Any discussion of the use of “war” as a term in U.S. culture must also recognize the plethora of words that surround it. Even when “war” itself is not used, its resonant vocabularies are ubiquitous and often create oppositional or binary structures that disable nuanced and critical thinking about complex issues. Whether in sports, politics, corporate takeovers, relationships, or television ratings, the language of “war” permeates U.S. culture: battle, conflict, combat, hostility, collateral damage, attack, surgical strike, victory, soldier, enemy, and so on. One of the clearest indications of the pervasiveness of this vocabulary is its commonplace acceptance in everyday usage, with few people even recognizing the references to “war” in using such terms.

This is an excerpt from Susan Jeffords’s entry in Keywords for American Cultural Studies (p. 238).