The Gender Communication Connection written by Terri Kwal Gamble and Michael W. Gamble (2003) explains power in chapter eight of their textbook. The chapter explains that in a family there is a person that holds power in the household. They state that when one member can use power to empower others they automatically give up some of their power (p. 207). Medals and scars become a story that the Marine can tell for the rest of his life and show his toughness and survival skills which equals how powerful they are. These survival skills are even development in the childhood stages when boys play their fighting games such as Cops and Robbers. Gamble and Gamble state that men also bond through activities similar to this through chumship which is why the friendships in the Marines is so strong. Males tend to bond and express their closeness by expressing similar action-oriented behavior such as listening to music or playing video games together (Gamble, 2003, p.151). Each Marine is side by side going through all of the training together and experiencing the pain and agony together. These types of activities test their camaraderie and see how tough or “manly” they really are. During a time of war all they have is each other and every activity or mission that they have brings them that much closer to together. Generation Kill is a story of many sorts. First of it is a story of a country that was invaded by our troops to capture one of the world’s most violent dictators. A country in which the gender roles are drastically different and so is the rest of their lifestyle. The second story is that of all of the Marines that were dropped off in no-man’s land and have to be heroes to their country and protect their freedoms. These Marines are not fazed by any event or any subject matter especially if they have a specific mission. They have no one to confide in other than the man by their side. The third and most important story is that of the four men in the Hum V that had to become brothers in their short time together. Their story is the one that open’s the audience’s eye to the insecurities of a man who has to be put in front of a moral war. Ones that not only fight a war in a different country but, one’s that fight a war within themselves to not cry or show any emotion. In the end they are out there to “Get Some!!!”
Gamble, T., & Gamble, M. (2003). The Gender Communication Connection.Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company.
Burns, Ed. (Creator). Generation Kill [Television broadcast]. USA: HBO.
[Online Image]. Retrieved May 2, 2009 from Google Images. http://dreamers.com/indices/imagenes/series.557.IMAGEN1.jpg
