Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been discussing Napalm in one of my theory classes.
The way in which Dow was able to produce such an efficient and terrible weapon is pretty mind blowing. By striping down the chemical compound into a series of “building blocks” and then assigning each block to an engineer, each individual was released from the ethical dilemma associated with producing weaponry. Basically, Dow was able to sidestep individual ownership of Napalm and create destructive weapons through a process of consumer-driven enterprise.
In 1969, German director Harun Farocki made a short film, The Inextinguishable Fire, exploring the process. The film makes some startling points about the sterilization of warfare. You can watch it here: