The depiction of military life in popular media, particularly within the United Kingdom, frequently oscillates between two extremes: the trials and tribulations of service people in a process dubbed glorification and vilification. Such difference often causes a huge gap between public images and the various scenarios the military and their families face. Therefore, there is a need to explore the factors that comprise the identity of the veteran and how the media representations influenced CI self-perception and social integration of veterans immediately after conducting a qualitative study among British veterans in 2020 and other related research.
Firstly, there is a need to focus on the stereotypical and sometimes dichotomous representations of TV dramas and news. Nevertheless, these veterans are often painted as heroic characters who have fought through a lot of people with PTSD trying to adjust to everyday life. On the other hand, this dichotomy is dramatic but does not address familiar narratives that reduce veterans’ experiences to oversimplified narratives. Scale Today’s veterans search for more layered and realistic representations in media that represent their non-battlefield experiences (Parry and Pitchford-Hyde, 449). The portrayals would educate people on the intricacies of military life and the broader society of veterans, which is more than the one-dimensional characters who depict only a tiny aspect of veterans’ lives.
Another area is media representation about veteran identity as a function of different television genres. In the same manner, each genre of the narrative, such as news broadcasting and reality TV, influences public perception of the veterans as well as the self-image of the veterans themselves. Reality TV shows like “SAS: For instance, some veterans support the film Who Dares Wins, while others say that the stereotypical view of military masculinity is displayed in these shows yet does not showcase the complex identity of veterans. The varied responses show that there is no one genre or narrative style that could encompass the multifaceted veteran identity. For this reason, media producers should respect this diversity (Schvey, n.d). The media representation of veterans should include varied experiences and come from different backgrounds to provide a range of perspectives on what being a veteran really means.
Also, the depicted picture far into the perception of veterans and their families, and the self-identity of these persons is extremely complex and sometimes shocking in the recent images of military life from the UK in several TV genres. At other times, the change from a romanticized view of military service to PTSD and reintegration issues without the full spectrum, for example, women, non-combat, and minority veterans. Finally, there are the narratives. The Millennium Cohort Family Study indicates that such mental health challenges as logistical issues and societal stigma are common to the spouses as evidenced by ‘We may have bad days… that doesn’t make us killers’ (Parry and Pitchford-Hyde, 450). The risk of perpetuation of stereotypes and the inability to present the diverse reality of military society influences the understanding and integration process of these individuals and their relatives into the lives of civilians.
Again, veteran representation in media depictions has to encompass the issues of diversity and inclusion in diversity. Narrow and sometimes a distorted view of the society of the military in the media narratives. This exclusion confuses public views and also hurts the self-image of veterans who think their own experiences are not represented in today’s mainstream media. In the same way, the Millennium Cohort Family Study shows the hardships that the wife faces during military life. Logistic barriers and stigma against mental healthcare are some of the major hindrances to the availability of mental healthcare among military spouses (Parry, n.d). This indicates that the media should extend beyond soldiers and concentrate on the silent wartime woes of military families. Media may thus play a part in building a true sense of acceptance of the military community by the civil population, a greater understanding of what they are going through, and what they may need.
Some real-life examples from the British veterans’ 2020 qualitative survey illustrate veterans’ concerns and preferences about media representations. For example, the interviewees noted that dramas like “Bodyguard” and “Strike” present vets as suffering from PTSD (Pitchford-Hyde, n.d). The descriptions may be regarded as too simplistic in relation to the highly differentiated members of the veteran society. On the other hand, reality shows like “SAS” are also both-sided in nature. However, they show how hard it is to survive military practice. At the same time, it may be indirectly ungraceful to the experience of non-combatant and support personnel serving in the armed forces, whose life is not so high-profile. Millennium Cohort Family Study indicated other mental health problems for military spouses, like logistical barriers and negative attitudes to medical help. These case studies demonstrate that it is a different reality of media storytelling.
Conclusively, British media needs more accurate and multidimensional representations of military life that include veterans’ and relatives’ experiences. Narratives that tell real stories about war experience and its aftermath, instead of “untainted” narratives of heroism or victimhood, are increasingly in demand. When leaving the military, veterans and their families can utilize the media to redefine their identities. Good storytelling entails nuanced representation, and this is a step toward appreciating veterans and their families in civilian life.
Works Cited
Parry, K., and Pitchford-Hyde. ‘We may have bad days… that doesn’t make us killers’: How military veterans perceive contemporary British media representations of military and post-military life. Media, War & Conflict, 16(3), (2023): 440-458.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/17506352221113958
Pitchford-Hyde, J., and Parry, K. Veterans and the Media: A pilot survey report on how UK veterans perceive media representations about military and post-military experiences.(2022)
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/165167/
Schvey, N. A., Burke, D., Pearlman, A. T., Britt, T. W., Riggs, D. S., Carballo, C., & Stander, V. (2022). Perceived barriers to mental healthcare among spouses of military service members. Psychological services, 19(2), 396.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-36704-001
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