War and Pop Culture

I think war and pop culture has shared a conncection toward one another throughout much of our history, especially in our recent history with the current War on Terror. News reports, news articles, and news shows generally show a daily, possibly hourly coverage when our country is in a war. I remember when the Iraq War first began in March of 2003, there was constant news coverage of it on all the networks. For a while, it seemed like it was a 24/7 coverage.
War can also interfere with popular culture as well. For example I remember that the beginning of the Iraq War was covered constantly to the point where coverage of that year’s NCAA Tournament was moved to ESPN so CBS would be able to show coverage of the war. Another example that most people don’t often think of would be every time the President makes a prime time address to the nation. Most often, it may interfere with a popular TV show such as LOST or American Idol. While it may not necessarily be about a war, keep in mind that the President is still the Commander in Chief of the military.
A more obvious example of war connecting with pop culture would be in terms of movies, books, documentaries, video games, and all varieties of entertainment. Some of the most popular movies, TV shows, and books are about war, both fiction and nonfiction. As you can see, war in general can have a direct impact on popular culture.