Just
what is “Shock and Awe”? And who comes up with such terms? I’ll tell you
who: It’s the same self-absorbed U.S. government speech writers who break
their arms patting themselves on their backs for coming up with such winning
phrases as “Evil Empire”, “Axis of Evil”, “Collateral Damage”,
“Person of Interest” and “Enemy Combatant”.
If
one gives careful consideration to these terms, one finds them to be vaguely
emotionally evocative yet devoid of any true, specific or important meaning. As
such, they become perfect buzzwords for media outlets looking to condense
nuanced issues into 2-minute news segments that need to be minimally informative
but maximally engaging.
“Shock
and Awe” has been a particular media favorite ever since America’s most
recent glibly named military operation, Operation Iraqi Freedom, hit television
airwaves. In fact, when the expected, massive bombing campaign did not
materialize in the early moments of the war, anchors and special guests on all
the major American news channels seemed almost disappointed that they weren’t
able to Ooooo and Ahhhh over the light show.
The
reason for their anticipation was made apparent the morning after the United
States sent a cruise missile flying into a supposed “Target of Opportunity”
where Saddam Hussein and possibly his sons were thought to have been located.
That morning, the Drudge Report (www.drudgereport.com)
was one of the first media outlets publish the evening television ratings for
the war coverage. That’s right, ratings were one of the first things on the
minds of media outlets after the war had begun. NBC garnered a rating of 13,
beating the next closest competitor, CBS nearly 2 to 1.
So
it’s no wonder that broadcasters champed at the bit to get spectacular
explosions on their airwaves.
When
the “Shock and Awe” did start, it was immediately clear that television news
outlets had been prepping for the event for weeks. Positioned strategically in
locales such as the Palestine Hotel, broadcasters got a front row seat for an
onslaught like none other. The explosions were spectacular with the percussion
of the blasts causing distortion in even the most advanced of broadcast sound
equipment. But one could not help but wonder whether all this “Shock and
Awe” was staged, or at least crafted for the viewing public.
The
Pentagon trotted out the phrase “Shock and Awe” in advance of the start of
hostilities. This acted to whet the appetites of both broadcasters and viewers
alike. With memories of 1991’s riveting images of anti-aircraft fire and
missile explosions in the minds of many, the prospect of coverage of similar
events with new and improved technology was understandably tantalizing.
When
the “Shock and Awe” came, it took place largely right in view of media
vantage points atop their hotels. After all, it wouldn’t have been “Shock
and Awe” unless there was a large enough audience viewing the bombing. With
the bombing happening in places that were coincidentally convenient to film, the
U.S. ensured that the images would reach a truly broad international viewership.
The
goal of such a bombing campaign? It has been suggested that “Shock and Awe”
is meant to strike such fear in the hearts of the Iraqi military that soldiers
would simply capitulate and allow U.S. and other allied forces to waltz into
Baghdad relatively unopposed. But when one takes into consideration the fact
that the campaign was designed – as this entire war has been – to be
available for mass consumption, the possibility arises that the United States is
using this “Shock and Awe” to send a clear message to the rest of the world;
that message being that America possesses absolute military superiority.
Whether
this superiority is real or imagined, the image of it will be indelible thanks
to the media coverage.
