Call of Duty Is Imperialist Propaganda

Video Description

Brandon Sonju breaks down how video games — and, in particular, first-person shooters like Call of Duty — function as propaganda for American empire, and discusses how people can enjoy entertainment while also recognizing the parts of it that reflect what's wrong with the society in which we live. Writer & Editor: Brandon Sonju Senior Producer: Cale Brooks Executive Producer: Bhaskar Sunkara Special Thanks: Arizona Johnston Subscribe to the channel and press the like button! Subscribe to Jacobin for just $10: https://jacobinmag.com/subscribe/?code=JACOBINYT Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jacobinmag https://www.brandonsonju.com​ Brandon’s channel https://www.youtube.com/c/BrandonSonju SOURCES: [1]: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Is Still an Infuriating Relic: https://www.wired.com/story/revisiting-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2/ [2]: Bush accuses Saddam Hussein of seeking to acquire African uranium: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/bush-saddam-uranium-this-day-in-politics-2003-218067 [3]: LIE AFTER LIE: WHAT COLIN POWELL KNEW ABOUT IRAQ 15 YEARS AGO AND WHAT HE TOLD THE U.N.: https://theintercept.com/2018/02/06/lie-after-lie-what-colin-powell-knew-about-iraq-fifteen-years-ago-and-what-he-told-the-un/ [4]: U.S. Links to Saddam During Iran-Iraq War: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4859238 [5]: Exclusive: CIA Files Prove America Helped Saddam as He Gassed Iran: https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/08/26/exclusive-cia-files-prove-america-helped-saddam-as-he-gassed-iran/ [6]: Infinity Ward Was Divided Over Modern Warfare 2's Infamous 'No Russian' Mission: https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/08/28/infinity-ward-was-divided-over-modern-warfare-2s-infamous-no-russian-mission [7]: There’s No Reason for 'No Russian' to Exist in ‘Modern Warfare 2’: https://www.vice.com/en/article/4x44yp/theres-no-reason-for-no-russian-to-exist-in-modern-warfare-2 [8]: Why video games aren’t causing America’s gun problem, in one chart: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/8/5/20755092/gun-shooting-video-game-chart [9]: Don't Forget George H. W. Bush's War Crimes, from Iraq's 'Highway of Death' to Panama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv-jbJAgvnE [10]: The Bay of Pigs Invasion: https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2016-featured-story-archive/the-bay-of-pigs-invasion.html [11,12]: A brief history of U.S.-led regime change in Latin America: https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2019/feb/12/cia-latin-america-overview/ [13]: Call of Duty: gaming's role in the military-entertainment complex: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/22/call-of-duty-gaming-role-military-entertainment-complex [14]: 'Call of Duty' Creators Collaborated with Pentagon Adviser in Upcoming Videogame: https://www.newsweek.com/call-duty-creators-collaborated-pentagon-adviser-upcoming-videogame-267309 [15]: Washington DC’s role behind the scenes in Hollywood goes deeper than you think: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/hollywood-cia-washington-dc-films-fbi-24-intervening-close-relationship-a7918191.html [16]: The US Military Is Using Online Gaming to Recruit Teens: https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/military-recruitment-twitch/ [17]: Iraq Body Count: https://www.iraqbodycount.org OTHER SOURCES: "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media" (1992) "Necessary Illusions" Noam Chomsky (1989) The Military Views Poor Kids as Fodder for Its Forever Wars: https://newrepublic.com/article/156131/military-views-poor-kids-fodder-forever-wars Games shown: Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One, Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War