The Culture of "24"
I admit, I've never been a fan of the American TV show, "24." It always seemed implausible and rather ridiculous. I viewed it the same way I view shows about hospitals, after working in one for several years during grad school: not remotely in touch with any sort of reality of how a hospital really works, how doctors interact with patients, etc., etc.
So I read with great interest in the latest New Yorker (well, latest here in the hinterland) that a Dean from a U.S. military school and several FBI agents visited the "24" set to talk to the producer, director, and actors about the negative effect the show was having on soldiers, both in the field and in school. Apparently there have been 67 instances of torture in the show's total seasons, which is a giant benchmark, and most of these have been committed by the Americans, the "good guys," in a "ticking bomb" scenario. The scenes of torture have included stabbing, gouging, waterboarding, breaking limbs, and faking the death of a "terrorist's" child in order to make him talk, and the denial of pain medication to a "female terrorist" after she is shot.
The Dean and the FBI agents told the writers and the director during a meeting (the producer chose not to attend) that the show was creating a "culture of permissable torture" in the soliders who watched the show, and took cues from the show's ideology that "all is fair in war." The producer, who is a great friend and supporter of Rush Limbaugh, was not moved. Basically he said that it's a TV show: get real.
Ok, who should "get real" here? I'm thinking "24." The "ticking bomb" scenario is a red herring. It rarely happens. Very rarely. As the FBI pointed out to the writers, most cooperation with interrogators is gained from offers of small favors and reprieves, not breaking arms. In fact, as the agents pointed out to show's staff, torture often results in the subject not talking at all, or giving information that is wrong or information the interrogators already know. Normally, I would say "yeah, it's a TV show--I don't see the big deal." But when you have representatives from the military and the FBI pleading with "24's" executives to be more realistic, and that the show is contributing to captives' abuse, then it gives me pause. It's sad that individuals can't distinguish fantasy from reality, but unfortunately certain individuals cannot, and this manifests itself in either actual abuse or the opinion that torture/abuse is morally acceptable in the name of patriotism. It's not limited to the military. I've seen this attitude in students--thankfully a small minority. But of course, the students are not carrying weapons or being fired upon, so they don't feel personally threatened.
It's always the armchair warriors that are Mar's rah rah cheerleaders. Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, the Producer of "24," although all were of age to be drafted during the Vietnam war, none of them went due to status, privilege and being enrolled in university. Those who have actually fought are not so keen to stoke the fire of senseless violence and warfare.
My grandmother always said that TV was bad for you. It seems in this case, it truly is.
I admit, I've never been a fan of the American TV show, "24." It always seemed implausible and rather ridiculous. I viewed it the same way I view shows about hospitals, after working in one for several years during grad school: not remotely in touch with any sort of reality of how a hospital really works, how doctors interact with patients, etc., etc.
So I read with great interest in the latest New Yorker (well, latest here in the hinterland) that a Dean from a U.S. military school and several FBI agents visited the "24" set to talk to the producer, director, and actors about the negative effect the show was having on soldiers, both in the field and in school. Apparently there have been 67 instances of torture in the show's total seasons, which is a giant benchmark, and most of these have been committed by the Americans, the "good guys," in a "ticking bomb" scenario. The scenes of torture have included stabbing, gouging, waterboarding, breaking limbs, and faking the death of a "terrorist's" child in order to make him talk, and the denial of pain medication to a "female terrorist" after she is shot.
The Dean and the FBI agents told the writers and the director during a meeting (the producer chose not to attend) that the show was creating a "culture of permissable torture" in the soliders who watched the show, and took cues from the show's ideology that "all is fair in war." The producer, who is a great friend and supporter of Rush Limbaugh, was not moved. Basically he said that it's a TV show: get real.
Ok, who should "get real" here? I'm thinking "24." The "ticking bomb" scenario is a red herring. It rarely happens. Very rarely. As the FBI pointed out to the writers, most cooperation with interrogators is gained from offers of small favors and reprieves, not breaking arms. In fact, as the agents pointed out to show's staff, torture often results in the subject not talking at all, or giving information that is wrong or information the interrogators already know. Normally, I would say "yeah, it's a TV show--I don't see the big deal." But when you have representatives from the military and the FBI pleading with "24's" executives to be more realistic, and that the show is contributing to captives' abuse, then it gives me pause. It's sad that individuals can't distinguish fantasy from reality, but unfortunately certain individuals cannot, and this manifests itself in either actual abuse or the opinion that torture/abuse is morally acceptable in the name of patriotism. It's not limited to the military. I've seen this attitude in students--thankfully a small minority. But of course, the students are not carrying weapons or being fired upon, so they don't feel personally threatened.
It's always the armchair warriors that are Mar's rah rah cheerleaders. Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, the Producer of "24," although all were of age to be drafted during the Vietnam war, none of them went due to status, privilege and being enrolled in university. Those who have actually fought are not so keen to stoke the fire of senseless violence and warfare.
My grandmother always said that TV was bad for you. It seems in this case, it truly is.
posted by mariestaad at 4:48 PM
1 Comments:
Excellent post! The world-wide popularity of "24" and shows like it lead to habituation of violence. A couple summers ago, the first season made the expat rounds here in Saudi, but after awhile, we all found ourselves looking at our neighbors a little differently. Let's just say, they show isn't nearly as popular here as it was.
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