Today’s war rhetoric is often dismissed as “childish,” likened to video games and online bravado. But the issue is not immaturity—it is adaptation. As political communication adopts the language of spectacle, war is increasingly encountered as sensation before meaning—altering the sequence through which violence is felt before it is judged. Francisco Goya, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Martina Moneke A word keeps appearing across political commentary and media criti