Comments on: Scenes from "The War Tapes": Deborah Scranton on TED.com http://blog.ted.com/2007/09/13/deborah_scranto/ The TED Blog shares interesting news about TED, TEDTalks video, the TED Prize and more. Sun, 19 May 2013 18:12:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Susan Plunkett http://blog.ted.com/2007/09/13/deborah_scranto/comment-page-1/#comment-341 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog-staging.ted.com/2007/09/deborah_scranto/#comment-341 I had a mature aged student in a creative writing class a few years ago and he had served time in Iraq. He had the cohort in his thrall as he told stories about his service experience in the war zone; what is was like sitting behind a US pilot who had the Beatles loudly playing through the ear phones of his helmet as he raced across the sky on a mission. Of men forming bands and howling noise in former palaces. Of the shouting and fervour when certain military leaders entered a packed room. He led us into the culture and showed us the bridge between escapism and reality. Powerful and evocative stuff.

]]> By: Richard Faulkner http://blog.ted.com/2007/09/13/deborah_scranto/comment-page-1/#comment-342 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://blog-staging.ted.com/2007/09/deborah_scranto/#comment-342 I just watched (and listened intently) to Ms. Scranton’s talk and I am motivated to rent a copy of her film soon. It looks to be (based on the snippets she showed) to be a powerfully delivered unvarnished look at the outcomes of this conflict on the lives of all involved.

I’ve been against this US unilateral aggression from the moment that Bush was elected president (the first time) as I knew this would be on his agenda…to finish was his father began. Then the events of 9-11 occured creating the tipping point giving him license to pursue his “vision.” The one thing I have never reconciled myself to is the concept of “supporting the troops” if you are fundamentally opposed to the act of agression that they are charged with prosecuting. To me it is just “patriot” happy talk relegated to the bumpers of vehicles for those folks that choose to selectively focus on the issue from standpoint of the health and well-being of the American miltary personnel put in harms way.

I hope Ms. Scranton’s film gives me insight into the true feelings of those stuck in the middle of this atrocity…I suspect I will find that they are more in line with my own and less with those that sent them there.

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