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Oh, the Drama! Over
the course of the past few months, discussing “the news of the day”
had become a frequent pastime for my mother and I.
Being that we keep different hours, each of us generally had a
tidbit or two of boob tube-imparted insight that the other had missed.
Invariably, the primary topic of our “daily news briefings”
was always somehow related to Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) or The
War Against Terror (TWAT). While
I didn’t notice it at the time, in retrospect it almost seems as
though our little talks had the characteristics of a twisted fan club
meeting, like devotees of some bizarre TV series dutifully ensuring that
everyone was kept up-to-date on the storyline should one of us miss an
episode. Why was that? It
occurred to me just how dramatized and Hollywood-like coverage of
current events has become. Of
course I already knew better than to expect any real
images of war to be shown on state-sanctioned
TV; what I’m talking about here is something a little more
insidious than the mere sanitizing and censoring we’ve all come to
expect. I’m talking about
the high drama of it all, how the reporting is done is such a way
as to suck us in to the storyline. I’m
talking about spiffy computer generated graphics and satellite pictures
interweaved with exciting cut-scenes of helmeted reporters shouting over
explosions and moving with the troops.
I’m talking about the never-ending sagas, The
Hunt for Osama, The Hunt for Al-Qaeda, The
Hunt for Saddam, and the gripping soon-to-be TV movie, Saving
Private Lynch. (To
the disappointment of fans worldwide, The Hunt for WMD’s is
currently in hiatus while writers fine-tune the script for the season
finale, but rest assured our clever programmers will concoct a suitable
ending soon enough.) Currently,
one cannot leave the TV on for any length of time (not that you should
want to, anyway – it rots the brain) without being exposed to a
barrage of sound bites, imagery, “news trailers” and various other
advertisements for the storyline. The
reports and commercials are all professionally packaged in a flashy,
catchy manner and designed to keep you interested in the story.
And why would this be? While
two of the more obvious reasons are distraction (from pertinent social
and economic issues) and desensitization (to prepare us for a more
militarized Police State/Security State), I believe one of the principal
underlying agendas of this hyper-dramatic reporting style is a
fostering of empathy for the State – it is in effect a form of
brainwashing. If
you’ve ever found yourself engrossed in a really good novel, you’ll
understand what I’m talking about.
Literary drama revolves around a protagonist (the main character)
and some type of conflict. In
dealing with the conflict, the drama which makes for an interesting
story is created, and even if the protagonist is a less than likeable
character, the reader will often begin to identify with him as he
struggles through and against the conflict.
State-TV docudrama works the same way--our protagonists (police,
soldiers, etc.--the implementers of the Will of the State) are locked in
deadly conflict with wily terrorists, criminal thugs, ruthless
dictators, and any other boogeymen the Producers can come up with.
Along the way we’re shown various hardships (both genuine and
contrived) that our heroes must endure.
Through a constant bombardment of entertainment-savvy “news”
programs, John Q. Public soon finds himself caught up in the storyline
and empathizing with the protagonists (and thus by extension the
State itself.) The goals
of the State become John Q. Public’s goals, and suddenly “WE” are
at war (and must support the troops by not speaking out!) “WE” are
fighting TWAT (and must do our part!), and most importantly, “WE”
must all pull together under the benevolent guidance of the State,
because only the State knows what’s best for us all, and how to
protect us from the boogeymen. So
. . . while the State sends its goon-squads out in your name, with
your money, to perpetrate acts that will make you
and your family potential targets for retribution, John Q. Public
thinks everything is fine and dandy because he’s getting a good show.
And besides, anyone familiar with the storyline knows that
“WE” are the good guys. |
