Media top headlines May 19
President Biden joking about running over a reporter and more round out today's top media headlines.
The U.S. Army gave the CIA a run for its money earlier this month with the release of a new "woke" animated, fairytale-style, recruitment ad that tells the story of a current Army corporal with two moms who married after one of them survived a severe car accident.
The May 4 video comes as part of the Army's new recruitment campaign, "The Calling," which depicts the diverse stories of five different service members. The video comes after the Central Intelligence Agency faced backlash for a series of "woke" recruitment ads as the two agencies look to expand their applicant pool.
"It begins in California with a little girl raised by two moms," the narrator, Cpl. Emma Malonelord, says in the video. "Although I had a fairly typical childhood, took ballet, played violin, I also marched for equality. I like to think I've been defending freedom from an early age."
The video sparked an immediate online reaction, with critics warning that the "joke" of an ad would undermine confidence in the strength of the U.S. military. The video resurfaced on social media on Wednesday when one user posted a side-by-side comparison of the U.S. army ad to the Russian military's, noting the stark comparison between America's recruitment efforts and that of its adversaries.
"We are so doomed," Media Research Center's Dan Gainor wrote alongside the edited clip.
"Russians are building a military focused on killing people and breaking things. We're apparently building a military focused on being capable of explaining microaggressions and critical race theory to Afghan Tribesmen," John Hawkins concurred.
One user posted a screenshot of the Russian soldier featured in the clip alongside the animated princess-like character shown in the U.S. version with a caption that read, "Pick your fighter."
A former U.S. army recruiter took to Twitter to voice his frustration.
"There are no words!!" he wrote. "No Question!! After serving for over a decade it’s hard to watch…"
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"For those who keep saying "yet the US military is better". Yes...... because the US military was built off the back of what the Russians are currently doing with theirs. When China & Russia overtake the US, we'll all know why," a user warned.
"It's pathetic and shameful," wrote another. "Not the military we used to be. Hard to be proud of this. Our military deserves better representation than this crap."
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