0:00:00.087,0:00:02.146 So, once again this is David Levinson 0:00:02.146,0:00:03.828 reminding you and anybody else that’s [br] 0:00:03.828,0:00:06.198 listening: Don’t mess with Earth! 0:00:15.229,0:00:17.149 The long-awaited sequel to the 1996 0:00:17.158,0:00:19.278 mega-blockbuster Independence Day hit 0:00:19.280,0:00:21.380 theaters this summer. Independence Day: 0:00:21.389,0:00:23.491 Resurgence is built on the same premise that[br] 0:00:23.491,0:00:25.981 made the original famous: a potent combination 0:00:25.981,0:00:28.531 of alien killin’ and patriotic pandering. 0:00:28.982,0:00:30.263 Shouldn’t we be nervous? 0:00:30.263,0:00:31.263 Um, yeah. 0:00:32.367,0:00:33.557 Make them pay. 0:00:35.367,0:00:37.727 We are going to kick some serious alien— 0:00:38.127,0:00:39.707 Let’s show ‘em some fireworks. 0:00:40.697,0:00:43.367 On behalf of the planet Earth, [br]Happy Fourth of July. 0:00:44.823,0:00:46.383 Is that all you got?! 0:00:46.679,0:00:48.399 According to most reviews the movie itself 0:00:48.425,0:00:51.055 was unremarkable. What was remarkable 0:00:51.066,0:00:53.396 however, was the marketing for the film. 0:00:53.403,0:00:55.313 Some of you might remember something a 0:00:55.313,0:00:57.323 little strange about the trailers. And I mean 0:00:57.346,0:00:59.206 in addition to Jeff Goldblum doing 0:00:59.212,0:01:01.752 his whole Jeff Goldblum thing. 0:01:02.268,0:01:03.918 When the world was brought to its knees, 0:01:03.927,0:01:06.577 the Army was there to fight back promised 0:01:06.581,0:01:09.444 us this would never happen again. They have 0:01:09.444,0:01:11.799 been the driving force in uniting nations around 0:01:11.799,0:01:14.199 the world to form the most powerful weapon 0:01:14.210,0:01:17.630 against another attack: The Earth Space Defense. 0:01:38.938,0:01:41.107 Brave men and women of the ESD are making[br] 0:01:41.107,0:01:43.647 sure that the war of ’96 will never happen 0:01:43.654,0:01:47.654 again. Join Earth Space Defense. Next time, 0:01:47.710,0:01:50.040 we will be prepared. 0:01:50.619,0:01:52.559 So we see the stars of the film speaking 0:01:52.559,0:01:55.252 directly to the camera, praising the US Army 0:01:55.262,0:01:57.142 and then asking fans to join something 0:01:57.146,0:02:00.252 called Earth Space Defense. Then at the end[br] 0:02:00.252,0:02:03.742 of the trailer we see a URL: JoinESD.com. 0:02:04.984,0:02:07.008 Once fans arrive at that website, they’re 0:02:07.008,0:02:09.697 asked to enlist in the ESD to help fight off 0:02:09.697,0:02:13.009 future alien invasions and “defend Earth’s 0:02:13.009,0:02:16.589 independence at all cost.” By clicking enlist 0:02:16.597,0:02:18.836 visitors are notified that they are now a 0:02:18.836,0:02:21.076 soldier with the rank of “private.” [br] 0:02:21.547,0:02:23.836 Now in order to determine your role in this 0:02:23.836,0:02:26.524 fantasy-military organization, fans are 0:02:26.524,0:02:28.599 instructed to complete a series of gamified 0:02:28.599,0:02:32.689 “missions.” Mini-games include simulations 0:02:32.728,0:02:35.508 where players learn how to pilot an unmanned 0:02:35.525,0:02:39.195 military drone or crack secret alien codes. 0:02:41.252,0:02:43.790 Completing each mission raises your rank and 0:02:43.790,0:02:46.810 unlocks exclusive Independence Day [br]movie content. 0:02:47.856,0:02:50.046 We’ve taken fighter jets that the US military 0:02:50.064,0:02:51.664 would have been accustomed to and 0:02:51.687,0:02:53.967 we’ve incorporated alien technology. 0:02:54.266,0:02:56.136 Now you’d be forgiven for thinking that this 0:02:56.140,0:02:58.410 is just a clever marketing stunt designed 0:02:58.432,0:03:00.892 to drum up more interest in the film. But 0:03:00.904,0:03:03.464 there’s something a little more insidious[br]going on here.[br] 0:03:04.051,0:03:07.283 In order to compete to unlock those movie extras 0:03:07.283,0:03:10.373 fans are instructed to sign-in with Facebook. 0:03:10.374,0:03:13.554 But by doing so, it allows the US Army access 0:03:13.587,0:03:17.227 to your Facebook page and [br]your personal data along with it.[br] 0:03:19.782,0:03:21.652 That’s because this whole “Earth Space 0:03:21.657,0:03:24.614 Defense” campaign is actually a surreptitious 0:03:24.614,0:03:27.180 recruiting tool for the US Army. It’s part of 0:03:27.180,0:03:29.720 a multi-million dollar joint advertising venture[br] 0:03:29.721,0:03:31.975 between 20th Century Fox and 0:03:31.975,0:03:33.765 the United States military. 0:03:33.920,0:03:36.258 If you look carefully you’ll notice a small 0:03:36.258,0:03:38.552 unassuming US Army logo in the corner 0:03:38.552,0:03:40.458 of the page right across from the 0:03:40.468,0:03:42.148 Independence Day movie logo. 0:03:42.586,0:03:44.844 If you look even more closely, you’ll notice 0:03:44.844,0:03:47.874 that when linking over to JoinESD.com, 0:03:48.044,0:03:51.057 you’re quietly redirected to GoArmy.com 0:03:51.057,0:03:53.527 where the site is hosted. GoArmy.com, 0:03:53.553,0:03:55.823 for those who don’t know, is the official 0:03:55.828,0:03:58.048 website for US Army recruitment. 0:04:01.207,0:04:03.777 Were you surprised when your[br]daughter enlisted? 0:04:03.949,0:04:06.826 Not at all. She’s a born leader. I know I’ve[br] 0:04:06.826,0:04:09.696 been taking orders from her since[br]she was five years old. 0:04:10.244,0:04:12.004 -So you don’t worry about her? 0:04:12.121,0:04:14.140 -Of course I worry about her. I fought in the 0:04:14.140,0:04:15.760 War of ’96. I know what those things are 0:04:15.779,0:04:18.269 capable of. But I know what my daughter is 0:04:18.270,0:04:21.550 capable of. And I know this planet is safer 0:04:21.550,0:04:23.690 because she’s defending it. 0:04:27.934,0:04:30.277 Now that trailer is almost indistinguishable 0:04:30.277,0:04:32.415 from real US Army television commercials, 0:04:32.415,0:04:34.845 at least up until the point where the kindly 0:04:34.845,0:04:37.042 father figure in the US Army cap starts 0:04:37.048,0:04:39.778 reminiscing about the War of 1996. 0:04:39.799,0:04:42.274 You remember, that’s the fictional one that 0:04:42.294,0:04:44.824 didn’t actually happen, where the US Military 0:04:44.848,0:04:46.748 defeated the extraterrestrial invasion 0:04:46.784,0:04:48.194 with the help of Will Smith. 0:04:53.747,0:04:55.427 Welcome to Earth. 0:04:56.624,0:04:59.434 Cross-branded promotions are now ubiquitous 0:04:59.444,0:05:01.764 in Hollywood. You’ve probably seen commercials 0:05:01.767,0:05:04.967 for Audi or Doritos or Coke that double as trailers 0:05:04.970,0:05:07.655 for superhero films. These movie tie-ins are 0:05:07.655,0:05:09.625 meant to trigger an emotional connection in 0:05:09.625,0:05:11.875 viewers and increase what’s referred to as 0:05:11.876,0:05:14.771 “positive-brand association” by connecting a 0:05:14.771,0:05:17.981 product with something that people already like. 0:05:21.390,0:05:23.910 The idea is that if you already think that say 0:05:23.910,0:05:26.423 The Hulk is cool, and you’re already really 0:05:26.423,0:05:28.483 excited to see The Hulk SMASH stuff in 0:05:28.483,0:05:30.473 the latest Marvel movie, then seeing 0:05:30.481,0:05:32.921 The Hulk enjoying a can of Coke will link 0:05:32.921,0:05:35.677 those pre-existing happy fan-ish feelings 0:05:35.677,0:05:38.423 in your mind to the product on the screen 0:05:38.423,0:05:41.293 even if that’s just on an unconscious level. 0:05:43.242,0:05:45.812 And the uncomfortable truth is that this kind 0:05:45.841,0:05:48.873 of marketing actually works really, really well. 0:05:48.873,0:05:52.618 Which is why corporations spend[br]billions every year doing it. 0:05:52.618,0:05:54.778 But here’s the thing, convincing people to 0:05:54.778,0:05:58.773 eat a bag of “Street Taco” flavored Doritos? 0:05:58.773,0:05:59.693 EW. 0:05:59.985,0:06:02.495 Convincing people to eat a bag of Doritos 0:06:02.508,0:06:04.808 and convincing people to sign away 8 years 0:06:04.810,0:06:07.410 of their lives to the US Army are not exactly 0:06:07.414,0:06:09.844 comparable. While arguably both might 0:06:09.850,0:06:12.300 be unhealthy, life in the military presents 0:06:12.304,0:06:14.597 significantly more risk to your mental, 0:06:14.597,0:06:17.107 emotional, and physical well-being than[br] 0:06:17.107,0:06:19.149 having a little junk food now and then. 0:06:19.149,0:06:21.259 Now if cross-branded advertising sounds 0:06:21.272,0:06:23.681 manipulative, that’s because it is. 0:06:23.681,0:06:26.347 Which is why it’s not exactly surprising that 0:06:26.347,0:06:28.601 the US military is jumping on the bandwagon. 0:06:28.601,0:06:30.881 The US Army now spends in excess of 0:06:30.905,0:06:35.345 $200 million per year of taxpayer money[br]on advertising. 0:06:35.621,0:06:38.021 The US Army-contracted advertising firm 0:06:38.024,0:06:40.074 responsible for the Earth Space Defense 0:06:40.082,0:06:42.952 campaign is upfront about what they are doing, 0:06:51.192,0:06:53.175 The thing is that “recruitment story” 0:06:53.175,0:06:55.435 they’re selling is pure fantasy. 0:06:55.952,0:06:58.822 Now to be clear, many people do initially want 0:06:58.829,0:07:01.499 to join the military for altruistic reasons. 0:07:01.501,0:07:04.556 Unfortunately, US Army recruiters are 0:07:04.556,0:07:07.666 notorious for extremely deceptive tactics. 0:07:11.610,0:07:13.145 You look like you’re really into this. 0:07:13.145,0:07:14.705 You guys want a real challenge? 0:07:15.382,0:07:17.225 As a soldier in the United States Army, 0:07:17.225,0:07:19.215 you’ll find out what you’re really made of 0:07:19.215,0:07:21.420 and how far you can go. Explore over 150 0:07:21.420,0:07:23.147 careers, help pay for college, and learn 0:07:23.147,0:07:25.163 if you qualify for an enlistment bonus. 0:07:25.163,0:07:28.313 Call 1-888-395-ARMY now for a free copy of 0:07:28.315,0:07:30.975 the America’s Army Game and[br]this new interactive DVD. 0:07:31.017,0:07:33.327 Promises of large cash bonuses and money 0:07:33.333,0:07:36.255 for college are commonly used to entice poor 0:07:36.255,0:07:39.285 students into enlistment. But the fine print on 0:07:39.288,0:07:42.868 those contracts makes it so only about 15% 0:07:42.877,0:07:45.357 of recruits end up getting a college degree 0:07:45.369,0:07:49.439 out of the deal, and 65% receive no money[br]for college at all. 0:07:50.094,0:07:52.414 Recruiters also routinely hide the dangers 0:07:52.414,0:07:54.878 that go along with life in the military (even 0:07:54.878,0:07:57.458 outside of combat scenarios). Potential 0:07:57.465,0:08:00.155 soldiers are not told that the levels of sexual 0:08:00.164,0:08:02.694 assault and sexual harassment in the military 0:08:02.712,0:08:05.752 are alarmingly high. Recruiters don’t mention 0:08:05.760,0:08:09.560 that 1 in 4 women and about 1 in 14 men face 0:08:09.562,0:08:12.262 severe and persistent sexual harassment and 0:08:12.262,0:08:14.172 discrimination while serving. 0:08:14.214,0:08:16.264 They don’t mention the fact that suicide rates 0:08:16.272,0:08:18.493 among veterans are extremely high compared 0:08:18.493,0:08:21.313 to civilians. And they certainly don’t tell you 0:08:21.316,0:08:23.716 that a third of all homeless men in the United 0:08:23.717,0:08:26.657 States are military veterans. For the record, 0:08:26.670,0:08:29.100 that’s over 200,000 people. 0:08:29.536,0:08:32.608 Let’s be frank, if you enlist in the army there’s 0:08:32.608,0:08:34.438 a darn good chance you’re going to have a 0:08:34.478,0:08:38.111 bad time. And the military knows it. This reality 0:08:38.121,0:08:41.016 presents something of a PR nightmare, which 0:08:41.016,0:08:43.946 is why the Military has long turned to Hollywood 0:08:43.951,0:08:47.511 to help clean up their image and sell[br]the idea of enlistment.[br] 0:08:48.289,0:08:50.163 Jonathan: Every branch of the US Military 0:08:50.163,0:08:52.413 has offices in Los Angeles which are tasked 0:08:52.413,0:08:54.721 with collaborating on Hollywood movies and 0:08:54.721,0:08:57.239 video game productions. Now for decades they 0:08:57.239,0:08:59.504 wouldn't touch anything involving U.F.O.s. 0:08:59.504,0:09:02.326 In fact the military famously refused to assist 0:09:02.326,0:09:04.594 on the original Independence Day because the 0:09:04.594,0:09:07.264 script referenced Area 51. But that’s no 0:09:07.264,0:09:09.653 longer the case. The military has recently 0:09:09.653,0:09:11.958 collaborated on science fiction movies like 0:09:11.958,0:09:15.848 Battleship, Man of Steel, Iron Man,[br]and Transformers. 0:09:16.163,0:09:18.267 We got a film crew aboard for the movie 0:09:18.267,0:09:19.393 Battleship. Don’t hesitate to show them 0:09:19.393,0:09:21.263 anything they ask for. Please make them feel 0:09:21.275,0:09:23.755 as welcomed as humanly possible. 0:09:23.991,0:09:26.393 We are now embedded with the United States 0:09:26.393,0:09:28.170 Navy. We’re using all the real crew from this 0:09:28.170,0:09:30.829 ship right now. And these guys are acting out 0:09:30.829,0:09:33.155 scenes and fighting their ship. And I think 0:09:33.155,0:09:34.553 they’re having a lot of fun. 0:09:34.553,0:09:36.673 Right behind us is the five inch gun… 0:09:36.867,0:09:38.479 Jonathan: Now in exchange for granting 0:09:38.479,0:09:40.549 filmmakers assistance and access to both 0:09:40.563,0:09:43.663 equipment and personnel, the military just 0:09:43.676,0:09:46.136 demands one little thing in return: 0:09:46.141,0:09:47.971 final script approval. 0:09:48.741,0:09:51.871 That's a very bad idea. 0:10:00.927,0:10:04.121 Wow. You have to thank her now. 0:10:04.121,0:10:06.551 She sent the Navy AND the Marines. 0:10:07.600,0:10:09.310 God bless you, Ellie. 0:10:10.828,0:10:12.689 Jonathan: This arrangement insures that 0:10:12.689,0:10:15.179 Hollywood depictions of the military are always 0:10:15.192,0:10:18.292 positive and uncritical even when the story 0:10:18.308,0:10:21.277 involves dinosaurs or killer robots or aliens 0:10:21.277,0:10:24.008 from outer space. This cozy relationship is 0:10:24.008,0:10:26.458 sometimes referred to as “Militainment” 0:10:26.467,0:10:29.050 because it produces media that glorifies 0:10:29.050,0:10:31.970 military institutions, combat, and warfare. 0:10:32.079,0:10:34.407 So there’s a long history of military involvement 0:10:34.407,0:10:36.717 in Hollywood. Still, I’d argue that this 0:10:36.727,0:10:38.847 Independence Day movie collaboration 0:10:38.848,0:10:40.628 is especially insidious. 0:10:40.635,0:10:43.052 Now beyond the covert collection of personal 0:10:43.052,0:10:45.360 data via Facebook, which is bad enough, 0:10:45.360,0:10:47.899 what’s so unsettling about it is that the US Army 0:10:47.899,0:10:50.747 is leaning heavily on the fantasy of alien 0:10:50.747,0:10:53.335 invasions as a way to convince young people 0:10:53.335,0:10:55.765 to become soldiers in real life. 0:10:57.575,0:11:00.455 When the soldiers in the movie rise up, 0:11:01.222,0:11:04.232 when they adapt to a new threat facing the world, 0:11:04.399,0:11:07.319 when they find a way to win no matter what, 0:11:07.695,0:11:10.895 remember where Hollywood gets that from. 0:11:11.467,0:11:13.697 The US Army has been defending American 0:11:13.711,0:11:17.369 independence for more than 241 years. Go 0:11:17.369,0:11:20.647 to goarmy.com/independence to learn how 0:11:20.647,0:11:22.907 you can join their ranks. Independence Day 0:11:22.907,0:11:25.267 Resurgence in theaters June 24. 0:11:25.558,0:11:28.086 Problem is, where Hollywood “gets that from” 0:11:28.096,0:11:31.159 is from fiction, or at least a heavily sanitized 0:11:31.159,0:11:33.409 version of the US military. 0:11:33.653,0:11:36.143 Now this cross-branded Earth Space Defense 0:11:36.147,0:11:38.948 campaign does fit very neatly with the US 0:11:38.948,0:11:41.528 Army’s PR tagline “Defending America’s 0:11:41.529,0:11:44.359 independence.” There’s just one small 0:11:44.361,0:11:47.781 problem with that: it’s not exactly true anymore. 0:11:47.781,0:11:50.591 The majority of modern US Military operations 0:11:50.592,0:11:53.809 look a whole lot more like intervention than 0:11:53.809,0:11:56.176 independence. And those operations are 0:11:56.176,0:11:58.204 certainly not designed to beat back any 0:11:58.204,0:12:00.389 invasion of the heartland, either from 0:12:00.389,0:12:03.149 foreign or extraterrestrial origin. 0:12:03.201,0:12:05.870 The long and short of it is, the US Government 0:12:05.870,0:12:08.140 has been in a near constant state of war for 0:12:08.147,0:12:11.167 over a century. In fact it’s overthrown or 0:12:11.179,0:12:13.949 invaded over 50 countries just since the end 0:12:13.956,0:12:17.506 of WWII. In an incredibly strange coincidence 0:12:17.515,0:12:20.425 most of those military interventions have 0:12:20.430,0:12:23.029 somehow ended up benefiting or protecting 0:12:23.029,0:12:25.168 the economic interests of American big 0:12:25.168,0:12:27.209 business. And under the umbrella of the 0:12:27.209,0:12:29.688 so-called “war on terror,” the US military is 0:12:29.688,0:12:31.914 currently raining destruction down on countries 0:12:31.914,0:12:34.694 all across the Middle East and North Africa. 0:12:34.723,0:12:37.347 That’s the grim, messy, and often bloody [br] 0:12:37.347,0:12:40.721 reality of it. And that unpleasant reality is 0:12:40.721,0:12:43.090 one of the reasons why the US Army is 0:12:43.090,0:12:45.220 increasingly turning to science fiction 0:12:45.220,0:12:47.090 stories as a recruiting tool. 0:12:47.845,0:12:51.656 Heroes. Ordinary people who discover they 0:12:51.656,0:12:54.665 can do extraordinary things. With unique 0:12:54.665,0:12:58.113 talents and strengths, they stand together 0:12:58.113,0:13:01.563 as an elite class. It’s more than a uniform. 0:13:01.569,0:13:03.939 It’s a chance to be part of something bigger 0:13:03.941,0:13:06.529 than you ever imagined. Try it on at 0:13:06.529,0:13:09.889 facebook.com/goarmy and see exclusive[br] 0:13:09.892,0:13:12.767 content for X-Men: First Class. Only in 0:13:12.767,0:13:15.307 theaters June 3. There’s strong, 0:13:15.308,0:13:17.008 and then there’s army strong. 0:13:17.058,0:13:19.393 Science fiction can provide a simple good 0:13:19.393,0:13:21.787 versus evil narrative, one that appeals to 0:13:21.787,0:13:24.161 patriotism and a desire to save the world 0:13:24.161,0:13:26.725 without any association with those real-life 0:13:26.725,0:13:28.792 military operations and atrocities. 0:13:28.792,0:13:30.584 Jonathan: In addition to leaning on science 0:13:30.584,0:13:33.824 fictional conflicts, the US Army is also leveraging 0:13:33.827,0:13:36.117 science fictional technology and science 0:13:36.117,0:13:38.887 fictional weaponry as an exciting pop-culture 0:13:38.906,0:13:41.916 lure to hook young people into enlistment. 0:13:41.949,0:13:44.759 -Aw, come one. Come on. Aw! Bank left!! 0:13:46.770,0:13:49.384 Fighting imagined enemies avoids the 0:13:49.384,0:13:51.404 uncomfortable associations with US foreign 0:13:51.405,0:13:54.795 policy. So killer robots or zombies or alien 0:13:54.797,0:13:58.098 invasions, these are all dehumanized conflicts 0:13:58.098,0:14:00.728 without any messy moral questions attached. 0:14:00.734,0:14:03.054 There are no real human beings with feelings 0:14:03.055,0:14:05.813 or families or grievances with US imperialism. 0:14:06.613,0:14:07.353 -Give me that thing. 0:14:07.353,0:14:09.385 Jonathan: Invading space aliens are easy to 0:14:09.385,0:14:11.885 kill. There’s no guilt or remorse or critical 0:14:11.891,0:14:14.722 thinking that’s required, unlike the real world, 0:14:14.722,0:14:17.342 where killing other people, no matter how vile 0:14:17.342,0:14:19.477 they may be, is never something you should 0:14:19.477,0:14:21.077 feel particularly good about. 0:14:21.089,0:14:23.489 Independence Day: Resurgence didn’t do so 0:14:23.495,0:14:26.085 well at the Box Office, so we probably won’t 0:14:26.087,0:14:28.620 be subjected to another movie in this series. 0:14:28.620,0:14:31.468 Unfortunately we’ll definitely be seeing the US 0:14:31.468,0:14:34.758 military using this type of advertising tactic again. 0:14:34.932,0:14:38.145 That’s because both the US military and the 0:14:38.145,0:14:40.447 advertising industry understand something that 0:14:40.447,0:14:43.781 many people still want to deny. And that is that 0:14:43.781,0:14:46.732 fiction can be a very powerful and very effective 0:14:46.732,0:14:49.842 way to influence people’s actions and attitudes. 0:14:50.259,0:14:52.154 The military has a long tradition of 0:14:52.154,0:14:53.941 intentionally blurring the lines between 0:14:53.941,0:14:56.488 fiction and reality, but this latest movie 0:14:56.488,0:14:59.011 tie-in represents a shift to a more 0:14:59.011,0:15:01.191 insidious form of product placement. 0:15:01.206,0:15:03.891 And we have a word for when the[br]government does this kind of thing, 0:15:03.891,0:15:06.161 and that word is propaganda. [br] 0:15:06.764,0:15:08.851 I hope you found this video useful. If you’d 0:15:08.851,0:15:11.682 like to see more long-form video essays that 0:15:11.682,0:15:13.737 focus on the intersections of entertainment 0:15:13.737,0:15:16.264 and politics, head over to my Patreon page and 0:15:16.264,0:15:19.414 help fund the Pop Culture Detective Agency.