This cultural analysis series showcases how, every day, Americans are inundated with cultural products promoting militarism. From movies and video games to sporting events, our attention is often captured by messages that glorify combat while obscuring the deadly realities of war. The entertainment we consume obscures the costs of war and can normalize the military’s central purpose  — war-making — by framing it as a shared value, preventing reflection about the choices behind the use of the U.S. military, the treatment of military personnel, or the consequences of U.S. militarism. The Consuming War series examines how the Pentagon influences cultural creations to promote an ever-growing war machine.

When we are aware of how we are consuming cultural messages, we are better able to resist their effects and ask critical questions about how the U.S. engages in the world. Consuming War papers, authored by media studies scholars Tanner Mirlees and Matthew Payne and political theorist Roberto Sirvent, provide introductory cultural analysis on the militarization of movies/tv, video games, and sports.