The below video was produced by the U.S. Department of War Information in 1945.  It is a "propaganda" film meant to bolster support for U.S. involvement in WWII.  Coincidentally, it is filmed in Madison, Indiana, hometown of Wheels Of Change co-founder Joey Ernst; however, that is not what caught our interest.  Watch the short film below, draw some conclusions of your own, and then read on for ours.

What struck you most about this film?  More specifically, what social and cultural differences from today's world did you notice?

One might well think that the biggest difference between 1945 and 2008 would be one of tolerance, that in the sixty-plus years since 1945 our culture may have grown more tolerant to different backgrounds, ideas, and so on.  In fact, watching this film, it is readily apparent that precisely the opposite is true!  The film proudly displays the varying heritages (albeit mostly European) of the residents of Madison, and the traditions, culture, and religious beliefs each brought with them from their homeland.  It takes especial notice of the American respect for differing thoughts, opinions, and beliefs.  It points out the calm and reasonable justice system, the sustainable agricultural way of life, and the small businesses that abound.  The overall tone of the film is one of reason, of rational thought, of kindness, of respect.  The film makes a case for our involvement in WWII by appealing to our better impulses, by urging us not to forget that part of having the lifestyle we do is protecting it, in this case against the decidedly nefarious enemy presented by Nazi Germany and their allies.

Contrast that with the typical military propaganda of 2008.  You've seen it - National Guard, Army, Navy, or Marines ads on the television or internet.  No reason or thoughtfulness here - just CGI eagles screaming through the air beside deadly fighter jets, soldiers peering through high-tech night vision goggles at an unseen enemy, American flags waving as paratroopers jump out of helicopters and testosterone-infused music blares in the background.  The whole scene is straight out of a video game (and indeed many of the ads are done in computer generated, video-game style) - what better way to snare a generation raised on mind-numbing passive entertainment?  Gone is any appeal to reason, or mutual respect, or indeed any genuinely decent reason to go to war in the first place.  In its place is an appeal to ignorance, to violence, to intolerance, to boredom.  The 1945 propaganda says "Fight this war because our way of life is tolerant of all peoples, and we face a genuine threat to tolerance."  The 2008 propaganda says "Fight this war because our country is the greatest!  We're the best and anyone who doesn't think so is the enemy!  Kick some terrorist butt!  Be a man!  Yeah!"  Perhaps one of the most striking ways to bring the 60-year difference to light is to remember the opening scenes of the 1945 film; can you even imagine a military film in 2008 comparing, in a favorable manner, an American town to a French village?

One could easily argue that the so-called terrorists that we're supposedly fighting in this "war on terror" are every bit as intolerant as Hitler and the Nazis were.  This may well be true, although to use that argument one must put aside the fact that in our current conflicts, we aren't so much fighting terrorists as using them as a front to conduct war for other reasons (resources, profiteering, economic solvency).  Even if that argument is true, however, it cannot be ignored that intolerance is also an American attitude in 2008, at least to a large degree within the military establishment and other sectors of American culture that think the current wars are a good thing.  This segment of our society thinks very broadly of America as God's chosen land, or if not so religiously, at least as a place where we can live however we choose, ethics, sustainability, and impact on fellow humans be damned, which really amounts to almost the same viewpoint.  Far from the pride associated with the "melting pot" ideology evident in the 1945 film, the ideology of the same societal segment in 2008 is narrow-minded, self-righteous, and self-serving.  These, remember, are often the same people that want to put up walls between Mexico and the United States, forgetting that at some point in recent history, all Americans are immigrants.

While the cultural differences between 1945 and 2008 could be talked about for quite a while, I think I've made my point.  Somehow, in the last 60 years, we've gone backwards.  We are closer now ourselves, militarily, to the ideology of Nazi Germany and other intolerant societies than we were in 1945.  That may sound crazy, but after viewing the above film it is not hard to see and believe.  That's a problem; we all, as Americans, should take note, sort out our beliefs, and live out what we really believe.  Push for change; act towards change; be change.  --Joey Ernst