MikeF’s Recent Comments

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  Re: Sir Richard Branson's recent announcement

  So what does everyone think about Richard Branson's announcement last week that he would award a $25 million prize to anyone who can figure out how to remove a billion tons of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere?

  Is this a step forward or too little too late?On Step It Up posted 2 years, 8 months ago 8 Responses

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  Torture

  We know "24" is a TV show. We got it.

  But it's way more than "just" a TV show because of its loyal following among policy makers and the military. That's the point of my post earlier. The show doesn't tell you what to think, but what to think about.

  And it is having a real world impact, as was demonstrated by the visit the West Point dean and the FBI interrogators made to the show's set last year to urge its creators to rethink how they depict torture. Too many West Point cadets were basing their attitudes toward the acceptability of torture on the actions of fictional characters such as superhero Jack Bauer, according to a recent New Yorker story.

  No doubt about it, "24" is a fantasy. But fantasies can be dangerous things if they are latched on to by the wrong people who have power over other people's lives.

  History is littered with the results of such deadly fantasies. The Crusades. The Third Reich. And, alas, the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which was fueled by the neo-cons' nutty ideas of securing the peace for Israel by turning Iraq into a pro-Western democracy.

  By the way, despite what you may have learned about debate and rhetoric at the Oxford Union, the use of the F-word in the upper case starts to lose its effectiveness by its third repetition. Hope this helps. On Damn I hate that show posted 2 years, 8 months ago 25 Responses

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  "24"

  Thanks for the great takedown of "24," surely the most idiotic and self-important show on TV.  Like you, I never could figure out how such a ridiculous rightwing fantasy, driven by laughably absurd story lines, ever became the critical and popular hit that it is.

  I cannot describe how vast my contempt is for this stupid, pompous show. What's frightening is the influence it has over the people who actuallly run and defend our country. As the New Yorker story pointed out, it enjoys a cult  following among Republican politicians and pundits, as well as members of the military. As a consequence, the show has mainstreamed torture, making it not only acceptable, but even celebrating it as a key weapon the United States must rely on to defend itself.

  Utterly sickening, especiallly since "24" has set up a vicious feedback loop in the real world that only grows worse with time: Cheney & Co. authorize torture and illegal kidnappings, which inspires story lines on "24," whose support for torture and illegal kidnappings gives the green light to Cheney & Co. to indulge it even more. Meanwhile, the public's outrage remains muted because, after all, it's "just" a TV show. Right, and crystal meth is just another way to lose weight.

  One thing I'd like to point out is that Jack Bauer is simply Dirty Harry updated for the post 9/11 era.  In the 1970s, the enemy wasn't Islamic terrorism but street thugs whose crimes were abetted, if not encouraged, by bleeding heart judges, defense lawyers and lawmakers.  A spate of movies appeared during the 1970s and early 1980s that celebrated vigilantes like Harry who cared more about keeping the streets safe than protecting criminals' civil liberties.

  Like Bauer, Harry beat and tortured and abused people's civil  rights  without compunction because he knew he was on a mission for justice, for law and order. To hell with the Constitution.

  Same goes for Jack Bauer, but with the difference that Jack knows the fate of the world is resting on his shoulders --- which means he can pretty much do as he pleases.  Sound like
  any President you know?

  MikeF
  On Damn I hate that show posted 2 years, 8 months ago 25 Responses