OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
- Reaction score
- 12,667
- Points
- 1,140
Spiralling...... 
op:
:cheers:
op::cheers:
Canadians and distorted reality...
- Thread starter ArmyRick
- Start date
Brad Sallows
Army.ca Legend
- Reaction score
- 7,055
- Points
- 1,040
Somewhere there is a piece of paper signed by a pharmacist with either too much or too little dose...
- Reaction score
- 290
- Points
- 980
IGA said:
Yes you do - you've been here for three years.
You just haven't met any of us yet.
I agree that many people's support is genuine. When somebody picks up a dinner tab for a couple of dozen of us in uniform (Edmonton, early 2008) they are not just repeating a phrase - they are putting their money where our mouths are. That tab must have been at least $600.00.
Bluebulldog
Full Member
- Reaction score
- 120
- Points
- 680
Going back to the original topic.
Many regular Canadians don't really have any concept, nor do they have any frame of reference for members of the CF.
Many believe that we are a solely peacekeeping force. There is very little appreciation for not only our current CF, but very few have any knowledge of past conflicts, battles, and history of the CF.
For this I blame many. First and foremost is our governments ( all levels, Municipal, Provincial, and Federal). There are very few iniatives that put the CF in the forefront, except for the one day a year ( 11 Nov) when all political entities get out and give their moment of silence for the cameras and media.
We have an over saturation of US media, which unfortunately, doesn't do much for highlighting our own history. ( How many Canadians know who the first Prime Minister is? I bet there are more that know that George Washington was the first president. It was John A. MacDonald BTW)
Unfortunately. Unlike the US which has over 2 million members serving in its military, we don't have the same presence. Nor do we have the same geography...where the US places it's military installations in very close proximity to major city centres, we tend to place ours in out of the way spaces.
Unfortunatley, with the war in Afghanistan, we should be getting more exposure, however our ever loving Liberal media doesn't tend to report much except the bad.
Many regular Canadians don't really have any concept, nor do they have any frame of reference for members of the CF.
Many believe that we are a solely peacekeeping force. There is very little appreciation for not only our current CF, but very few have any knowledge of past conflicts, battles, and history of the CF.
For this I blame many. First and foremost is our governments ( all levels, Municipal, Provincial, and Federal). There are very few iniatives that put the CF in the forefront, except for the one day a year ( 11 Nov) when all political entities get out and give their moment of silence for the cameras and media.
We have an over saturation of US media, which unfortunately, doesn't do much for highlighting our own history. ( How many Canadians know who the first Prime Minister is? I bet there are more that know that George Washington was the first president. It was John A. MacDonald BTW)
Unfortunately. Unlike the US which has over 2 million members serving in its military, we don't have the same presence. Nor do we have the same geography...where the US places it's military installations in very close proximity to major city centres, we tend to place ours in out of the way spaces.
Unfortunatley, with the war in Afghanistan, we should be getting more exposure, however our ever loving Liberal media doesn't tend to report much except the bad.
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
- Reaction score
- 12,667
- Points
- 1,140
Bluebulldog I agree with your assessment. I would like to add one thing:
We, as a military, do not blow our own horn, so to speak, very well. We tend to minimize the actions of our members by saying "we were only doing our jobs". While that may be so, sometimes our jobs see our troops being taken under fire by hostile forces, who mean to do us harm. This is not publicized well enough. I think, as my own opinion only, we need to publicize the actions our troops (Army, Navy and Air) have taken far more than we do.
We, as a military, do not blow our own horn, so to speak, very well. We tend to minimize the actions of our members by saying "we were only doing our jobs". While that may be so, sometimes our jobs see our troops being taken under fire by hostile forces, who mean to do us harm. This is not publicized well enough. I think, as my own opinion only, we need to publicize the actions our troops (Army, Navy and Air) have taken far more than we do.
Haggis
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 2,667
- Points
- 1,140
Bluebulldog said:
The Regular Force are, by and large, concentrated in a few areas. With them are all the expensive, shiny and cool things that the public pays for (aircraft, ships, LAVs, tanks etc.) However, there are about 200 Reserve Force units scattered across Canada and many dozen Ranger Patrols in the North. One of the roles of the Reserve Force is to be the community footprint of the CF in Canada. In all likelihood, if a Canadian citizen sees a CF member in small town Canada, that member is a Reservist.
- Reaction score
- 25
- Points
- 430
Haggis said:
True, and even that may becoming a rarity.
ArmyRick
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
- 1,986
- Points
- 1,010
Its too bad we don't have an eager Canadian movie producer do a realistic but major hit movie about Canadian Troops in Afghanistan. Think along the lines of generation Kill HBO series. I showed that to my family and friends and many were very impressed to see the human side of troops in battle (The bravery, the humour, the sorrow, etc, etc). It would be very easy to take some Canadian recent battles and turn it into a major hit but it can not be done on the cheap or half assed. If it is, nobody will watch it.
This would fall along side the concept of touting our horn (As Jim said).
Ideas on this? Thoughts? Or is it to the stocks for me and rotten tomatoes for my face?
This would fall along side the concept of touting our horn (As Jim said).
Ideas on this? Thoughts? Or is it to the stocks for me and rotten tomatoes for my face?
A
aesop081
Guest
ArmyRick said:
Speaking of....do you remember that peacekeeper movie they made a while back ?
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
- Reaction score
- 12,667
- Points
- 1,140
CDN Aviator said:
Yes, I watched it. IMO, it was not representative. When the Pl WO told the Pl Comd "I'll call the Engineers" to clear booby traps, the Pl Comd said "No, that's why we have Assault Pioneers".
What rubbish.
A
aesop081
Guest
Jim Seggie said:
it was "cheap and half-assed" indeed.
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
- Reaction score
- 12,667
- Points
- 1,140
I always thought we should have made "Kapyong" with Canadian actors in the lead roles. Thoughts?
Bluebulldog
Full Member
- Reaction score
- 120
- Points
- 680
Yes. It's actually funny, bordering on tragic that the one really good movie about the CF ( Passchendale) was about a war that's coming up on 100 years old.
Pity someone wouldn't give the same treatment to more recent conflict, even Korea.
Pity someone wouldn't give the same treatment to more recent conflict, even Korea.
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
- Reaction score
- 12,667
- Points
- 1,140
Bluebulldog said:
Maybe we should prevail upon some Canadians who have done a titanic job producing movies etc to do this.
- Reaction score
- 33
- Points
- 560
War movies are very expensive, so producers are reluctant to put out a truckload of money and never see it back (the number of CF members who would see the movies and buy the DVD's is probably not enough to pay back the cost of a $100 million production).
Of course the members of the movie industry who do make war films are notoriously uneducated, and evidently happy to remain so; I can imagine the technical advisor(s) of the peacekeeping film or Passchendale gnashing their teeth after telling the film makers that "no, Engineers clear mines and booby traps" or "Bayonets are thrust into the torso because it is soft and easy to penetrate, bayoneting a person in the head is impossible in practice" and then watching the scene go ahead as the producer and director planned....
Still, there are lots of great historical events that could be spun into great films with the proper screenplay, producers, directors and actors (especially the screenplay; without a compelling story everything else is crap).
Some ideas:
1. The Company of Adventurers (I'm rather partial to the exploits of Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville)
2. The Seven Years War has lots of interesting events
3. The Red River rebellion
4. The Yukon Field Force (interesting variation of a trope; a film about the military not engaging in combat)
5. Exploits of the CMR during the Boer War
6. Vimy (following Pierre Burton's book; looking at how the battle was planned. There will be enough combat scenes during the trench raiding portion, the final scene can start with the pause of the guns, followed by the opening of the barrage and an expanding panoramic shot of Canadians rising out of the trenches and beginning the advance)
7. "Green Beach". A book about Dieppe which explains the rational for the battle as an attempt to capture a German radar station nearby and exploit the technical data recovered. Makes more sense than most ideas about the raid.
Obviously this only scratches the surface, there is nothing about our sister services in the Navy or Air Force, and I have stopped the list midway through WWII.
Bash on!
(Edit to put d'Iberville in the proper historical place)
Of course the members of the movie industry who do make war films are notoriously uneducated, and evidently happy to remain so; I can imagine the technical advisor(s) of the peacekeeping film or Passchendale gnashing their teeth after telling the film makers that "no, Engineers clear mines and booby traps" or "Bayonets are thrust into the torso because it is soft and easy to penetrate, bayoneting a person in the head is impossible in practice" and then watching the scene go ahead as the producer and director planned....
Still, there are lots of great historical events that could be spun into great films with the proper screenplay, producers, directors and actors (especially the screenplay; without a compelling story everything else is crap).
Some ideas:
1. The Company of Adventurers (I'm rather partial to the exploits of Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville)
2. The Seven Years War has lots of interesting events
3. The Red River rebellion
4. The Yukon Field Force (interesting variation of a trope; a film about the military not engaging in combat)
5. Exploits of the CMR during the Boer War
6. Vimy (following Pierre Burton's book; looking at how the battle was planned. There will be enough combat scenes during the trench raiding portion, the final scene can start with the pause of the guns, followed by the opening of the barrage and an expanding panoramic shot of Canadians rising out of the trenches and beginning the advance)
7. "Green Beach". A book about Dieppe which explains the rational for the battle as an attempt to capture a German radar station nearby and exploit the technical data recovered. Makes more sense than most ideas about the raid.
Obviously this only scratches the surface, there is nothing about our sister services in the Navy or Air Force, and I have stopped the list midway through WWII.
Bash on!
(Edit to put d'Iberville in the proper historical place)
Bluebulldog
Full Member
- Reaction score
- 120
- Points
- 680
Jim Seggie said:
Awww....Seggie.....what a horrendous pun!!
OldSolduer
Army.ca Relic
- Reaction score
- 12,667
- Points
- 1,140
Bluebulldog said:
yes,...yes you are correct.
Similar threads
