Toy Dog Tags For Toy Soldiers

Liberal Avenger has a great piece on these at his site.

I grew up with guns and army-men and GI-Joe, etc. I realize that the driving
force behind the existence of those things was commercial... Boys like guns and
toy soldiers and GI-Joes so companies make them, sell them and even do things to
heighten demand for them.

Toy dog-tags from Stars and Stripes is a bit
of a different story, though, I think. (This is where I get overly liberal). We
have a national myth about the infallability of the American dogface GI and the
righteousness and glory that is allegedly inherent in every war. Part of
perpetuating that is fetishizing(?) war "things" for children and young men.
Presenting a child with a set of toy dog tags sends a subtle positive message
about the military, soldiering and the war.

There was a recent wingnut
furor over a group of veterans protesting a Blue Angels airshow... These
peace-oriented veterans objected to the use of the Blue Angels to bend young
minds in favor of war... Wingnut killing-lovers were livid as a result.