Audrey Piehl
Opinions Editor
Below are the articulate transactions of a hypothetical World War 3:
“Dude, we’re on the same team team. Stop knifing me.”
“Aghhh claymore-”
“Bloody noobs…”
“Shut up bro, you’re not British, your Spetznaz. So start sniping some deem-oh-crrrateek scum.”
Above is the dialogue of 15 year-olds competing over a “ballin’” virtual battleground. These exchanges have become common in Call of Duty, a videogame seeking an accurate interpretation of a future military arsenal. With a vast array of guns and grenades available to players, the game reflects an American culture that has become increasingly obsessed with technology.
Well at least that’s what the old codger next door may think, who may have noticed a action-packed movie preview mingling with your Wheel of Fortune marathons. The Avengers, the highest grossing film of the year at over 1 billion dollars, features many societal obsessions: incredibly attractive people, Samuel L. Jackson and, oh yeah, bows and arrows.
Yes, it also has a hovering battleship and an ever-snarkier Iron Man, but Hawkeye was sent to defend the planet from unearthly enemies. Who needs a super-soldier serum or magical scepter when you have old-fashioned bows and arrows to subdue an alien invasion?
This archery theme can be found within many cultural venues. Hunger Games features a badass Lenny Kravitz, a badass Woody Harrelson, and Katniss Everdeen igniting a revolution with bows and arrows.
Likewise, the much-anticipated new Pixar movie entitled Brave, has promised a red-haired heroine, bundles of cartoon hilarity, and of course the weapon of choice, bows and arrows.
The new television show, Arrow, will feature a lesser-known DC comic book hero in a modern retelling of his bow and arrow prowess. And infamous diva Russell Crowe starred in a dramatic interpretation of the classic hero in Robin Hood, wielding a trademark bow and some rustic facial hair.
So what gives? Why is the world becoming engrossed with a weapon approximately 68,000 years old when freakishly accurate and dangerous weapons are used by the modern soldier? That old man may turn the volume down on his Wheel of Fortune just to tell you that it’s those “hipsters” spurring havoc with their “goddamn hippie lunacy” and strange infatuations with old stuff. I mean, a tribal archery set would look fantastic between a vintage record player and Arcade Fire poster. But frankly, bows and arrows have become too mainstream for such an underground crowd.
In fact, bows and arrows represent a counter-culture within most every American. It doesn’t make the news or inspire many Tumblr blogs (as far as I know), but society’s craving for classical virtue manifests in the form of archery.
It’s not about the weapon itself but the person who is wielding it. It takes an enormous amount of skill and patience to shoot an arrow and make contact with a target. Hawkeye is an assassin in a skintight bodysuit, but he’s also a valiant hero who relies solely upon an ancient weapon to defend the earth. Similarly Katniss, whose humble beginnings granted her merely a bow, possesses enough skill to challenge an oppressive government.
We may love our iPhones, but no amount of technology can replace bravery, intelligence, or humanity. As a society we don’t like seeing heroes who need missiles to succeed; we want to see heroes with so much inherent goodness they can stop evil with a simple bow and arrow. Through an archer’s tools do we appreciate true human compassion and capability, not through an AK-47.
