Hand held devices have changed the game, I can look up how to style the perfect messy bun through a six minute tutorial on Youtube, while I'm in the bathroom trying to look like I'm not trying too hard.
These how-to videos and lyric video have sharpened up and now everyone is used to getting their dose of secret style tricks, or easily watching a math whiz teach them the tricky Pythagorean theorem since they can't understand their professor's foreign accent. They Pinterest and Facebook during class hours relying on Youtube for a step by step how to later on, during crunch time (aka, before 11:59pm when homework assignments and quizzes are due).
Releasing a music video isn't sufficient anymore, everyone wants to stay ahead of the game and feel special. (Our generation is like that, a pinch of entitled, slightly trophy seeking, and of course madly self centered as evidenced by the alarming number of selfies that hit the web daily before 9am). People want to feel like they are getting singled out and treated right (they are trying to make the most of their bought data perhaps? or their 500$ plus cellular devices). So naturally entertainers try an make their fans feel included by releasing a behind the scenes "making of" video. It still does not wake people up to the idea that makeup helps, things are staged, choreographed, and basically these celebrities are fed by their assistants. But the behind the scenes allows people to pretend like they were there and extend the satisfaction that a very rehearsed crafted music video brings. The what to watch popular page of Youtube's main page showcases videos titled, "Woody Harrelson 1989 Monologue (SNL)", "Hollywood Documentary: Johnny Depp", "Fifty Shades of Grey" (Official Trailer HD), and Jim Carrey giving people bowl cuts on Jimmy Kimmel. You can access almost anything through Youtube. Is it any surprise that the Utah National Guard was thrown into the lion's pit for the content they participated in that ended up on Youtube?
Everyone uses Youtube, for the most part, that's even where Ellen Degeneres finds half of her guests on her talk show. The main goal on Youtube is to generate views that sometimes result in a Like or Dislike, thumbs up or down, but the main ticket is views. I contributed to those views when I first caught wind of a controversial Youtube video linked to the Utah National Guard. Bad press for the military? Yikes, once that fire is lit, there's no defusing it. Same goes for many stories that are prematurely reported on, throwing out word of mouth before facts are clear and available. Don't even get me started on fine print retractions. Damage done. Reporters and their halfhearted apologies.
Camp Williams Utah National Guard Base https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aopM_BdYg0U
The point of this is that the entire Utah National Guard was not involved in this project, in fact in the video you rarely see uniformed soldiers. This video launched an internal investigation, that may have been reported to ease the public but then again it creates a panic, how did the base commanders and high ranking officers not know what was occurring on their own base, that is supposed to be heavily patrolled and trained soldier surveillance? It leads to the assumption that people looked the other way when they saw this activity taking place, that does not help the public view when the military is under the scrutiny of the media lens.
Not only half dressed women operating artillery and vehicles, but the fact that this brought attention to Utah as well. Perception of Utah and it's people varies but a common compliant is that the people are judgmental. The public was able to point the finger back at Utah with the surfacing of this story,
"Your tax dollars at work ladies and gentlemen" (abcNEWS.com New York 2:26) Ouch, buuuuurn.
He's not wrong, but this incident casts shade on the whole establishment, frustration from the public who wants more from their government and by more they don't mean more clips of bikini clad women hanging out with soldiers. It was for a good cause unfortunately doesn't suffice in this case, and I'm sure the word getting about about this calender is the silver lining that they are leaning on. I hope the fact that the calender got a lot of recognition was worth demotion and an investigation on these soldiers records. Think twice about that internet stuff everybody, if you don't want people to see it, DO NOT VIDEO IT.
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