All tagged Military

Symbols as Cultural Boundary Markers

Questioning or challenging the validity of America’s military activity will quickly raise the temperatures in almost any conversation. Further, the symbolism surrounding America’s military is not only pervasive but also deep and culturally entrenched. There is a specific cultural narrative that surrounds our nations military. From religious overtones to liturgical holidays the symbols surrounding America’s military are some of the most powerful in our society.

The Bloody Marriage of Military & Sport

Sports, the movies, the mall, the news cycle, etc. all serve in a liturgical manner; they all shape us and form us in certain ways simply by our exposure to them. When Smith speaks of “liturgies” he’s talking about cultural rituals that tend to shape us in ways that we aren’t necessarily aware of. In other words, liturgies don’t ask for permission to shape the way we think and feel about certain things, they just do it.