this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2026
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Remember how in the 2000s and 2010s the main impression Westerners had about the IDF was that they were crazy ultra-lethal elite operators who had ultra-advanced sci-fi weaponry

Even in the Halo games like half of the human guns and vehicles are canonically built by an Israeli company

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[โ€“] JustSo@hexbear.net 9 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I agree with your main point. The IDF were the flawless elite super soldiers in the zeitgeist until they faced resistance.

Israel spends shit loads on propaganda so it's probably similar to how much the American military industrial complex and its propaganda goals influences games and other popular media.

Even in the Halo games like half of the human guns and vehicles are canonically built by an Israeli company

This is a separate thing that you've observed though, I think.

Its similar to South Africa where the constant requirement for repressive imperial violence led to a domestic arms industry accounting for a decent chunk of productivity.

Both colonies produce(d) some very iconic weapons, notably South Africa had a talent for turning out personal WMDs (by the legal definition) like the striker shotgun (aka the streetsweeper)

Compare that to the Israeli desert eagle and I think you can see similar colonialist anxieties manifest in the ostentatious display of firepower. Call that a cope cannon.

[โ€“] doublepepperoni@hexbear.net 2 points 11 hours ago

I agree with your main point. The IDF were the flawless elite super soldiers in the zeitgeist until they faced resistance.

People would sometimes acknowledge the Israeli military could be a bit crazy and violent but then shrug and say it was a necessity because they were surrounded by hordes of murderous arabs who are brainwashed to kill them for no reason