Support our troops

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"Support our troops" (French: Appuyons nos troupes^[1];Spanish: Apoyar nuestras tropas) is a slogan commonly used in the United States and in Canada^[2] in reference to the United States Military and the Canadian Forces (Army, Air & Navy). The slogan has been used in the recent conflicts, including the Gulf War^[3] and Iraq war.

Contents 1 Description 2 See also 3 Notes 4 References 5 Further reading

[edit] Description

Eric Dinyer believes the the slogan is used to express support from those at home in recognition of the soldiers' bravery, fortitude, and acts of unselfish giving.^[4]

The slogan is sometimes seen as over-generalizing complex issues, as for example an individual may support personnel in the U.S. military, but not the current foreign policy. Political analyst Noam Chomsky has criticized the slogan, saying,

"[...] the point of public relations slogans like "Support Our Troops" is that they don't mean anything [...] that's the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody is gonna be against and I suppose everybody will be for, because nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean anything. But its crucial value is that it diverts your attention from a question that does mean something, do you support our policy? And that's the one you're not allowed to talk about."^[5]

[edit] See also

• Awareness ribbon
• Yellow ribbon
• Service flag

[edit] Notes

1. ^ (French) Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency. Centre national d'information. Accessed 18 December 2007.
2. ^ Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency. National News Centre. Accessed 18 December 2007.
3. ^ Barbara Ehrenreich, Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War. Page 223.
4. ^ Eric Dinyer (2005). Support Our Troops: Quotations on Patriotism and Prayer. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 0740755641. 
5. ^ Noam Chomsky (2002). Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda. 2nd Edition. Seven Stories Press, 26. ISBN 1583225366. 

[edit] References

• Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present. HarperCollins. 752 pages. ISBN 0060528427
• Michelle Malkin, Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild. 2005. 231 pages. (ed., see pages 69 to 96)
• Cynthia Peters Collateral Damage: The New World Order at Home and Abroad. 1992. (ed., see pages 399 to 401)

[edit] Further reading

• Jack Santino, Yellow Ribbons and Seasonal Flags: The Folk Assemblage of War. The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 105, No. 415 (Winter, 1992), pp. 19-33. doi 10.2307/541997
• Stein, Joel (January 24 2006). "Warriors and wusses". Los Angeles Times.  Controversial editorial