Last week during my presentation with Tess, a certain boy in the second row (he’s short with black curly hair, a fake tooth and plays soccer) started laughing inappropriately when I said Civil War bands often serenaded their leaders. I did not intend for it to be a funny fact, but for some reason he took it that way. I’m now going to try and make him feel terrible for laughing out loud during my presentation by delving deeper into the reasons for these late night sing-a-longs.
I’ve never been in war and probably never will be, but I can imagine what it would be like. Today, soldiers often bring electronics to Iraq with them, whether it’s an MP3 player, a PSP, or a laptop, to take their minds off the war during their spare time. I think everyone understands bands in the Civil War served the same purpose. War can take just as much of a psychological toll on soldiers if not more than any physical beating. The psychological effect of combat is a concept that many people tend to overlook, which encompasses a wide variety of processes and negative impacts, all of which must be taken into consideration in any assessment of the costs of war.
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10 comments:
i find your motives questionable but i can't exactly disagree... That presentation was mine too.
i think you're absolutely right about music in war; anything that is likely to help calm the soldiers and ease the negative psychological effects of war is a good thing. MP3 players are handy now, and brass bands were handy then.
Being the boy with "black curly hair" and "a fake tooth," I want to formally apologize for laughing. According to dictionary.com, the definition of serenade is, "a complimentary performance of vocal or instrumental music in the open air at night, as by a lover under the window of his lady." In our society today, we do associate "serenading" to a romantic/sexual meaning, even though it does not have it be. That is why I laughed, and I am sorry.
Like Tess said, music is a way for people to escape. For people that really need to getaway, like soldiers, music is extremely important. That is why iPods are so important to those serving today. During the Civil War, the way to hear music was through a band, and the soldiers today and during the Civil War needed a way to deal with the psychological tolls they were going through.
I think your point is strong. Music does ease the pressures of war. As to everyone's problem with the word serenade, it probably wasn't the right word to use but I understand what you are saying and it makes a lot of sense. Especially in war (though I haven't been in one), music can take us places where we want to be rather than where we are. That is how I feel when I listen to really good music, and that is what I believe a purpose of music should be. I like your argument and it definitely resonates with me.
I talked about the psychological effects of war in my blog as well and they definitely should not be overlooked. As long as you have your mind, you are still somewhat human, more so than if you lost an arm or leg in battle as you have the mental capacity to overcome the loss. Music and other trivial things can ease the minds of soldiers and it is absolutely critical that they be committed to their job.
A while back I was watching the Military Channel, (and yes I watch something other than sports) and they were talking about how soldiers today get themselves psyched up and motivated for battle. They said that they will play heavy metal music over the radio so that everyone can hear it. After thinking about it for a while, this is a really smart method. Music has a powerful feeling and can take over a person’s body. One second you are listening to it, the next thing you know your foot is tapping going along with the beat, or your head is bobbing up and down. We get trapped up in the moment and the music takes over our thoughts and feelings. So by listening to Metallica, a soldier's adrenaline can be so high he can almost feel like a super soldier. Good post Sammy and I have to agree with you that war and music go hand and hand
I agree with your argument that music was/is a way to provide an escape for soldiers. However, I believe there is one major difference in your argument (the difference between bands back in the Civil War and mp3 music players today). During the Civil War bands played during the war and before it, thus not necessarily providing an escape from the war.
I like the aggression of your first paragraph. Perhaps we should send a band to serenade you tonight to get your mind off the subject and relax you. Just kidding, but I like what you have to say in your second paragraph. I think a lot of the psychological effects of war stem from the emotional dedication war takes. I you are willing to fight passionately in war, and give your life up to protect something, it is obvious that your emotions are running pretty high. With that being said, men particularly have a lot of testosterone and can get edgy during highly emotional times. I think that be it through bands or PSP's, keeping your cool in a time of crisis is a necessity.
Music often serves as an escape for people and this point serves especially true for soldiers at war. People enjoy and celebrate music all around the world. There are so many traumatizing events that take place in a war and soldiers have to learn to live with this constant fear and anxiety. Sometimes music can ease the pains and tortures of the world. Music cannot change the world, but it does help ease the pain of war.
I think the reason that guy laughed is because of your word choice of "serenade". It was a little funny word choice. But I agree, sometimes music is a really good healer. R&B when you're feeling down, Rock and Electronic when you want to get back in the action. Music is really important to our society
Along the same line as Sean's comment, I too watch things other than sports and as a result I learned something very similar to the use of heavy metal as pump-up music for American soldiers. During WWII American paratroopers used music, not Metallica obviously, to pump themselves up for a mission. I can't remember which song but it is a very, very famous classical song that's name eludes me at the moment. Just a fun fact
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