And by nerd I mean this is a very specific pet peeve...that many of you may not pick up on.
*Realistic Inaccuracy in Television and Videogames*
I began to notice these... deficiencies? I'm not sure if that's the right word..but anyway, I began to notice these deficiencies long before I was ever in ROTC, but I have definitely picked up on a lot more since becoming a cadet.
What are these deficiencies you might ask?
Why the hell is a breach-loaded double barreled shotgun making the distinct sound of a pump shotgun being cocked back and forth in the TV Show Bones?--Also, in general terms, why do pistols also make shotgun cocking sounds as well? Overall, why do actors feel the need to cock their weapons 24/7? If my gun is all loaded up, and yet I cock it for added effect, I'm ejecting a perfectly good round out of my firearm...
Why is Agent Booth (this is also from Bones), who is allegedly a SGT. in the US Army, wearing his ACUs with his collar popped? ---if I ever did that in uniform, I'm pretty sure I'd be not only chewed out, but also smoked on the spot, and at the next PT session (and rightfully so).
There's also several cut scenes in Battlefield Bad Company 2 where I was practically crying in hopelessness for the team's survival:
No clearance of EPW's (Enemy Prisoner of War) weapons?
Also from BFBC2---you have a high-value target right underneath you, yet you let him get up and talk un-restrained, while he has a pistol in his shoulder holster? WHAT?!?!?...Naturally, he gets away.
Another thing I've noticed in films/tv/videogames (videogames being a tough genre to judge on this one as realism would bore most couch warriors)---fully automatic fire.
If you have a SAW gunner in your squad, there's no reason why you should be firing full auto bursts every 3 seconds. If you've ever seen a real Assault rifle fired on fully automatic, it literally takes a couple of seconds to spew out 30 rounds. This is not conveyed very well in the movies however, where assault rifles and pistols somehow magically now hold 500 round magazines, and reloading or feeding issues are only addressed if its pivotal to the plot (aka, oh no--Bobby's gun jammed and now he has to drop his pistol and dive for cover, or oh crap I'm out of bullets right when I could have nailed the main bad guy twice in the face ((like Bin Laden! HEYOOOO!))).
In all seriousness though, TV shows/Movies/Videogames need better military advisors. Learn how to give an accurate representation of military uniforms/policies, and don't make us all look like idiots in the process.
--Fin--
