Letters: Too ready for war
Re “U.S. calls for ‘Iron Man,’” Oct. 31
As a mother, I cringe at the onslaught of violent entertainment in our culture. But then I think, “What a great way for people — especially men — to get their aggression out by simulating war, violence and destruction with their imagination.”
But when I read about defense contractors trying to create an “Iron Man” suit for soldiers, my heart sinks. The only imagination at work here is by those continually betting on humans being perpetually embroiled in a state of war.
War is a failure of the imagination, the saying goes. The real creative challenge for us now is to put our efforts toward creating a planet where beings help and heal one another, not kill one another with ever-advancing speed, technology and comic-hero efficiency.
Angi Neff
Santa Monica
It seems to me that the idea of basing U.S. military research and development on the technological achievements of a comic-book hero is little short of pathetic.
Has anyone in U.S. Special Operations Command taken a moment to think why it’s not possible to hire eccentric billionaire “industrialist and master engineer” Tony Stark as a design and technology consultant?
It might also be worth considering that combat in Afghanistan does not take place in front of a green screen, and there is no stunt double, motion capture or CGI available to sort things out.
P.S.: Thor’s hammer looks pretty good to me as well.
Glenn Harcourt
Pasadena
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