WikiLeaks and Baghdad killings

Last week in class we discussed the value of revealing political secrets, with particular attention paid to the controversy over WikiLeaks. I was immediately reminded of a video that my friend suggested concerning some unwarranted killings that took place in Baghdad by some American soldiers. The video, which was disclosed by a brave American soldier named Bradley Manning, shows a group of innocent men being unexpectedly shot at by some troops in a helicopter. This is an event that I would readily categorize as a terrorist attack; yet, seeing as it is taking part on behalf of the United States Army, it is unlikely that it will ever be shown on the news, and the small number of Youtube views attests to this claim. I believe that this video, if seen by more people, has the potential to stimulate social change. For one, it might encourage soldiers to rethink their position, while those considering joining the army might think twice before doing so. Furthermore, it might encourage some to reassess the possible connection between video games and physical war. I am in no way claiming that there is a verifiable connection between the two, for I do not have the empirical evidence to prove this. However, when I consider games such as America’s Army, which was invented for the purpose of recruiting gamers into the U.S. Army, I find it difficult to entirely dismiss the idea that there is a connection between video games and war. Indeed, some of the dialogue provided by the U.S. soldiers in this clip vaguely resembles that of a gamer. But these are simply thoughts of my own, so I urge all of you to watch this video and offer an opinion; and please share it with as many people as possible.