From a young age, some individuals don’t just enjoy their craft; they build their entire identity around it.

This level of commitment goes beyond talent or interest. It becomes habitual, disciplined, and eventually, expected. Hard work continues; there are early mornings, late nights, repeated effort without shortcuts. In due course, not only does success become commonplace, but the expectation of success begins to become mandatory.

Early recognition only serves to confirm such a mind-set. Compliments from others, confirmation from role models, and tangible proof of achievements all contribute to the development of self-perception linked to success. For successful people—whether in athletics, artistic pursuits, or business, success ceases to be an end in itself. Success becomes a reflection of self-worth.

Which brings us to a crucial point: what if that self-perception were threatened?

History: Refusing to Accept Defeat

A famous example of this mentality can be seen in Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon emerged as one of the most formidable military figures in Europe at the turn of the 19th century. With a string of decisive victories, Napoleon managed to extend French control over large parts of Europe. By skillfully maneuvering around his opponents, Napoleon cultivated an impression of invincibility.

But success breeds expectation. In Napoleon’s case, victory stopped being a possibility and became a certainty. Napoleon’s expectations affected his judgment when dealing with increasing resistance against him from other countries.

In 1812, Napoleon launched an invasion into Russia despite reports of logistical constraints, difficult terrain, and harsh weather conditions. The operation soon turned into a disaster for Napoleon. Russian troops used a scorched-earth tactic in their retreat, burning food and supplies, thereby denying Napoleon’s troops access to provisions. Conditions worsened as winter approached, leading to massive losses among Napoleon’s troops. Of the hundreds of thousands that invaded Russia (Britannica, 2023).

However, Napoleon was far from admitting defeat. Instead of accepting exile on Elba, Napoleon made an attempt to retake power. The end result of this decision was his final and ultimate defeat in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Thus, the case of Napoleon is a good illustration of the phenomenon where refusal to accept defeat can become the cause of multiple failures. Instead of rethinking his limitations, Napoleon decided to act as if he were guaranteed success in everything.

Sometimes, “sore losers” may choose to react to their defeat by trying even harder to win, even if the objective conditions remain unfavorable to this goal.

In other words, sometimes people keep losing again and again just because they cannot accept the fact that they lost before.

Being strongly connected to his image as a conqueror, Napoleon had no choice but to deny the reality of defeat when it appeared to contradict his self-perception.

Sports: Making Use of Defeat

Instead of becoming the victim of his refusal to accept the loss, some people turn this very factor into one of motivation. A classic example is provided by Michael Jordan.

It can be said without exaggeration that Michael Jordan is one of the best basketball players ever. Throughout his career, he had shown an immense ability to react to defeats and losses. It is believed by his teammates, coaches, and even analysts that Jordan was quite sensitive about defeat and even created imagined offenses against other people in order to keep the advantage in mind (ESPN, The Last Dance, 2020).

That way, his attitude played an important role in achieving success. Jordan was using any kind of setback as an additional incentive to develop better and overcome the obstacle. Being excluded from his high school's varsity basketball team, for instance, became a turning point for him.

To Michael, a setback never meant to sit out, that summer he worked on his craft with a newfound fire and came back ready to start on varsity.  Such an approach shows a certain correlation between a person's identity and performance. According to psychological theories, Michael Jordan's attitude towards winning can be referred to as a "performance-based identity," which implies that there is a direct correlation between immediate achievement and setbacks before that initial achievement.

(Brewer & Petitpas, 2017).

This leads to an important distinction:

The healthy competitor competes to win but retains their sense of self beyond the outcome.

The identity-focused competitor competes to prove themselves, which makes loss harder to cope with.

The career of Michael Jordan exemplifies how such a mentality can be beneficial. While Napoleon was stubborn, inflexible, and lost, Jordan learned from defeat, refined his skills, and eventually ruled his field. However, the mental processes involved remain identical: he reacts intensely to the experience of losing.

It is not the source of the mentality that matters, but how one handles it.

Fiction: Identity without Winning

Fiction often reveals a more personal perspective on this issue, addressing not just the external consequences but also internal dilemmas. For example, the anime Ping Pong the Animation showcases this phenomenon in its main characters, Smile and Peco.

Smile is naturally gifted yet detached, seeing ping pong as an intricate mechanism rather than a game with meaning. Peco, however, defines himself through his identity as a top player. He is confident and proud because he wins.

Peco's fall is not just a failure to perform but a loss of direction. Without success, he cannot find meaning in life.

Psychological

It reveals the gap between who a person believes they are and who they actually are without success. Peco’s eventual growth only begins after his ego is challenged and his identity is forced to evolve.

This narrative highlights a key idea: loss is not only an external event. It is an internal confrontation with self-perception.

Film: Rewriting the Loss

This dynamic is not limited to characters within stories; it can also be observed in the creators behind them. The case of Zack Snyder and Justice League illustrates how individuals respond when public perception defines an outcome as failure.

Snyder originally directed Justice League but stepped away during production due to personal circumstances. The studio significantly altered the film, and the theatrical release received negative reviews and underperformed at the box office (Rotten Tomatoes, 2017).

For many directors, this version would have defined their legacy. However, Snyder did not accept this outcome as final. Following years of fan campaigns, he returned to complete his version of the film, resulting in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

This situation represents a different response to perceived failure. Rather than collapsing under criticism or aggressively rejecting it, Snyder focused on reclaiming creative control. His actions demonstrate an attempt to redefine the narrative surrounding his work.

When the version of the story where you lose is presented to the world, the question becomes whether to accept it or attempt to rewrite it.

Snyder’s approach reflects resilience, but it also reinforces the central theme: the desire to avoid being defined by loss. By revisiting the project, he effectively challenged the idea that the initial outcome was final.

Ultimately, across history, sports, fiction, and film, a consistent pattern emerges.

Napoleon Bonaparte refused to accept defeat and ultimately collapsed under it.

Michael Jordan transformed loss into motivation, achieving sustained dominance.

Ping Pong the Animation illustrates the internal collapse and reconstruction of identity following failure.

Zack Snyder responded to public failure by reclaiming authorship and redefining the outcome.

Each case presents a different reaction, but all originate from the same underlying issue: when winning becomes central to identity, losing becomes more than a setback—it becomes a personal threat.

Psychological research supports this idea, suggesting that individuals who tie their self-worth too closely to achievement are more vulnerable to emotional distress following failure (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Developing a more flexible sense of identity allows individuals to process loss without it undermining their sense of self.

Ultimately, losing is unavoidable. What varies is the response.

Some deny it.

Some are driven by it.

Some are broken by it.

And some attempt to redefine it.

The defining factor is not whether loss occurs, but how individuals interpret it—and what remains of their identity when success is no longer guaranteed.

Work cited

• “Napoleon I.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023.

• The Last Dance. Directed by Jason Hehir, ESPN, 2020.

• Brewer, Britton W., and Albert J. Petitpas. “Athletic Identity and Sports Psychology.” Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science, 2017.

• Marcia, James E. “Development and Validation of Ego-Identity Status.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1966.

• Deci, Edward L., and Richard M. Ryan. “The ‘What’ and ‘Why’ of Goal Pursuits.” Psychological Inquiry, 2000.

• Breznican, Anthony. “The True Story of Justice League: Snyder, Whedon, and the Battle for Hollywood’s Most Controversial Blockbuster.” Vanity Fair, 2021.

“Nation’s Pride” (or “Stolz der Nation”) is the name of the fictional Nazi propaganda film featured in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglorious Basterds. Directed within the movie by Joseph Goebbels, the film is meant to glorify the events of a fictional soldier within the story, Frederick Zoller, as he murders hundreds of allied soldiers with his sniper while he's positioned in a clock-tower. The film, which is a key plot point throughout the movie, clearly represents the satire of wartime propaganda, and cinematic violence during the time period (Duke).

“American Sniper” (2014) is the name of the real American war movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie is based on the true events of Chris Kyle, the “deadliest sniper in U.S. Military History”, who has 160 confirmed kills (Veteran Tributes), even having “hit an insurgent from 1.2 miles away” (Nelson). The film was widely acclaimed by critics and audiences, receiving praise for its intense combat scenes, and ‘character study’ of the main character, portrayed by Bradley Cooper. According to Glenn Kenny, film critic and author for the New York Times: “‘American Sniper’ [is] one of the more tough-minded and effective war pictures of post-American-Century American cinema (Kenny). 

Virtually, the fictional movie of Nation’s Pride and the real movie American Sniper have the same plot. Both films are representative of real snipers acting in a one-man army, and both films, in the name of protecting their nation, glorify the killing in war. Both films are seen dehumanizing the enemy, narrowing down political conflicts into a simple “good vs evil” narrative. The major difference in these movies is the ideological differences, and the portrayal between the two main characters, which shifts the audience's perception from barbaric or terroristic acts into a tragic war tale.

American audiences often fail to see the similarities among foreign propaganda and our own, a parallel which puts the nation at danger. It is important to understand the difference between an incorrect portrayal of a nation at war, made only with the sole intent of recruitment, and a true, anti-war film, which explores the barbaric nature of war, and the humanity of both sides of conflict.

The Victimhood of a Nation

A trend among United States War films is the portrayal of American Forces as the victims of combat, when in most scenarios, it's the other way around. Whether it's through the false “lone guerilla” scenario presented in American Sniper, or the incorrect portrayal of the enemy, as shown in Rules of Engagement (2000) or The Deer Hunter (1978).

Rules of Engagement (2000), directed by William Friedkin, in collaboration with the United States Department of Defense and Marine Corps, follows Colonel Terry Childers, played by Samuel Jackson, as he faces a court-martial for ordering his soldiers to open fire on a crowd of protesters outside the United States Embassy in Yemen, killing 83 civilians, after a diplomatic rescue mission went wrong. The center of the movie is the defense, led by his brother-in-arms in Vietnam, played by Tommy Lee Jones. In the climax of the film, footage, which was destroyed by the National Security Advisor (the antagonist of the story) was revealed. The footage showed that the entire crowd, including women and children, were armed insurgents, and they fired at the Marines first. This plot twist is used as a racist narrative trick in order to demonize the Yemen Arab population (a recurring event for Hollywood), labeling them as terrorists, regardless of their sex or age.

But why would the United States Government allow Hollywood to portray allied Arabic countries as ravaged insurgents, only looking to harm the US? In response to comments on the racist imagery, Paramount Vice President Blaise Noto defended the movie, stating: “It is not anti-Arabic...or anti-Yemenite but rather anti-extremist.” When asked about the Department of Defense’s involvement in the film, Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said: “[Paramount has] a right to make the movies any way they want to make them. We pay attention to how they portray the military.” The government's own words suggest as long as the United States is represented correctly, it's perfectly acceptable to show them murdering Arabs. As Jack Shaheen, writer and specialist in racial stereotypes in media, stated: “I wonder, had [Rules of Engagement] depicted Marines slaughtering Israeli civilians, would Bacon’s words have been the same?” (Shaheen).

In another example, The Deer Hunter (1978) is a powerful anti-war film, however in the same way, it is one of the best examples of American films portraying the United States as the victim of combat. Directed by Micheal Cimino, the film, which is set during Vietnam, follows three lifelong friends from a working-class town as they are drafted into the United States military to serve in Vietnam. The film, while widely received as a heartbreaking portrayal of Vietnam, was disregarded by some Vietnam veterans who believed the film was an inaccurate portrayal and a falsehood of the conflict. One of the most debated scenes of the movie is arguably one of the most famous. While in Vietnam, the Vietnamese guards force American Prisoners of War to play Russian roulette, and bet on who will die during the process. 

As stated by Peter Arnett, journalist known for his coverage of the Vietnam and Gulf War: “while the American boys are noble; the Saigonese are greedy gamblers willing to bet on an American's blowing his brains out--they show no concern over the imminent collapse of their city” (Arnett). This scene, on top of other scenes in the movie portraying the Vietnamese as heartless toward the poor Americans. This kind of portrayal leads American viewers into a false belief, one in which Americans are the victims, as opposed to the truth, in which the Vietnamese were often tortured and killed in Prisoner of War camps (Amnesty).

But what causes this effect? As Dan O’Meara, co-author of Movies, Myth and the National Security State writes: "For this kind of heroic myth, they are unable to face their own internal damage. They are unable to look at themselves and say, 'My God, we did this,'" (Vermes).

The Dehumanization of the Enemy

One of the biggest impacts of war is the dehumanization pushed onto the enemy. Once a person or nation of people is considered the enemy, they become the personification of evil, with no redeemable qualities, and most of the time considered less than human. This dehumanization justifies the violence and murder to soldiers and civilians, and takes the audience away from the humanity of the antagonist, making it easier to accept the atrocities of war (Whitehead).

This phenomena has been seen through all sides of history. Nazis referred to the Jewish people as “rats”, Viet Cong were referred to as a plethora of ethnic slurs, all aimed at dehumanizing the enemy soldiers, as well as civilians (Macnair). This behaviour can be seen being repeated, more recently, in Afghanistan, where troopers (specifically those known as the ‘Kill Team’) became known to pose and take photos with dead Afghanistan soldiers, as well as take limbs as trophies of their kill, similar to that of a hunters trophy buck (Kaste). Sub-Saharan Africans who were brought into the Trans-Atlantic slave trade were considered goods to trade with, Native Americans, who inhabited North America before Europeans arrived, were forced into mass migration, which killed thousands.

Humans have, inherently, always put themselves above other animals, so saying someone is “less than human” is to put them on the same level as that of a pig, or other livestock animal, one which humans are generally fine with killing (exemption of animal rights protectionists or other similar titles) (Smith).

It’s clear that presenting the enemy as something less than human has affected millions, and movies are no exemption from this problem: Birth of a Nation (1915) is infamous for its portrayal of African Americans as “savages” in order to justify the rise of the Ku Klux Klan (Facing History). Black Hawk Down (2001) is criticized for its portrayal of Somalian citizens as faceless killers; according to Brendan Sexton III, known for his roles in Boys Don’t Cry (1999) and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019): “The Somalis are portrayed as if they don’t know what’s going on, as if they’re trying to kill the Americans because they–like all other ‘evildoers’–will do anything to bite the hand that feeds them” (Sexton III). More recently, Top Gun: Maverick (2022) doesn’t feature a named antagonist, instead, the film opts to portray the enemy as a nameless, faceless, enemy force (generally, this is good). While Top Gun: Maverick doesn’t tell the enemy, it makes a clear point to portray the United States as “courageous agents of good,” fighting against the enemy state, who are “faceless, secretive, and evil,” or more simply, good vs evil (Hursh).

War movies dehumanize enemy combatants through removing human characteristics, generalizing conflict into a simple “good vs. evil” narrative, and placing the antagonist in a place where they must be killed. Whether done intentionally or not, this false narrative leads to increased tension, and a false view on an otherwise complex series of events.

Propaganda or War Film?

This critique is not to say that all war films are propaganda, movies like Schindler's List (1993), Grave of the Fireflies (1988), or Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) are all considered profound masterpieces that explore and represent the human suffering that surrounds war, whereas propaganda films are reliant on oversimplification of affairs, and demonization of the enemy in order to persuade the audience into believing a false narrative.

The intent behind propaganda is to recruit, justify state action, and enforce patriotism in order to manipulate the public's opinion. Triumph of the Will (1935) is a Nazi-Germany propaganda film directed by Leni Riefenstahl which showcases the 1934 Nuremberg Rally. The film serves as one of the most infamous propaganda films (Riefenstahl later insisted the film acts as a documentary, rather than a propaganda film, however several scenes of the film were staged and some speeches were delivered multiple times for the camera), which showcases seemingly positive images of German soldiers uniting under the Nazi regime, which is in control of Adolf Hitler, who is portrayed as the savior of Germany. Under their united regime, the soldiers repeat the slogan, "One people, one leader, one realm—Germany!" numerous times (United States Holocaust Museum).

The film was showcased to 70 cities across Germany (Nuernberg Museum), and was immensely influential in instilling Nazi ideology among German citizens. Although the intent behind the film was that of Nazism, it should be seen as a primary example of how propaganda is used in cinema to affect the audience's views.

In contrast to propaganda films like Triumph of the Will, films like Grave of the Fireflies (1988), directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated at Studio Ghibli, are praised highly for their interpretation and expression of war. Grave of the Fireflies ignores glory on the battlefield to focus entirely on the impact of war, and the devastating effect that war has on citizens, especially children. The film follows two children as they are placed in the aftermath of an American firebombing in WWII Japan. The lack of adrenaline and battle is substituted with scenes highlighting hunger and death, along with the decline of humanity in a war-ridden village. There is no glory to be obtained from killing the enemy, nor does the film seek to demonize the United States as a nation, despite the atrocities portrayed during the film. Grave of the Fireflies does not seek to spread a message of violence, rather one to end the violence committed during wartime.

In Top Gun: Maverick, the “enemy” of the movie is nameless, and never portrayed to be one specific country or person. This effect can similarly be seen in the majority of propaganda based films: The Green Berets (1968) is known for its watered down, simple portrayal of the Vietnam War, turning it from a complex war into a more straightforward “Good versus Evil” conflict. John Wayne’s classic war film erases the identity and tactics of the Viet Cong, instead opting to replace them with Hollywood's classic villain archetype (Ebert).

United States troops are shown exclusively in a good light, offering medical assistance to those in need, and comforting children faced with war. The Viet Cong, expectadely, are portrayed to be a faceless, evil force, shown to kill and torture women and children. The Viet Cong is implied to be a foreign army, set out to conquer South Korea, with the top-ranking Communist generals living in luxurious mansions, and hordes of armed militants for the “heroes” of the story to kill. In reality, the Viet Cong were largely native to South Korea, with the majority of the commanders and soldiers living in hidden camps and tunnel networks, only supplied with minimal rations (Tunzelmann). Adding to the inaccuracy, an investigation performed by Daniel Lang a year after the film was released would reveal that the atrocities committed by the Viet Cong in the film could largely be attributed to acts committed by U.S. soldiers during the same time (Lang).

The reliance on a single archetype of “good vs evil” dehumanizes the enemy, opposite to films like All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 or 2022), which remove the nationalist themes altogether, in order to reveal that soldiers on both sides of the conflict are frightened, young men sharing the same horrors (Davies). All Quiet, which was initially released in 1930 by Lewis Milestone, was banned by the German government, claiming it was nothing but American propaganda, filled with German caricatures which damaged the German people; however, All Quiet is not an anti-German film, in fact, it's one of the few films which seeks to find humanity within the enemy. As stated by Peter Swope, Senior Editor at the Brown Daily Herald: “In other war movies, viewers tend to encounter heroic American characters who fight against nameless enemies who speak unfamiliar languages. But All Quiet on the Western Front tells the story of the German soldiers who Hollywood so often treats as this anonymous horde” (Swope).

The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) is a Chinese film set during the Korean War, and  based on the real Battle of the Chosin Reservoir (Carter). Lake Changjin is the most expensive Chinese film of all time, being commissioned by the Chinese Communist Party for the parties’ 100 year anniversary; it follows the 7th company of the People’s Volunteer Army as they face off against United States forces, ultimately ending in the U.S. retreat. The 7th company is the stereotype army unit, comprised of the Brave Leader, young recruit, calm sniper, and the crazy demolitions expert, as well as some less-than-common additions, such as the political official, who keeps spirits up within the group, or even Mao Anying, son of Mao Zedong, who (spoiler) bravely sacrifices himself to save important documents. The hero of this film isn’t the leader, nor is it Anying, or Zedong, “it is the spirit of China, and that spirit is found in the People’s Liberation Army” (Freidin).

It’s easy to dismiss this film as nothing but propaganda funded by the CCP, many audiences outside of China did, as evidenced by its poor reception in foreign countries; however, these themes and characters could almost be exactly restated under American movies like that of Black Hawk Down or Acts of Valor (2012).

Acts of Valor was released in collaboration with the United States Navy, initially intending to be a documentary on the training of Seals, the Navy's primary elite special operations force, however after the completion, the Navy insisted on the production of a full-length film, based on the combat of the Unit (Christian). The cast, which is made of actual Navy Seals as opposed to actors, is similar to Lake Changjin, in the presence of the sniper, the heavy gunner, the medic, the family man, with a pregnant wife at home, and finally, the Senior Operator, who has “one last mission” before going home, adding more pressure to not fail. This band of brothers faces against the faceless, evil enemy yet again, only this time commissioned by the Navy instead of the CCP

In both films, the idolization of martyrdom, the necessity of war, and dying for one's country all add a nationalistic undertone, one which is commonplace among propaganda media, especially in film. Propaganda is a tool used to unite, recruit, and indoctrinate citizens into war, where-as film should be used to explore, explain, and condemn the acts of war. While it's easy to understand foreign propaganda as a tool, especially when the ideas and ideology differ from your own, it's harder to witness your own country placing ideas and ideology within the media. Films like Rules of Engagement, Top Gun: Maverick, or Black Hawk Down should be used as examples of film whose primary purpose isn’t to explain the tragedy of war, but to recruit a new generation into the same-sided belief which the United States has carried for years, only re-written and re-performed into a new version of the same character, the American soldier.

  Works Cited

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Arnett, Peter. “Vietnam Veterans against the War: THE VETERAN: “Deer Hunter” Is Good Drama, but Bad History.” Www.vvaw.org, www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=1728. 

Carter, James. “The Real Battle at Lake Changjin – the China Project.” The China Project, Dec. 2021, thechinaproject.com/2021/12/01/the-real-battle-at-lake-changjin/. 

Christian, Tyler. ““Act of Valor” Is Shameful | New University | UC Irvine.” Newuniversity.org, 6 Mar. 2012, newuniversity.org/2012/03/06/act-of-valor-is-shameful/. Accessed 18 May 2026. 

Duke, Alan. ““Basterds” Pro-Nazi Short Made by a Jewish Director - CNN.com.” Cnn.com, 2026, www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/11/tarantino.nazi.film/index.html. Accessed 18 May 2026.

Ebert, Roger. “The Green Berets Movie Review (1968) | Roger Ebert.” Rogerebert.com, RogerEbert.com, 26 June 1968, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-green-berets-1968. 

Facing History & Ourselves. “The Influence of “the Birth of a Nation” | Facing History and Ourselves.” facinghistory, 5 Jan. 2022, www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/influence-birth-nation. 

Hursh, John. “Top Gun Maverick: International Law, Empire, and Nostalgia.” Opinio Juris, 26 Oct. 2022, opiniojuris.org/2022/10/26/top-gun-maverick-international-law-empire-and-nostalgia/. 

Kaste, Martin . “New Pictures of “Kill Team” Are Published.” NPR.org, 11 Mar. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/03/29/134943158/Kill-Squad-Photos. 

Kenny, Glenn. “American Sniper Movie Review & Film Summary (2014) | Roger Ebert.” Https://Www.rogerebert.com/, 25 Dec. 2014, www.rogerebert.com/reviews/american-sniper-2014. 

Lang, Daniel. “Casualties of War.” The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 1969, www.newyorker.com/magazine/1969/10/18/casualties-of-war. 

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MacNair, Rachel. “Seeing the Humanity of “the Enemy”: Movies to Provoke Thought and Discussion – Consistent Life Blog.” Consistent-Life.org, 2025, consistent-life.org/blog/index.php/2025/05/27/seeing-humanity-of-the-enemy/. 

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Sexton III, Brendan . “What’s Wrong with Black Hawk Down.” CounterPunch.org, CounterPunch, 28 Feb. 2002, www.counterpunch.org/2002/02/28/what-s-wrong-with-black-hawk-down/. Accessed 18 May 2026.

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Smith, David Livingstone. ““Less than Human”: The Psychology of Cruelty.” NPR.org, 29 Mar. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/03/29/134956180/criminals-see-their-victims-as-less-than-human. 

Swope, Peter. ““All Quiet on the Western Front” Offers Unflinching Portrayal of Brutality of War.” The Brown Daily Herald, 7 Nov. 2022, www.browndailyherald.com/article/2022/11/all-quiet-on-the-western-front-offers-unflinching-portrayal-of-brutality-of-war. 

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Propaganda Film: Triumph of the Will.” Perspectives.ushmm.org, perspectives.ushmm.org/item/propaganda-film-triumph-of-the-will.

Vermes, Jason. “Why Hollywood Turned Broken Men into Heroes after the Vietnam War | CBC Radio.” CBC, 12 Aug. 2021, www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/why-hollywood-turned-broken-men-into-heroes-after-the-vietnam-war-1.5570479.

von Tunzelmann, Alex. “The Green Berets: How the War Was Spun.” The Guardian, 11 July 2014, www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/11/the-green-berets-reel-history-john-wayne-vietnam-war.

Space exploration is becoming more advanced and we are beginning to understand more about the universe. Organizations and companies like NASA, SpaceX, and the International Space Station are finding ways to explore deeper into space. Some recent space missions include Artemis II, Europa Clipper, Expedition 74, and the Lucy mission. All of these missions have a purpose and bring back important data and new findings. 

Artemis II was a recent NASA space mission that was a crewed nine day lunar fly-by. It launched on April 1, 2026. The four crew members were Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (Mission specialist), and Jeremy Hanson (Mission specialist). The Artemis II mission marked the most recent time that humans have ventured out of low-Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission. Artemis II tested many major things aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft including life support, navigation, and communication capabilities needed for lunar missions. The crew traveled 1,000’s of miles to the Moon to perform an orbit around it and return safely to Earth. NASA evaluated how astronauts interact, perform, and function over long periods of time in space psychologically and physically. Artemis II was also a way to see how astronauts act in their mission of sending humans to Mars in the future. The success of this mission paved a way for the Artemis III which has the potential to include the first woman and person of color to step foot on the moon. 

Launched October 14, 2024,Still on mission, Europa Clipper is a mission to explore, discover, and “determine whether there are places below the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, that could support life…The spacecraft will perform dozens of flybys of Jupiter’s moon Europa, gathering detailed measurements to investigate the moon. The spacecraft, in orbit around Jupiter, will make nearly 50 flybys of Europa at closest-approach altitudes as low as 16 miles (25 kilometers) above the surface, soaring over a different location during each flyby to scan nearly the entire moon.” (NASA) The space craft is designed for the harsh radiation Jupiter has. Thus far, the data gathered on this mission shows Europa has strong evidence of water underneath the crust. It is still working to gather data from Jupiter's moon.

Embarked on December 8, 2024, Expedition 74 is the 74th long duration expedition by the International Space Station. This expedition is studying many things like blood pressure and brain function in space, stem cell transplants, DNA sequencing in microgravity, preparing cargo, and performing spacewalks. Astronauts are also looking at cell division in space “Understanding this process could support the development of better methods for growing plants for food in space, including on the Moon and Mars. This investigation also could provide insight to help make plant production systems on Earth more efficient” (NASA).

Launched October 16, 2021, Lucy Mission is a 12 year robotic journey to examine  and explore the Trojan asteroids. Over the 12 year trip in space the Lucy mission will fly by a total of 11 asteroids. These asteroids are fossils from the formation of the outer solar system. This will bring new knowledge about fossils from space. This robot mission is planned to continue circling around the solar system after its mission is “over”.

All these missions being led by NASA, SpaceX, and the international space station show how quickly advancements are being made as well as how much our understanding of space is expanding. In the future, there could be many explorations and missions and we may even find life beyond earth. “There is a high likelihood that human space missions to the Moon, Mars and possibly beyond will become a reality within the next century”  (Szocik, Shelhamer, et. el). Data centers are becoming a new idea for space. “Orbital data centers could run on practically unlimited solar energy without interruption from cloudy skies or nighttime darkness” (Hsu, Sullivan). Data centers in space would have a less harsh impact on earth as data centers take up a lot of energy, high water usage, put out pollution, and are a huge economic strain.  As technology continues to improve space won't feel so distant, it will become something humans can further explore. As our technology continues to evolve, we as humanity, need to make sure our ethics and values evolve as well.

Works Cited

Hsu, Jeremy. “Space-Based Data Centers Could Power AI with Solar Energy—at a Cost.” Scientific American, 9 Dec. 2025, www.scientificamerican.com/article/data-centers-in-space/.

Levasseur, Jennifer. Artemis II Crew Used Modern Photography to Tell the Visual Story of Their Lunar Journey – and Update Some Classic Apollo Images. 11 Apr. 2026, theconversation.com/artemis-ii-crew-used-modern-photography-to-tell-the-visual-story-of-their-lunar-journey-and-update-some-classic-apollo-images-280341, https://doi.org/10.64628/aai.5aeyukgxp.  Accessed 15 Apr. 2026. 

NASA. “National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” NASA, Nasa, 31 Dec. 1999, www.nasa.gov.

SpaceX. “SpaceX.” SpaceX, SPACEX, 2024, www.spacex.com. 

Szocik, Konrad, et al. “Future Space Missions and Human Enhancement: Medical and Ethical Challenges.” Futures, vol. 133, Oct. 2021, p. 102819, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2021.102819. 

“The First Mission to Jupiter’s Trojan Asteroids - Lucy Mission.” Lucy.swri.edu, lucy.swri.edu/.

Everyone at Brown School knows how ambitious our students can be, and how far we pursue excellence. What many students don’t know, however, is that some of our students are seeking to make connections with upstanding members of the community to create a positive impact. 

Justice Now, co-created by teacher Matthew Kaufmann, partners with the Kentucky Derby Festival to give our students the space for negotiations, networking, and advocacy. Students from all over the city take time out of their busy schedules to build a platform for community support–slideshows, physical projects, and digital elements that address a problem in Louisville, the Commonwealth, or the broader world.

As a member of the Brown School Poetry Team (In Our Own Words: Young Poets Speak For Themselves), this has been a thrilling experience. Last year, I joined our team for bridging the digital divide in Louisville, and the program has only improved over these two years. Pre-JusticeFest (a chance for students to practice before presenting to donors) was absolutely incredible. The rush of excitement in the air was palpable when we began the event. Mr. Matthew kicked off the day with a mantra, followed by amazing speeches from members of the community. Students were then allowed to work, network, and practice their presentations. Everyone in attendance was very friendly, offering their assistance in our project. It was sad to leave, but we left knowing our next steps.

Brown School has three Justice Now Teams this year: the poetry team, the bioengineering team, and the journalism team. Below are interviews with members of the groups:

Alix: Tell me what your project is about!

Xavier (Project Access): ELI, the Everyday Life Injector, is designed as a modular, integrated medical support system that brings multiple daily healthcare tasks into one accessible device. It combines a precision-assisted injection system to reduce tremor and hesitation, integrated blood sugar monitoring, blood pressure tracking, medication organization with detachable pill storage, a temperature-controlled mini medication fridge, and a detachable sharps disposal container for safe needle management. Instead of forcing users to juggle separate tools and spaces, ELI centralizes care into a single, structured environment that promotes safety, independence, and consistency. Looking forward, the hope is to refine ELI through clinical feedback, pursue regulatory pathways, protect its intellectual property, and scale it into a medically validated device that advances healthcare equity by designing for those who need accessibility most, and in doing so, improving care for everyone.

Alix/author (In Our Own Words Young Poets Speak For Themselves): JusticeFest was an amazing experience! Our presentation was a poetry exposition, with our own work! All the panelists were incredibly kind, and we received so many donations! The Brown Poetry Club primarily sought money for the Youth Poet Laureate License, which will allow us to host regional competitions. We were given the money for not only this, but refreshments and summer workshops! Our group was also given spaces to perform. We look forward to partnering with other projects and Bookworks, who offered summer teen programs! The main goal of our work is to fight fascism in our own words, especially fighting homophobia, transphobia, and racism. The club meets every other week, so be sure to stop by in Sarah Yost’s room to listen or share your own work.

Lila (Story Lab): We had a few main asks. Funds for attending a national conference, starting a local journalism conference, and opportunities for mentorship. It was good, very fun. We earned $1800, and we were able to get a lot of connections, and people interested in helping us. $500 was specifically for the local conference. The other portion was provided by the JusticeFest sponsors, the De’anglo Russell Foundation, Park Credit Union, and others! We will follow up and stay in contact with this new network, and more will come up from that, I think.

Overall, JusticeFest was a smashing success! I was so glad to experience it for the first time, and I have high hopes for future teams of student leaders.

It is a well-known fact that there are budget cuts happening within JCPS, however, students here may not know that Brown is getting $852,680 taken out of their budget. Teachers, classes, and fellow students are being affected within our school. While high schoolers will definitely be feeling the effects of the budget cuts, no one will be experiencing it more than the middle schoolers. With some of their teachers getting cut and  all courses being moved to period-classes instead of block-classes, it’s pretty clear: they’re getting the brunt of all of this. 

I decided to interview some kids from our middle school  to get their opinions on the matter, and all of them are rather negative. Ira says that, “I think the budget cuts would systematically be a nightmare. Specifically for teachers and middle schoolers, and cutting out money specifically for Brown in such a diverse school would be bad.” As I’ve said before, middle schoolers are getting the worst of the cuts. Some hires are being cut, teachers that could potentially impact a student’s life in an amazing way. It’s also terrible for the teachers, as that’s their job! It’s wrong to send people scrambling for jobs when some have just gotten here. 

Other students, like Imani, said “At the moment, I feel like the budget cuts are going to be bad for Brown, because we’re already a small school.” It’s true–J. Graham Brown School only teaches around 800 students, K-12. Taking more from this school when it already has so little… seems a little cruel, does it not? As Dre puts it, “I think the budget cuts should be… not used.” Agreed. 

The budget cuts will be taking materials as well, things from as large as cardboard cutouts to a paper clip. Easily accessible materials will now be hard to get, especially for projects kids do for class. Teachers might need to change their curriculums to serve the budgets, when they should really be concerned about their students learning in the way that helps them. If a project is the way to show off learning, then the student should be able to do a project. 

There’s also the issue with mental health practitioners being cut too. “JCPS announced a change to the recommended cuts, proposing to axe some mental health practitioners, causing frustration and worry among some in the community” (Mayes). Thankfully, the community rose and fought against this, so it’s not going through now. As I and many others have experienced, counselors are amazing for students, and they can really help ease nerves, calm down bad situations, and their job is to help understand a student. With some of them being cut, this may result in distrust or even fear amongst the students, as they may be losing one of their trusted outlets. Ira agrees, saying “The mental health therapist cuts would be horrific for a student's mental health.”

Not only that, but Brown is actually losing some teachers. Teachers as well as mental health practitioners may be a student’s only outlet for a stressful life. Good teachers can change a student's life and leave a lasting impact–why would district leadership take away someone that could help a student in a way no one else can? For example, middle schoolers are losing Hank next year, a teacher who is reportedly nice and helpful towards students. He sponsors the PRISM club, which strives for inclusivity. The budget cuts are supposed to be helpful, but the only thing it's doing is causing strife. Dre agrees, stating that “It should help the teachers as well, Hank is the best teacher I know.” 

Outside of Brown, two elementary schools are closing down. “The JCPS Board voted to close King and Zachary Taylor elementary schools, and relocate Liberty High School” (Mayes). Parents are allowed to choose from other schools, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be problems. What about the parents that can’t afford a longer drive to school? What about the kids who are being separated from friends due to something like this that they just can’t control? Choosing another school isn’t the optimal solution when parents are stressing about new routes and how they’re going to get to work on time. 

Back to Brown–what’s the future going to look like for middle schoolers? Some students express their discomfort, with Imani saying “I feel bad for the future generations, because they won’t have as many opportunities for their future.” Imani isn’t wrong; students won’t have as many teachers and they’ll be hard pressed to get certain materials, as I’ve said before. This will most definitely impact learning, as Ira says. “If they’re cutting teachers, that can impact our grades and our learning skills.” 

So, are students planning to take action? Some say yes, others are pretty uncertain. Imani says that action will not be taken unless someone else makes a plan. As high schoolers, what can we do so that middle schoolers won’t have to suffer the brunt of the budget cuts? Well, Ira recommends talking to the school board. Walk-outs and petitions will also bring attention to the problem. Students have a voice, and if we use it, we can bring  light to things that adults can’t, like how the budget cuts will affect them personally. Adults may not understand how deep this will hurt students’ education. After all, we’re the ones being affected–we should probably say something about it!

Bibliography 

Mayes, Jamie. “JCPS Board Votes to Accept Budget Cut Proposal, and Closure of 2 Schools.” WLKY, 21 Jan. 2026, www.wlky.com/article/jcps-board-votes-accept-budget-cut-proposal-closure-2-schools/70064385. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.

The Winter Olympics have come around again this year, and from February 6th to February 22nd athletes from all over the world gathered in Milan, Italy to compete for one—or more—of the coveted Olympic medals. The Paralympics will also be taking place from March 6th through the 15th. The Olympics are a showcase of the best athletes in the world at the height of their talent, and have a long history of attracting a huge audience of people, whether these people have been fans of these sports for years or have no idea what they are.

The Olympics are extremely unique in the way they bring the world together, which is one of the reasons the Olympic stage is so big. Because of the huge influence this event has, Olympic athletes have often used the global stage for subtle and not so subtle acts of protest and commentary on the state of the world. There is a long history of athletes protesting at the Olympics, and certain countries choosing not to participate in the games because of political issues.

One of the earliest examples of protest was in 1906, when long jumper Peter O’Connor climbed a flagpole to raise the Irish flag. This action stemmed from the enforcing of new regulations that compelled him to compete for Great Britain, since Ireland had no Olympic Committee. The green flag he raised displayed the words “Erin Go Bragh,” which means Ireland Forever. O’Connor won gold at three separate competitions, and he waved the flag at each of them. 

Another notable moment in the history of protesting at the Olympics is the entirety of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. These games were more than just a worldwide sporting event—the Summer Olympics were used by Hitler to show Nazi propaganda, causing significant conflicts. Movements to boycott the Berlin Olympics surfaced in multiple countries, with the debate becoming most intense in the United States because of the size of the team that they regularly sent. In the end, individual Jewish athletes from many countries chose to boycott the Olympics, but once the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States opted in a close vote to participate in December 1935, other countries fell in line and the boycott movement failed. This failure to take a stand was so pivotal that some observers at the time claimed if the boycotts had succeeded it may have given Hitler pause and bolstered international resistance to Nazi tyranny. 

There were still smaller acts of resistance though, such as the nine athletes who were Jewish or of Jewish parentage who won medals, or the accomplishments of Jesse Owens in winning four gold medals and setting Olympic records in all of his events. These successes taking place clearly contradicted Hitler’s belief in the Aryan race being superior. In the end, though, Germany emerged victorious from the Berlin Olympics, both on the field and off. On the field, German athletes received the most medals, and German hospitality and organization won the praises of visitors. All of the pomp and propaganda of these Olympics were merely a facade, though, hiding the racist and violently oppressive regime that was growing under Hitler. 

During the 1968 Mexico City Olympics one of the most memorable protests took place as two Black U.S. athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, stood on the podium after winning gold and bronze, respectively, in the 200-m race. The men raised their fists into a Black Power salute during the U.S. national anthem. This move, with their hands in black gloves, marked a silent expression of Black unity and power. 

This is not where the story ends, though—when considering these kinds of protests we cannot ignore the real life consequences that come with them. Smith and Carlos were condemned by the IOC for what the sporting body called a “deliberate and violent breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit.” The athletes were suspended from the games and sent home for their defiant gesture, and they even received death threats. Their decision to protest would ultimately hinder their sporting careers, as the pair was criticised by the media and ostracized by the sporting community.

Not all political acts at the Olympics are even peaceful. On September 5th, 1972, during the Munich Games, the Palestinian commando group Black September seized the Israeli Olympic team quarters at the Olympic Village. They held eleven Israeli athletes and coaches hostage and eventually killed them after attempts to negotiate for their freedom failed.

It is also important to note that protesting is not always done by athletes alone, as seen in that example, and in many others. In 1976, in a collective show of solidarity, around 28 African countries boycotted the Montreal Olympics over the IOC’s inclusion of New Zealand. This came amidst the high tensions because of South Africa’s apartheid regime.

One of the most recent instances of protesting was Ethiopian runner Feyisa Lilesa’s actions at the 2016 Rio Games. Lilesa raised his crossed arms above his head as he reached the finish line of the men’s marathon, a nod to deadly protests taking place in Oromia, his home region in Ethiopia, despite fears it could have resulted in him being killed or imprisoned by the government when he returned home.

There are, of course, other instances of protest that have not been mentioned, but there are less than one might think. This is mostly because of Rule 50—a rule under the Olympic Charter which prevents all athletes from taking part in any "form of political, religious or ethnic demonstrations”.

As clearly shown throughout history, though, Rule 50 is not always followed, and there is always the possibility for a new athlete to join the ranks of O’Connor, Smith, Carlos, or Lilesa in refusing to stay quiet. The Milano Cortina Games came around during a time of increasing tensions in countries around the world this year, which caused the possibility of this much more likely. Even at the opening ceremony there were minor tensions, with the crowd booing Vice President JD Vance during his speech. Anti-ICE protests led by students in Milan also started as early as the day of the opening ceremony in response to ICE coming with Team U.S.A. to Italy. Team U.S.A. was at the center of most tensions this year, with freestyle skiers Chris Lillis and Hunter Hess, as well as figure skater Amber Glenn, all speaking out about the inner conflict they feel representing Team U.S.A. in light of the recent events in their country. President Trump responded to Hess’ comments, calling him "a real Loser" and saying it was "very hard to root for" him.

Most other attempts at protest were shut down by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) before they could occur. The Haitian Olympic team was forced to remove a depiction of Toussaint Louverture from their opening ceremony uniforms because the IOC determined that his presence on their clothing violated Olympic policies on political expression. Many Ukrainian athletes also attempted to speak out for their country, including Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was banned from wearing a helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed during the Russo–Ukrainian War, as the IOC stated that the helmet violated the Olympic Charter's guideline on demonstrations and "political, religious or racial propaganda". In the end, the 2026 Milano Cortina Games were relatively unsurprising, although still very affected by the tensions around the world. The Olympics are a wonderful celebration of athletics and the variety of sports around the world, but we cannot ignore all of the outside tensions every country brings with them and the way that affects the athletes that represent them.

Works Cited

Syed, Armani. “A History of Political Protest at the Olympics.” Time, Time, 31 July 2024, time.com/7005819/political-protest-olympics-history/. 

“1936 Olympics: Berlin Games and the Nazi Regime  | Holocaust Encyclopedia.” Holocaust Encyclopedia, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-nazi-olympics-berlin-1936.

“A Long History of Politics and Protest at the Olympics.” NBC Bay Area, 7 Feb. 2022, www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/a-long-history-of-politics-and-protest-at-the-olympics/2803756.

“Rule 50: A History of Protests at the Olympic Games.” BBC Newsround, 5 June 2021, www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/57357068#:~:text=What's%20been%20said%20about%20the,what%20they've%20been%20about. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-winter-olympics-begin-in-italy-some-team-usa-athletes-speak-out-about-politics-at-home/  

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7031234/2026/02/08/president-trump-hunter-hess-2026-winter-olympics/