator, and after a few weeks I received it via mail. I quickly ran to my refrigerator and grabbed my Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon, 128 fl oz, (also ordered via Amazon.com), and poured the contents onto my 1:97 scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft – US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator.
Just as I anticipated, it began to grow into a full scale UAV!
Yes! Now I have a fully operational full scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft – US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator. I’ll admit it does run a little bit heavy. I also had to replace the plastic propeller & wheels, but overall it runs great. Storage is also very simple now that I have a full size display stand as well.
I hate a lot of people and now I can finally take them all out. I HATE THEM ALL!
Thanks again Amazon.com.” – by “teofisto”
“What power luster would not enjoy being able to unilaterally order the deaths of people anywhere in the world?
Which leads me to my qualification: be sure you are a leftist darling of the mainstream media, else you’re not ever going to get away with playing with this toy.” – by “N. Joyce”
“When paired with the official ‘Fast and Furious Playset’ that I got from the White House gift shop, this drone is the funnest toy I or my kids have ever played with.
Now we can recreate little battles between American Border Patrol agents armed with beanbag-shooting guns and Mexican drug cartels armed with the latest firearms provided to them by the U.S. federal government. The drone flies overhead catching it all on video, and the video is then destroyed and its very existence denied by top government officials.” – by “Richard Nightwood”
“Great little toy, but of limited use. Apparently the current state of thought is 1) Killing American citizens without messy trials or meetings with the judge: Good! 2) Using it, even if it’s unarmed, to patrol our southern border and assist our immigration control personnel with enforcing our current laws: Bad! And shame on you, hater, for even thinking about it.” – by “C. Fox”
“When I opened the box, I was initially disappointed. I was expecting it to be, if not life-size, at least large enough to take out a hospital or a baby milk factory. But then I realized this mini-drone has potential right here in my office. There is this co-worker, who shall remain nameless, who babbles incessantly and moreover has atrocious personal hygiene (odor) and a generally slovenly appearance. Using the mini-remote control, I was able to successfully guide the little Maisto RQ-1 Predator from my own cubicle safely over the heads of the lovely Christie and Pamela, who share my disdain for this particular person, into the cubicle of the offending party. I will admit that the report was louder than I would have expected, and I certainly didn’t mean to upset my other co-workers, to say nothing of the custodial staff that evening, who had quite the job of it. But the RQ-1 performed flawlessly, and after a stern talking-to by the HR Director, all hands agreed that I had made the right decision. I also am pleased to report that Christie and Pamela are now looking at me with new eyes. We are going out on a double date this Saturday. Sweet!” – by “george4908”
“I’m an attorney and have found that the law and the constitution just seem to be always getting in the way. I was looking for a solution to help my clients and I thought to myself, ‘President Obama is a lawyer! He uses drones to get around silly laws and the constitution! Duh! I’ll do what he does!’
So I got me one of these drones and it does the trick. I simply lure my client’s nemesis over to my office for a ‘settlement conference.’ As soon as the evil-doer plops down in one of my comfortable chairs, the drone makes its appearance and zaps my client’s problem – dead!
My clients couldn’t be happier. And that makes me happy. And since I don’t have to worry about laws and the constitution anymore, I’ve canceled my subscriptions to Westlaw and Nexis and those other parasitic services.
These drones do the trick. No more water-boarding, no more long hours in the library and putting together cases. One punch of a button! Cool!” – by “Milton”
The vast majority of the comments are of this nature. To be fair though, some few are upset that this revolting toy is being met to snark and criticism:
You guys obviously have no idea what you are talking about! Why don’t you start writing reviews about the actual product and not some half witted made up crap.
I’ll start.
My son got this toy for christmas because it is the aircraft that his daddy flies. he loves it. he sleeps with it at night, because he knows that his daddy is helping other mommies and daddies come home safe from war and he is very proud of him. Toy is very durable. it has been buried in the backyard, has taken a bath and almost eaten by the dog and still looks brand new! would definitely recommend this toy.see, not that hard to write an actual review on the toy itself and not some crazy propaganda that has just popped into your non existent brains and has absolutely no merit!” – by “Disgusted”
So it seems pretty much everyone without a vested interest in drones thinks this is a bad idea. Certainly it seems that people see the toy as propaganda in the pejorative sense despite “Disgusted”‘s objections that disapproving of drone use is being based only on propaganda rather than simply having a conscience, being well informed or having a desire to adhere to Constitutional law. As previously discussed, for propaganda to be maximally effective, it must not be seen as propaganda. When you see the man behind the curtain, the magic goes away. For the adults anyway. An uninformed child growing up with this kind of toy will likely grow up to think drones are perfectly acceptable even for domestic use unless they learn better somewhere along the way. After all, killing and taking people’s human, civil and Constitutional rights is all okay if you get your robot to do the dirty work, isn’t it?
Is this toy propaganda?
What do you think?
Source(s): Huffington Post, Amazon
~submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger
P.S. More to come on the topic of vested interests in a future installment of . . .
The Propaganda Series;
Propaganda 105: How to Spot a Liar
Propaganda 104 Supplemental: The Streisand Effect and the Political Question
Propaganda 104 Supplemental: The Sound of Silence
Propaganda 104: Magica Verba Est Scientia Et Ars Es
Propaganda 103: The Word Changes, The Word Remains The Same
Propaganda 102 Supplemental: Holly Would “Zero Dark Thirty”
Propaganda 102: Holly Would and the Power of Images
Propaganda 101 Supplemental: Build It And They Will Come (Around)
Propaganda 101: What You Need to Know and Why or . . .
Related articles of interest;
Gene: Shouldn’t “propaganda” require some intent to propagandize?
I don’t think everything is propaganda. I would not suspect the manufacturer of toy swords to be secretly promoting either real sword fighting or the acceptability of real sword fighting. On the other hand, if Smith and Wesson was also making toy guns for consumption by children, I would suspect an intent to propagandize.
I do not think a maker of remote control race cars is propagandizing kids into a NASCAR culture, I think he is just trying to make a buck entertaining kids that already like the idea of car racing.
I do not think a toy doll is propagandizing little girls, I think the businesses that make them are just trying to earn a buck satisfying a demand that naturally exists; it is little different than selling bicycles.
Unless the US Military is behind the toy drone, I find it hard to classify this as “propaganda” without classifying basically all communications as propaganda, which to me robs the word “propaganda” of meaning, it just becomes a synonym for “communication.” Propaganda need an intent to influence for some kind of gain.
Mike S,
You to Gene H:
My how you reveal our souls, and the spirit of what Gene H is telling us.
In your post today I hoped we would move away from the “MIC” icon into the morphed and evolved icon that represents where that history now lies in “the now.”
Propaganda machinations, including the drone sort we speak of now, are always the leading edge of the storm, not the storm’s center.
General Eisenhower of the MIC, who you spoke of today, ideologically eventually gave in to a propaganda campaign, a spiritual campaign, that got so deep that it sucked in American Religion and American Toymakers as well.
Our friend the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is a media figure now, was ordained at 4 years old.
The toying thingy eh?
Which leads me to a poem:
Just sayin’
Gene,
Another “tour de force” on a subject that I didn’t know about, since none of my grandchildren get toys that have anything to do with guns, war, etc. This is not only my daughter’s belief, but also follows how my wife and I raised our children. I believe though, as you state that there is an interrelationship between militaristic propaganda and the toy industry of long standing. While from the industry’s perspective, as Darren points out, it is strictly about sales. I’m sure though that the military’s PR people are glad to make available information that would allow toy-makers to produce these toys with great accuracy.
Like you as a child I grew up with numerous toy soldiers and toy cowboys. I spent many hours in solitary, engrossed play with them, imagining heroic gun battles. This fantasy play though always involved imagining the future heroics of a grown avatar of myself battling the bad guys. While I built many a model plane, they rarely played a part in my fantasy war play, simply because as you point out, their utility was too far divorced from my own heroic fantasy. Winning a “shootout” is far more personal than dropping a bomb. Therefore as I was reading your blog the thought occurred to me that from my perspective this toy would have little fun play value. The Amazon reviews were priceless.
Gene
I see your point and the desensitization is something that is certainly significant. It seems to me this desensitization is now becomeing the domain of the American public. It has certainly been the issue with world leaders who have in the last few hundred years certinly been granted that desensitization. I would speculate this made them more likely to prosecute war since they were not expecting to be held to the battlefields or the direct agonies of the fight.
It is a very easy thing to send men and women to war when all you expect is to sit in a comfy office, eat gourmet meals, sleep in warm beds and on occasion get on TV and declare how much you are in touch with the soldier on the battlefield.
But does having a full knowledge of war make it more likely to prosecute one? Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and George H W Bush certinly knew what it was like to be on the battlefields or seas. Yet each of them engaged in actions that lead to war. Maybe they had a better perspective than ones who never saw action. Maybe they were better able to weigh the issues.
Sadly, there is a certain element where detachment protects the individual soldier. If a soldier had to morally accept and debate what he was doing it could be very dangerous for them. I’m not talking a Mi Lai type of moral issue but regular combat. It is a terrible situation to be in certainly. But detachment can lead to some terrible outcomes as well.
Darren,
I wasn’t suggesting the toy manufacturer be censored in any way. They are free to make what they like as long as the toys aren’t physically dangerous. I was strictly addressing that the toy does represent an idea in physical form and that communicating an idea and fostering acceptance of it is the heart of what propaganda does. This is something that can be mitigated by parental intervention. The toy company motivation is less relevant than the content of the message and not all propagators of propaganda do so maliciously. They are a toy company and I think their motives were no more complicated than selling toys.
As for A-10 and B-29 models, I think the objection remains the same about a single abstraction versus a double abstraction. Drones, unlike planes, are already inherently abstract because all the operator sees is the screen is a flash and a debris cloud. There is no thump and pressure of the shockwave. No heat. No visceral feedback as the machine guns are pumping out round. No immediate physical feedback of destruction other than a video image of an explosion our culture is extremely desensitized toward. Just a monochrome picture.
I’m glad for the insight and time you devoted Gene to this article but I have to disagree with you this time.
I believe that what we have here is just a toy manufacturer wanting to make additional sales in a new product line in a manner consistent with what they have done in the past. Aircraft models and toys have been around for over a hundred years. I don’t personally see the moral objection to this model drone while at the same time being able to sell model B29 Superfortresses (Which dropped the atomic bombs over Japan) or A10 Thunderbolts which are designed to attack troops and military equipment or, by extension, model civilian jet aircraft of the model used by terrorists to fly into the twin towers.
I wouldn’t want to see in our country where a toy manufacturer has to be subjected to some form of censorship because of political issues involved in the toy to the degree this toy drone is, it is something that cannot be planned for since the political winds can shift at any time.
On a larger picture you have a point with the militarization of childrens toys as a whole. I believe it can be shown that generating interest in the military by supplying army or air force toys to young boys creates an interest in that line and it does lead to more purchases of these items. But this is the nature of marketing. The same sales model can be used for cowboy items, fishing gear, or whatever. Plus it is a reflection of society as a whole. Children see militaria on TV and in their lives and a number of them are going to have an interest in it, and there are toy manufacturers that are going to recognize it and want to provide these items to increase their sales.
Maybe it is not a good thing for children to have military toys but is the effect dangerous or leads to adults detached to killing? I don’t know for sure but I doubt it more than I would agree.
I know you might have strong objection to the use of these drones as they have by our gov’t. I am not going to argue with you on this one because it does have merit. But it seems to me that in the case of this toy drone, if our government had been more “conventional” on the use of these drones the toy version would not have been so objectionable by some people, it would have just been viewed as another model aircraft.
Another question would be is this drone toy or other military toys state sponsored? Glorifying war by the gov’t is as a whole bad. The most striking example is the Hitler Youth which went beyond military training and was for political indoctrination as well. But then we have in our country Civil Air Patrol and the Navy Sea Cadet programs. I guess there has to be some form of balance. If for some miracle the world decided to get rid of their military forces it would be a blessing beyond imagination. But the reality is there are too many countries willing to attack other nations for various reasons or excuses. Should we not be at least prepared?
I think it would be better to reign in our elected officials who are really at the heart of this issue with the drone or other military adventures, it shouldn’t be the civilians or makers of toys that a frustrated public expresses their anger to. But, it is still good to read your views.
Drone hijackings:
http://www.pcrepaircenter.net/u-s-drone-hijackings-raise-security-concerns/
Why could they have not stuck with the Itals? What is up with the Nazi?
Did you all know that the Pope, yes the sitting Pope, the German guy, was an active member of Hitler Youth? Hitler Youth, Hitler Army. Our Pope.
Google him and look up his wiki on wiki.
Life Steps:
Boy Scouts
Make a Man Outta Him, enlist him in the Marines.
PTSD
Walter Reed
Arlington
“Nasser Al-Aulaqi speaks about the illegal killing of his 16-year-old grandson.” (previous comment / YouTube vid)
From the ACLU link, above:
http://youtu.be/xSwoRP-Y3a8
I’m reminded of the kids that I’ve seen (especially military kids) running around in “Peace Through Superior Firepower” t-shirts. Pair ’em up with the toy “Tailwinds”… Great gifts for the little ones.
http://www.amazon.com/Firepower-Conservative-Achtung-Shirt-LLC/dp/B00ABLB2IM
Al-Aulaqi v. Panetta: Lawsuit Challenging Targeted Killings
December 14, 2012
http://www.aclu.org/national-security/al-aulaqi-v-panetta
Excerpts:
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) have filed a lawsuit challenging the government’s targeted killing of three U.S. citizens in drone strikes far from any armed conflict zone.
In Al-Aulaqi v. Panetta (Al-Awlaki v. Panetta) the groups charge that the U.S. government’s killings of U.S. citizens Anwar Al-Aulaqi, Samir Khan, and 16-year-old Abdulrahman Al-Aulaqi in Yemen last year violated the Constitution’s fundamental guarantee against the deprivation of life without due process of law.
…
According to the legal complaint, the killings violated the right to due process under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, the prohibition on unreasonable seizures under the Fourth Amendment, and, with respect to Anwar Al-Aulaqi, the ban on extrajudicial death warrants imposed by the Constitution’s Bill of Attainder Clause. The killings also violated international law, which is incorporated through the Constitution.
This case follows a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and CCR in 2010 challenging Anwar Al-Aulaqi’s placement on government kill lists, before his death. A federal district court dismissed the case, holding that the plaintiff, Al-Aulaqi’s father, lacked standing to bring suit, and that the request for before-the-fact judicial review raised “political questions” that the court could not decide.
Read the complaint >> http://www.aclu.org/national-security/al-aulaqi-v-panetta-complaint
Speaking of brand loyal….. I heard Facebook was hacked and nearly half a million accounts were compromised….
Amazon product reviews have become an unlimited twitter-like feed for political beliefs.
I think this is a great topic….. Drones…. Play toys….. Yeah….. Now where do I get the real thing….. Possibilities…..
This topic is particularly timely since the United Nations has opened an investigation into the legality of the use of drones:
(UN to investigate civilian deaths from US drone strikes, Guardian).
Every time an article in this forum begins on the subject of UAVs (drones), I hope that the context is going to be along the line of inevitable 4th Amendment violations, but somehow it always seems to be how evil these devices are as some sort of independent Transformer War-bot laying waste to unsuspecting peasants, and occasionally a terrorist or two.
Technologically, it was a bit of a perfect storm that brought together non-state warfare, new intelligence methods, sensor, missile, and remote-controlled-drone technology. If the drone wasn’t developed, then we would simply have manned aircraft loitering until target acquisition either through on-board sensors, satellite, or ground assets.
The issue, with respect to foreign policy and the war against trans-national threats, isn’t the technology, its the policy.
Now, on to more important things: New Orleans, here I come! Go Ravens!!!
I clearly remember watching coverage of Desert Storm with my then 12 year old son. He was oohing and aahing over those gun camera pictures of buildings being ‘precision’ bombed. I tried pointing out to him that at the end of those flashes people were dieing and that there were other bombs going off that did not have pretty pictures that were not all of them were military.
I don’t think I got through to him, the images were too powerful, the reality too far removed. He did his tours in the global war on a noun & saw it first hand. To soon old too late smart.