I have always looked at maps and seen the Arctic Ocean as a gigantic space in between Canada and Russia. Whenever we see maps that are flat the Arctic Ocean is cut off and we are led to believe that there is this great expanse above Canada and Russia that parts the two countries. In this image one can clearly see how close the northernmost tip of Greenland is to the coastline of Norway. Viewing the Arctic Ocean from this perspective blows my mind because that makes me wonder how skewed my mental map of the world is. Taking a look at an area of the world like the Arctic Ocean makes me wonder if teachers should use flat maps a lot less and rounded globe-like maps a lot more.
I found very quickly that the ongoing war in Afghanistan is being compared to the likes of the Vietnam War many years ago. Comparing wars throughout history is not an odd practice in any way, shape, or form for humans to do, but what I found particularly interesting was people trying to find connections between the two longest wars in American history.
Yes, I do concede that the two wars have their similarities, but for the most part those connections are few and not of high enough merit for a college educated lad. The article by Tim Lister points out the facts and statistics associated with both wars and arguments relating to comparing the two wars. Throughout the article one learns the difference between the idealistic warfare during the Vietnam War and the Sharia determined warfare employed by the Taliban. I find it interesting that people try to compare such different wars because, let’s face it, Vietnam and Afghanistan are completely opposite like both sides of a coin.
The video attached above is of a Q & A session with the film makers as they field a question concerning the relationship between the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War. In the video the two men talking make clear that the two wars are different and should not be treated as equals. I find the video clip particularly interesting because we can see this comparison from an actual soldiers view point instead of a member of the media or a philosophical historian. I think it is refreshing to see at least one person come out and express personal emotional feelings toward the subject instead of the objective rabble I had to sift through online. What we learn from this Q & A clip is knowledge concerning opinions and application of the knowledge (most people probably gained from Wikipedia) about both wars.
In the end Tim Lister presents a good objective argument as to why the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars are similar and dissimilar. The Q & A video clip provides people with a resource as to actual human reactions to the subject. Both have their merits, but in the end what matters is that there is a blurred line between the similarities and differences in every war.
Just for fun I will leave all my one audience member with this cartoon...enjoy!
