Discuss a TV show or film that you have watched that has shaped your perception of terrorism, counter-terrorism, and/or other dimensions of national governmental policy or practice.
3 thoughts on “Week 13 Day 1 Discussion Question 4”
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I have watched 24, and there are two main themes that the show reinforces: the positive effects of torture and the need for individuals to solve problems outside of the laws and normal chain of command. Jack Bauer, throughout every season of 24, has tortured many people to get information needed to stop an impending terrorist attack. Unlike in the real world, Jack Bauer almost always gets truthful answers when he tortures someone, and he gets them quickly. This presentation of torture does not accurately reflect how torture really works. Most people will say anything, mostly a lie, to get the torture to stop, making information gained from torture almost always useless. However, in 24, Jack Bauer uses this information all the time to stop terrorist attacks, and it has almost never failed him. He will use the information to inform the President of the United States how to act and also how he will stop the attack. There is never a need to fact-check the information because it is so rarely incorrect.
The other theme that is present through many different season of 24 is the need for someone to go outside the bounds of the government to resolve the situation. Jack Bauer works for CTU, the Counter-Terrorist Unit, a government group that is supposed to catch terrorists. However, CTU cannot work efficiently enough, or members will not break laws that Jack Bauer will, to catch a terrorist. This forces Bauer to work on his own to stop the terrorist attacks since the government cannot function well enough. This theme reflects many people’s opinions that the government is not flexible and adaptable enough to solve all modern-day problems. Not only does the show demonstrate the inability of the government to solve some problems, but also includes many government officials, including the President, who are working against the good of the nation. These two ideas work together to show the importance of Jack Bauer working outside of the law to accomplish what the government should be doing, but is too ineffective or corrupt to actually do.
The series Homeland, on Showtime has shaped my perception on terrorism and counter-terrorism in many ways. In terms of terrorism, it made me come to the realization that there are many threats to the United States and its’ people that go unreported and undocumented in order to keep the public from overreacting. The State Department, along with the CIA and Department of Homeland Security are most commonly behind these diffusions of terrorists, both within and outside of the United States borders. If these agencies are successful in their avoidance of such attacks, they are typically kept under wraps, which I find unimaginable but also beneficial for the American people. We do not need to know every detail of every threat to our country.
In terms of counter-terrorism, Homeland puts a large emphasis on the use of assets within large terrorist organizations. Before this can be done, an intensive risk assessment needs to be completed in order to ensure the loyalty of the asset and the truths behind their intel. Without loyal assets providing government agencies with valid intel on the movements of large terrorist cells, the United States would be completely in the dark, and therefore unable to take successful counter-terrorism measures.
The series focuses mainly on the two main characters, Carrie Mathison and Nicholas Brody. Carrie is a CIA officer who is convinced that Brody, a former prisoner of war captured by al-Qaeda, was turned by the terrorists and serves as a threat to the American people. The events in which these two characters and their acquaintances experience gave me an interesting perspective on terrorism and anti-terrorism.
I just finished season 4 of the show “Scandal.” This show has opened my eyes and shaped my perception on the government policies and practices. Granted it is a TV show and a lot of things that happen in it aren’t likely to happen in reality, it really disturbs me to see the amount of secrecy there is within the government and between the government and the country in this show. The main character of this show, Olivia Pope, is hired by people to help cover up scandals such as murders, rapes, affairs, etc. Olivia Pope is really good at coming in, “fixing” what has happened, and making sure that no one finds out about it. In this TV show, a lot is held and kept from the country. One of the biggest things kept secret from the country is Olivia Pope’s affair with the President. After watching 4 seasons of “Scandal,” it has made me question government officials and their motives. In the show, they appear to just care about protecting themselves and their image. For example, the government officials will hire professionals to murder people who might expose something about them or even hurt them or someone they are trying to protect. These murders will then be covered up by someone like Olivia Pope.
Terrorism is also addressed in the show. In season 4, Olivia Pope is kidnapped, taken abroad, and held captive by terrorists who know the President will do anything to get her back safely. In this part of the show, it was disturbing to think how much influence one person could have on someone as powerful as the President. It is also scary to think about how terrorists can manipulate the President and the government, along with potentially having a lot of power and control in a country’s decisions. The President was so close to going to war in order to get Olivia back. So, his personal feelings of one human being impacted the entire country, and the country didn’t even know about it and what was happening behind the walls of the White House. Every episode builds on more secrets within the government, and in the end makes me question our government. How are we supposed to trust our government? How do we know secrets aren’t being held from our country?