Green Day American Idiot Analysis

Why do we fight? Who do we fight against? This is a question with no clear or simple answer. At first we were led to believe that we were fighting in order to disarm Iraq, and stop their ruthless leader. But, as it turns out Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, this war is certainly not the war just to against terrorism. On the poster of American Idiot, there is a hand thrust into the air, holding a heart shaped grenade dripping with blood, possibly symbolizing that Green Day believes that the heart of America is rooted in violence, or perhaps symbolizing that invasion on Iraq, is reflecting their intense dislike for war. The musical tells three friends forced to choose between dreams or suburbia as they seek out meaning in a post-9/11
Many parallels can be drawn between the effects of meaningless war has on young people in society and the ideas presented in the article “Iraq War Vet Critically Injured in Occupy Oakland Protest Released from Hospital But ‘Still Struggling with Speech’”. The musical demonstrates how all three friends were affected by the war. Tunny in particular, was being maimed in an unnecessary war. The article reinforces this and identifies the injustice and reality of war, by referring to former U.S. Marine Scott Olsen, “he joined the military to fight for people’s rights, and that’s not what he found himself doing in Iraq, and so he came home and started fighting for people’s rights here and for his brothers and sisters who were still deployed” (Daily Mail Reporter). By including the anti-war anthem “Holiday” in the musical it spreads out the message to the audience of how eagerly they want to bring an end to the war that exists between the people in their own country, and the wars that exist between countries all over the world. Both sources demonstrate young people’s desire to see the “wars” in America and the war on Iraq