Operation nicknames haven't always been so aimed at shaping public perception. Prior to World War II, one helpful source explains, color-based operation names were common (e.g., "Operation Indigo"), and even after 1945 the list of military operations includes a number of color-, region- and content-based names. But in 1989, officials under President Bush termed the invasion of Panama "Operation Just Cause," and similarly agenda-driven nicknames have followed since.
Is this embedded form of persuasion to pro-war sentiment simply how things have to be in a marketing-savvy world? I hope not. It's one thing for Pepsi to suggest that drinking their cola makes you cool or unique in addition to quenching your thirst. It's quite another thin
g for the United States to suggest that occupying lands outside its realm and killing fellow human beings is all part of making freedom endure. War is at its heart a destructive enterprise. It is the deepest failure of human imagination, and when we engage in it (these days, apparently without end) we ought to acknowledge that reality, not whitewash it.
g for the United States to suggest that occupying lands outside its realm and killing fellow human beings is all part of making freedom endure. War is at its heart a destructive enterprise. It is the deepest failure of human imagination, and when we engage in it (these days, apparently without end) we ought to acknowledge that reality, not whitewash it.When the U.S. initiated nuclear testing, the powers that be named it "Operation Crossroads." Perhaps a slight misnomer considering the consequences?
Here are some alternative nicknames, though I fear they will not see military ink: 1) For the ongoing war Afghanistan, let's call it "Operation that Must Succeed Even If It Can't" or "Operation No Plan B." 2) Instead of "Operation New Dawn" for this latest announced phase in Iraq, let's go with "Operation Apology for American Exceptionalism." Eh. These could be better.
8 comments:
All anything really needs to distinguish itself is a label. Millions of people thought BP was a green company simply because of its flower logo. Of course, it, like every other oil company, has an abysmal environmental record.
This is what makes the Wikileaks leaks so important - it has forced the media to discuss just how rotten the core of the Afghanistan mission is.
You might want to be prepared for some non sequitur counter-arguments, though.
For Iraq----Operation Little Electricity But Free Elections. The move from neutral names, e.g., colors, to propaganda essentially is fascinating. Branding is everything.
Kathy L.
Panama: I always thought it was actually Operation Just Because.
Afghanistan: Operation Enduring Operation
Operation Wounded Pride could work well for many military campaigns.
With the number of flat-earthers in the Pentagon implanted by Bush, I'd be surprised if Operation: The Last Crusade hadn't been tossed around.
All really great suggestions.
@JoePo That would just mean, unfortunately, that we're going to have another war in 19 years called Operation: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
And it will be THE WORST WAR OF ALL TIME.
Wars named after Indiana Jones movies built on Christian mythology: Nazi-punching success
Wars named after Indiana Jones movies built on new-age rapings of native cultures: Kate Capshaw squealing and Shia Labeouf swinging on vines with monkeys.
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