Operation Jade Helm: A Cultural Analysis of Public Opinion
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Date
2015-08-17
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Abstract
Postmodern sociological theory surfaced in the 1960’s and has remained a dominant field of study among cultural theorists up to present day. Postmodernism serves as the basis for an examination of “collective opinions” in relation to Operation Jade Helm. This research clarifies American citizens’ points of view towards their government and its proceedings, along with its inner motives. Summoning David Riesman’s cultural theory from The Lonely Crowd, Erik Erikson’s Childhood and Society, Anthony Giddens’s The Consequences of Modernity, and Jean Baudrillard’s The Perfect Crime, along with America, this paper shows how these renowned theorists and theories illuminate collective movements regarding Operation Jade Helm. I use systematic content analysis as my research method, examining news articles in order to gauge public opinion. This research explores the everyday American’s opinions towards the government’s motives behind the exercise, Operation Jade Helm. Operation Jade Helm has formed a lot of debate in the US from the day the exercise’s plan was released to the public. Its supporters cite that the federal government is performing these exercises with the superior goal of defending US citizens from civil turmoil or urban terrorism. Nevertheless, opponents view Operation Jade Helm with mistrust and suspicion as an act of tyranny and undemocratic values. In sociology, there is a broad range of theories under the rubric of collective behavior and movements including but not limited to, riots, fads, mass hysteria, and moral panic. These topics benefit from theoretical concepts such as David Riesman’s other-directedness, Erik Erikson’s concept of trust, Jean Baudrillard’s writings on hyper-reality and simulacra, and Anthony Giddens’s vision of modernity as a juggernaut. The significance of this study lies in its analysis of American cultural values pertaining to democracy in a changing societal world.
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Riesman, Erikson, Giddens, Baudrillard, Operation Jade Helm, trust, public opinion, media, sociology, military