David Simon, the producer and screenwriter of the sensational show, The Wire, once commented on how, in the end, we are all members of institutions – as lawyers, bankers, educators, politicians…what have you; ultimately, we become compromised and must learn to contend with whatever institution we’ve committed ourselves to.

I kept Simon’s comments on institutions in mind as I watched this excellent miniseries. In a pop culture so saturated in violence (think: GTA, every Tarantino movie, CSI, etc.), and the strange detachment that naturally comes about from seeing fake (and real) violence on the screen, then how does our cultural institution come into play with real war making?

In the HBO series, Generation Kill, Simon turns the camera on the members of the elite team of US Marines – the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion – who spearheaded the 2003 Iraq invasion from Kuwait into, and beyond, Baghdad. Those Marines are like us – mid to early 20s and coming from a variety of socio-economic circumstances. They sing Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8tr boi”, talk about video games, and have the same deeply-instilled irreverence and sarcasm that our generation is known for. In short, they are not only like us, but they are us.

The cast is excellent, mostly populated with relatively unknown actors — with exception to the much-noted (and oft-lusted by the female contingent) Alexander Skarsgard (who plays Brad “Iceman” Colbert) of recent “True Blood” fame — who we come to embrace and know. We come to appreciate Colbert’s leadership and ability to remain cool and “icy” under pressure, we understand the embedded reporter’s (Lee Tergesen) conflict between his political leanings and his growing closeness with these very coarse and raw troops, and we get a kick out of Cpl. Ray Person’s (James Ransone, or Ziggy from The Wire’s 2nd season) soliloquies. We distrust the wisdom of those in power, and we remain cynical about the institutions that we become a part of — especially an institution that, as one of the characters comments on, requires you to do things that in “normal” society would be despicable, immoral, and criminal. Once again we are confronted with an institution that, as Simon puts it, requires you to compromise parts of yourself.

In that case, then what else is there to do but lean on those around you, distrust those above you, and try to get through without losing too much of your soul?

Generation Kill suggests that the institution of war-making is different only in a matter of degree with the institutions that we all are involved with – whether it is as members of law firms, lobbying organizations, educational groups, policy makers, or what have you. These individuals that were, and still are, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are very, very much like you and I – scarily so. And I say scarily to say that we not only see ourselves – as we are – in it, but we see our near-unlimited potential, individually and collectively, to do good and make a change for the better. But we also possess the equal capability to unleash horrors – of violence, of clumsiness, of sexism, xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and apathy – on the world.

In our lives, and in theirs, we deal with the ineptitude – through a lack of clear vision, lack of communication, conflicting objectives, and simple pride and idiocy – of the decision-makers. We all deal with the relative powerlessness of those effecting and carrying out those decisions (the grunts). We’ve all been interns and low-level people who wonder how on earth certain individuals could have been put in charge. Except while in the law firm setting the cost may be a multi-million dollar deal (which isn’t nothing), in Generation Kill the cost is the livelihood of the Iraqis, the birth of the insurgence, and the lives of our soldiers.

On a final and personal note, one of the things that I appreciate so much about David Simon’s work in general is that I often only think about the macro-view of these things. I like policy and I like to get lost in the the grand strategy concepts. A serious flaw to my outlook is that I either ignore the immediate impact and effect on individuals and communities or I simply brush it aside as a necessary evil to achieve the loftier and long-term goals. This isn’t right because, as Generation Kill reminds us, everything is connected. Our loftier goals for Democracy in the Middle East, for Earning more Medals to Increase the Battalion’s Reputation, or anything else is all connected to our every day actions. Time and time again, history teaches us that the smallest things – in Generation Kill, for example, the lack of night-vision goggles, or the absence of enough translators, or rushing through smaller cities while not stabilizing them – tumble into each other until they have grown into a massive history-altering storm.

A butterfly flaps its wings in Turkey and the Roman Empire is born. A man is ignored in Nasiriyah and the insurgence begins.

People been fighting over this bitch since ancient times, Dog. How many graves we standing on? Think about all the wisdom and science and money and civilization it took to build these machines, and the courage of all the men who came here, and the love of their wives and children that was in their hearts. And all that hate, Dog. All the hate it took to blow these motherfuckers away.