Soldiers deserve honor and recognition for defending the freedom of the United States. Because they risk their lives so other Americans do not have to, we rightfully thank soldiers for their service. People generally regard honoring soldiers as respectful, and demonstrates that Americans value the soldier’s sacrifices for our country. However, for some people commending soldiers often includes more about their own personal gain and self-esteem than about respecting the soldier. Some people use honoring soldiers as an excuse to boost popularity, increase personal satisfaction, and worst of all, to make money. In Ben Fountain’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, many people approached Billy to congratulate him for his service in Iraq. One lady
…show more content…
Every time this happened, the crowd cheered and got excited to see their country’s famous soldiers. The Cowboys used the soldiers to pump up the crowd, but this had good intentions and was much more about honoring the soldiers than using them. However, the halftime show involved a totally different objective. Throughout pregame activities and the first half of the game, numerous people mentioned the soldiers would participate in the halftime show, but none of the soldiers knew what their performance involved. “Dude, you don’t even wanna know what they’re gonna make us do,” said A-bort to Billy, demonstrating his attitude about their role, which included walking and standing on stage during the singers’ performance (Fountain 225). Prior to the start of the show Bravo Squad had no idea they would be on stage during the halftime show, and they were not happy when they learned their role. Moreover, had they known earlier, they could have backed out of the show, but by the time they found out, it was too late and they had to participate. This is clear exploitation of the Bravo Squad. Knowing that the soldier’s appearance in the halftime performance would boost the overall effectiveness of the show, the Cowboys waited until it was too late for the soldiers to avoid participating. This demonstrated the exploitation of the …show more content…
Norm offered $5,000 to each Bravo Squad member after negotiations with other movie producers ended. Refusing to give the soldiers the initial sum of $100,000 each, Norm instead forced them to choose between a rip off or forgoing the opportunity to make their movie altogether. Even someone as rich as Norm did not refrain from taking advantage of soldiers. Dime angrily pointed out how everyone claimed to support the troops, but when that support requires a monetary price tag, that support disappears (Fountain 282). From a random stranger congratulating the soldiers for their service overseas to an extremely rich Cowboys owner trying to save every last penny, no one wants to do any more than necessary for the soldiers who risked their lives for the US. The empty claims of support mean little without actions to substantiate them. Norm made statements such as, “Our country needs this movie” and “I do like you” to Dime to influence him to agree to the deal, but Dime saw right through Norm’s false claims (Fountain 278,279). Norm did not care at all about the soldiers; he exploited the heroic soldier’s narrative to attempt to cheat them out of money for his own personal gain. Throughout the novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk the public honored soldiers numerous times, and while occasionally these events had good intentions,
Every time this happened, the crowd cheered and got excited to see their country’s famous soldiers. The Cowboys used the soldiers to pump up the crowd, but this had good intentions and was much more about honoring the soldiers than using them. However, the halftime show involved a totally different objective. Throughout pregame activities and the first half of the game, numerous people mentioned the soldiers would participate in the halftime show, but none of the soldiers knew what their performance involved. “Dude, you don’t even wanna know what they’re gonna make us do,” said A-bort to Billy, demonstrating his attitude about their role, which included walking and standing on stage during the singers’ performance (Fountain 225). Prior to the start of the show Bravo Squad had no idea they would be on stage during the halftime show, and they were not happy when they learned their role. Moreover, had they known earlier, they could have backed out of the show, but by the time they found out, it was too late and they had to participate. This is clear exploitation of the Bravo Squad. Knowing that the soldier’s appearance in the halftime performance would boost the overall effectiveness of the show, the Cowboys waited until it was too late for the soldiers to avoid participating. This demonstrated the exploitation of the …show more content…
Norm offered $5,000 to each Bravo Squad member after negotiations with other movie producers ended. Refusing to give the soldiers the initial sum of $100,000 each, Norm instead forced them to choose between a rip off or forgoing the opportunity to make their movie altogether. Even someone as rich as Norm did not refrain from taking advantage of soldiers. Dime angrily pointed out how everyone claimed to support the troops, but when that support requires a monetary price tag, that support disappears (Fountain 282). From a random stranger congratulating the soldiers for their service overseas to an extremely rich Cowboys owner trying to save every last penny, no one wants to do any more than necessary for the soldiers who risked their lives for the US. The empty claims of support mean little without actions to substantiate them. Norm made statements such as, “Our country needs this movie” and “I do like you” to Dime to influence him to agree to the deal, but Dime saw right through Norm’s false claims (Fountain 278,279). Norm did not care at all about the soldiers; he exploited the heroic soldier’s narrative to attempt to cheat them out of money for his own personal gain. Throughout the novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk the public honored soldiers numerous times, and while occasionally these events had good intentions,