Time for America to get over its WWII nostalgia

It was the nadir of human history, not a Saturday morning cartoon

American troops during World War II.
(Image credit: Three Lions/Getty Images)

America has long been fascinated with its role in the Second World War. Whether it's books, films, TV shows, or video games — the latest installment of the hugely successful Call of Duty franchise (which now boasts five WWII entries) takes place in the Western European theater — Americans have a voracious appetite for war media.

There's nothing wrong with an interest in history. But the distorted and chauvinist way the war's history has been presented in the popular imagination is a major problem. It's long since time Americans adopted a more realistic and sensible attitude towards World War II.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.