I very much enjoyed the rant assignment. It allowed me to get a point across in one strain of thought. I chose to post a portion of my rant on Twitter. I chose this venue because it would reach others immediately. The point of my rant was summarized in the tweet. I believe it is more likely for others to read it on that venue than somewhere else. In another venue I do not believe the people that I network with would have taken to the time to view my message. On Twitter, other users could retweet my tweet and introduce it into another network of users. Also, users are allowed to reply to my tweet and give their opinion. However, it is very difficult to elaborate on Twitter. Each tweet is limited to only 140 characters. I believe Twitter was a good venue to use.
I had found an article about the Brian Williams incident and the reaction by the media. The article for the most part was in line with what I said in my rant. The article did seem to defend Brian Williams more than I did and attacked the media a little more harshly. The article also stated that the media is so eager to attack Brian Williams because it just gives them another story. This article reinforced my opinion. The article did influence where I decided to post my rant slightly. I felt that the title of the article got to the point quickly and I thought I could as well.

Rant!

Brian Williams of NBC News recently has come under fire for lying about a story he has been telling over the past decade. He had claimed that he was in a helicopter that was hit by an RPG in Iraq. This did not actually happen to him. He only admitted it once those who were there started telling the real story. This represents an all too common theme in the media. The media has become more entertainment than news. The news often takes something and then exaggerates the story so that it is more entertaining. This happened when Ebola entered the United States. Most doctors said that it should not much if not at all. The media ignored this for the most part. They had their Ebola watch and put fear into people. Now others in the media are getting on their high horse against Brian Williams. I do not think what he did was right, but the media can be so much worse than what he did. Countless times, CNN has given false reports as stories are breaking. They do not bother to do strong fact checking. This epidemic in the media does not seem like slowing down.

Throughout Restrepo, highs are complimented by lows. The film starts with four men being happy and friendly with each other. Several times in the movie, great friendship is shown. Then, the great lows come. Some of the men who were just shown having fun are killed or wounded. Their friends have to deal with their death as well. These deaths really tear down any happiness created earlier.

Reflection Questions

1. What did you lean from the movie?

The film ‘Restrepo’ reinforced my feelings on war. I saw firsthand the terrible tragedies that happen during battle. However, the tragedies do not leave the soldiers when the battle is over. The interviews from the soldiers who lived the battles demonstrated how the war stays with them even years after the fact. I learned that one cannot just simply leave the things he or she have seen behind. This has left a lasting impression on me.

2.  What surprised you?

I was surprised at how raw the film footage was. The film was not just made up of anecdotes. The camera crew was right there alongside the soldiers during the fighting. The crew put their lives on the line right with the soldiers. The crew deserves a large amount of appreciation for the work they have done as war time journalists. Without the work of the crew, people would not be able to see what is happening to our American soldiers.

4. What would you like to know more about?

I would like to know where the surviving soldiers are now. It would be interesting to see what kind of mental health treatment that the men are receiving if any at all. This generation of veterans is facing a unique amount of challenges. I would like to learn more about the adjustments that these veterans coming home have to go through. I plan on looking further into veteran treatment. 

Restrepo. Dir. Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington. National Geographic Entertainment, 2010. Film.