As some of you may or may not know, I am a huge fan of both 24 and Lost. I watch them religiously, and I think about them constantly. Recently, they have both been in the news as Human Rights Organisations have questioned the abundance of torture that is portrayed in these shows. I have never thought of myself as someone who would condone the use of torture or even as someone who would find entertainment in the depiction of it. But it is true; my two favourite shows use it quite a lot. In Lost, there is usually a lot of remorse surrounding the use of torture. Poor Sayid is tortured by his own use of torture. He feels really bad about it; and really seems like he will never torture someone again.
Now Jack Bauer, on the other hand, tortures an average of ten people per day ... at least. He is also tortured quite a lot. Heck, everyone is tortured on 24, that's just what happens. Sometimes I even find myself yelling "bring in Johnson!" to the television (Johnson is CTU's torture guy - although anyone can torture anyone). What is going on here and just how did torture get so trendy? How is all of this entertaining torture affecting the real world?
Martin Miller of the LA Times reported on this issue of increased torture and reported that "from 1996 to 2001, there were 102 scenes of torture, according to the Parents Television Council. But from 2002 to 2005, that figure had jumped to 624, they said. "24" has accounted for 67 such scenes during its first five seasons, making it No. 1 in torture depictions, according to the watchdog group.
The increase in quantity is not the only difference. During this uptick in violence,
the torturer's identity was more likely to be an American hero such as "24's" Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) than the Nazis and drug dealers in pre-9/11 days. The action-packed show, which drew a hefty 13.6 million viewers last week, was among the first and certainly the most prominent to have its main character choke, stab, or electrocute — among other techniques — information out of villains."It's unthinkable that Capt. Kirk would torture someone," Danzig said.
While hardly alone in the entertainment universe of television and movies in portraying torture, shows such as "24" and later ABC's "Lost" were sought out by the human-rights activists because of their popularity, both here and around the world. Even in Iraq, such series can sometimes substitute for or trump military training, and transmit a dark message to soldiers.
"That's all people did in Iraq was watch DVDs of television shows and movies. What we learned in military schools didn't apply anymore."
EEK! 24 and Lost inspiring real soldiers and how they are really acting in the real war?
(Unfinished)
