Arms Trade

Posted by David Miller on July 18th, 2022

“War is fought by many for the benefit of the few” - it is a simple sentence that explains the nature of war as well as its underlying motives. The warfare is controlled by several groups of people or companies that provide the world with killing devices. The weapons industry has always been a profitable trade which utilizes advantageous strategies and manners that brainwash the individuals. This essay will analyze the short documentary made by Even at the Door about the arms trade.

To begin with, war has accompanied the humanity since the very beginning of its existence. Thus, people improved the weapons for many purposes; however, when it concerns modern times, a different perspective occurs. There have been two world wars so far, each of which had its own reasons and goals that ordinary people had to perceive. Nevertheless, if to look behind the scenes of the combat operations according  to the analysis qualityessays.co.uk , the truth is frightening.

For example, Adolf Hitler was portrayed as the symbol of evil by the allies’ propaganda, but the documentary shows that he could never launch his campaign without the financial support of the allies themselves. He was provided with the means by the well-known people in the western world like Henry Ford, Alfred Sloane (CEO, General Motors), Gerard Swopes (CEO, General Electrics) and Thomas J. Watson (CEO, IBM). Those people’s aim was not to protect the humanity; they rather strived to increase their fortune even despite the fact that it led to the deaths of the multitude of people. For them, the war was regarded as business that is above all.

Concerning the spreading the madness of weapons, one factor behind people owning weapons should be taken into consideration, which is the government itself. Thus, it makes owning a weapon a common thing. To illustrate, the Pentagon financially supports Hollywood, the biggest movies company in the world. In its turn, the movies industry has become an advertisement for the US military. Countless movies, aimed to glorify the American Army in its wars on the foreign soil, show the American defeats as victories using the word sacrifice instead of loss.

This was the story of many American movies like Black Hawk Down. This particular film depicts the great American army that fought a war in Somalia and lost it, but it was for the sake of protecting the innocent people of Somalia. The government provided the access to the movie makers to many military bases to give them the opportunity to produce the picture in the perfect and trustworthy way.

Moreover, the movies industry also aims at having influence on the youth through companies that are meant to produce their pictures to children, for instance Disney Company which is specialized in cartoons. This company shot several war movies like the series of Star Wars and Iron Man. The people behind making such movies have the purpose to attract the children to weapons and build armed generations that are obsessed with arms, death, and destruction.

On the other hand, they show the attacked people as useless individuals who have neither the motives, nor the means to defend their own lands; thus, they need the saviors from the west to protect them. This industry does not only increase the arms trade but also shows that only specific people in a particular location in the world know how to utilize the weapons. This strategy will brainwash the people and push them forward toward possessing a weapon, which will eventually draw more investments to the arms industry and more corpses to the cemeteries.

Arms companies employ any possible strategies to make their trade flourish. In addition to using the movies for this purpose, they also involve well-known movie stars who are willing to act in any movie of their genre. After all, these people are actors; hence, they act to live because it is their career and calling. The actors are meant to kill in their movies and increase the madness of weapons as well as the money of the arms companies. However, at the same time, they encourage sympathy with animals. Generally, these individuals play a vital role in raising the use of weapons among common people.

Francis Mutuku Nguli argues, “As we have already heard today, there are an estimated 2000 deaths out of gun or gun related incidents around the world” (Kopel et al. 682). This statement shows the terrifying effects of the means of the arms industry and trade even in schools as many deaths were caused by teenagers affected by what they had watched. Nevertheless, the documentary finally insists on the propaganda that sympathizes with the local victims, yet never shows any compassion towards other children that became the casualties of the same policy of weapons trade.

In conclusion, weapons industry and trade never consider any human or moral concepts. The only idea they believe in is the financial benefit. Although such industries have led to the destruction of whole generations being affected by this propaganda, this strategy does not seem to cease in the nearest future. It will continue as long as it provides the arms companies with more financial resources.