[Riley]

The author of the article is apparently trying to equate the use of camoflage among Western forces, which has practical value and makes real-world sense with the silly-assed notion that wearing an evening gown will 'confuse the bullets'. Good fieldcraft isn't done to make people 'feel invisible'. It is done to acquire legitimate advantage, even if only a couple of crucial seconds in combat.

One of the two is a rational, thought-out countermeasure taken from years of experince, the other is a ridiculous superstition that is so demonstrably wrong that it should be abandoned after the first engagement. No comparison.

[Seydlitz]

Good point about Western camoflouge versus Liberian blouses and wigs.

Another point that reporters always miss is that African warfare is very different than Western warfare. In the West, we fight with the single purpose of destroying an enemy's ability to resist. In African warfare, combat is not traditionally conducted in a direct encounter with enemy forces. Traditional African warfare was geared towards capturing slaves, not killing people (which explains the failure of the musket to catch on in western Africa, even though Arab and European slavers were always ready to exchange guns for human cargo). Rather, in its modern incarnation, it is a hodge-podge of guerilla tactics, tribal vendettas and psychological bluff. Combat deaths are low, as most killing is done against defenseless civilians from rival tribes, as enslaving them is no longer an option.

[archy]

One of the two is a rational, thought-out countermeasure taken from years of experince, the other is a ridiculous superstition that is so demonstrably wrong that it should be abandoned after the first engagement. No comparison.

Well, there is a comparison to be made, but it's better compared under the heading of morale enhancement rather than a comparison of varying equipment.

The flag the Marines planted at Iwo Jima offered no practical shelter or protection from Japanese fire, but it was certainly a welcome sight, and the raising of it was more than just a symbolic act that deservedly endures today. That the totems and images Africans prefer tend to be more individual and personalized than the national flag WWII American Marines preferred may simply reflect a difference in cultural or tribal preference. The motivation as a morale enhancer is similar, however.

[Oorang]

Thanks. Didn't mean to sound stupid. Your point is obviously "in your face" logical. I was looking for something between the lines I thought I had missed.

What is frightening in this article is that there are so many people who believe this kind of stuff. Not just in Africa but in many places. Look at all the people that believed Clinton. Rational, independent thought is a good thing. Unfortunately it is all too rare.