Stolen Valor Act discussion - Part 2

Part II – Hollywood and Video Games

With the background information tucked neatly away, let us turn our attention to some present day cultural peculiarities. We live in a world of increasing social and technological complexity, where many people feel they have little or no control over their own lives. Individuals who demonstrate the ability to take control of the circumstances in their own lives and to prevail against the forces of misfortune are typically viewed as “heroic”, and are generally held in high esteem by their associates. Into this situation come the Hollywood moviemaker and computer gaming with their opportunities to relive the exploits of many different kinds of “heroes”.

Entertainment in all its many forms has become a preoccupation of our culture. Incredibly realistic computer games provide the opportunity to experience events which they might otherwise find only as the stuff of fantasy and imagination. Whether they wish to take part in realistic Special Operations missions in far-flung corners of the globe or participate in incredibly realistic replays of the WWII D-Day invasion, it’s all possible and readily available through computer games.

Movie and television portrayals of self-assured, heroic individuals who stand tall against all odds and create their own destiny are extraordinarily popular with the viewing public. Through the use of computer-generated imagery and technical wizardry, Hollywood movie makers, television production companies, and video game producers have effectively trained our society to virtually suspend their disbelief and set aside their critical thinking. The impossible is not only seen as possible, but incredibly believable… and can be experienced vicariously on any night of the week via television or at the local movie theater.

Fantasy gamers and movie goers live vicariously through these artificial on-screen images. Hollywood movies have convinced the viewing public to view both the fictional characters and those who portray them as celebrities. In a bizarre twist, the extraordinary actions of on-screen action figures are regularly accredited to the actors portraying them, despite the fact that the actor’s heroic portrayal is most often the result of special effects. Similarly, extraordinary accomplishments achieved in difficult and complex video games are often seen as tantamount to actually performing those death-defying deeds in person. Gamers who have mastered these difficult situations are often viewed a celebrities outside the confines of the game by others within their own peer groups. The cult of celebrity pervades virtually every aspect of our culture.

In a society where this celebrity status is held in paramount esteem, an individual’s social position is very often a measure of one’s own celebrity status among one’s peers. Everyone wants to see a celebrity, some will meet a celebrity in person, and a very few will actually be celebrities. Social status has become a driving force in the world we know today; it literally is a matter of “how famous you are”. In an odd twist of the bizarre, because of the cult of celebrity worship, those who know the celebrity also gain an increased measure of importance among their peers. It’s name dropping taken to an extreme level! The more celebrated the acquaintances, the higher will be the resulting position on the social ladder. It doesn’t much matter what sort of fame is associated with the important celebrity friends. They can be political figures such as a mayor, a senator, a congressman, a governor, the President of the United States… or the chairman of the local country club. They can be entertainment figures such as a recording artist, a movie star, a national TV personality… or the drive-time DJ on the local pop radio station. They can be famous for just about anything, it doesn’t matter; so long as others consider them to be celebrities, then by knowing them (and frequently referring to them in day to day conversations) their acquaintances, too, can be considered minor celebrities.

For those who lack any particular qualifications for actually being a celebrity themselves, and who are disinclined to gain celebrity status by “knowing” someone famous, higher social status can often be attained simply by making verbal CLAIMS of being a real celebrity. Many people are so besieged by stories and images of impossible deeds on TV and in the movies, that they have permanently set aside the concept of critical thinking and all but lost their ability to discriminate between real and imaginary situations. They hear tall stories offered by those who wish to be worshipped as heroes, and they willingly oblige by offering their admiration.

Thus we find ourselves in a world where many people can’t tell (or don’t want to know) the difference between truth and fantasy. A world where celebrities are touted as heroes, their faces splashed across newsstand magazines by the thousands, where knowing a celebrity is nearly as appealing as being one, and at a time in history when our military veterans are held in the highest esteem they have ever enjoyed. It is little wonder, then, that military imposters are making more false claims than ever before in the history of our nation.

By virtue of false claims of military heroics these imposters obtain unfair job opportunities, undeserved pay raises, and unearned promotions. They take advantage of trusting family members, deceive admiring acquaintances, and con government agencies out of BILLIONS of dollars which are intended to aid the real military veterans.

When questioned about their credentials, the imposters have only to claim that the nature of their military tasking was so secretive and critical that no records are available for public verification… that they are sealed away from any access in the interest of national security. Because this same claim is used so often in movies and TV shows, and because viewers have come to blindly accept these statements as realistic, the imposters are believed. Doubts are set aside, and no matter how absurd or improbable, their stories are accepted at face value.