Blog Assignment #5: Representing Others

As the understanding and accessibility of visual images has become more understood and easily available to the general public during times of war, various forms of censorship have been put into effect in an attempt to protect troops and to control public opinion. In Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag argues, “There has always been censorship, but for a long time it remained desultory, at the pleasure of generals and heads of state.” (51) Sontag makes a valid point by stating that censorship has been a grey area during times of war. With the advancement of technology, the public is able to access war visuals at their convenience. Since the creation of photographs, debates have stricken about the ethical challenges of depicting a war. Is it censorship or sensibility? Often times we are presented with visuals that disregard the harsh reality of war and the gruesome brutality that exists. Viewers are given images of a bloodless war. Many are in denial of seeing our troops injured or dead but I believe they deserve this recognition and the people deserve to get a glimpse of war without censorship.  Although we cannot fully comprehend the realities of war without being in a war, the closest things we have are visuals. Little reflection of these realities is to be found, however since the Vietnam War (first war to be televised) the US media and military have kept the American public in the shadows about its real nature. For example, Clint Eastwood’s historical fiction, Letter’s from Iwo Jima, shows us the battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective. Seeing American soldiers getting killed is a very effective way to show what media sources and the military do not want us to see. This ultimately puts war into perspective because throughout the course of the movie we develop an attachment with the "Other" (Japanese soldiers) but then realize they are killing our own people. The bloody truths about war are revealed in this film and it's amazing to see how censorship creates a distorted view on war, many times not taking into consideration the pathos and honor that exists on both sides. War is a mystery, but according to Sontag this mystery has not been solved because strategic censorship has been taking place for so long.