Movies show deep infuence on thinking
Richa Kavelakar
The News Record
Whether “13 Hours” was intentionally released days before the Iowa caucus or not, this Michael Bay production was the source of fodder for plenty of political debates revolving around religion and terrorism in the past month.
Even though it avoided political commentary, Republican candidates exploited this symbol of Hillary Clinton’s failed leadership to fuel their campaigns and personal agenda.
“13 Hours” is a dramatization of the events that took place on September 11, 2012, in Libya. It is a narrative of the bloody battle between CIA contractors and insurgents who invaded the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.
With films like “Transformers” and “The Purge” under his belt, Bay’s style of filmmaking goes against the artistic traditions and pleasures of film.
“13 Hours” was an overly simplistic depiction of good against evil that dusts decades of complex political occurrences under the rug. The attack at Benghazi was a tragedy, but ultimately part of a much larger and longer series of tragedies that still go unspoken and unrepresented.
In this age of visual media, films have the capability of discernibly impacting our society and culture. This is seen in movies dating back to the 1940s.
The “Bambi effect” was coined when the deer-hunting rate dropped drastically after the release of Walt Disney’s “Bambi.” Beach tourism also reportedly fell after the 1975 release of “Jaws.”
The gravity of Hollywood’s influence is unquestionable in shaping and reforming cultural, political and social opinions globally. If this action-packed drama alone has the capacity to influence voters, and ultimately the presidential elections, we need to put things into perspective and regard its repercussions of regressive Hollywood stereotypes.
Another controversial film produced with similar motif was Clint Eastwood’s 2015 blockbuster “American Sniper.” It is the story of Navy Seal Chris Kyle, whose title of most lethal sniper in military history was fueled by personal agenda and American values.
“American Sniper” aimed to please the audience with an American hero, whilst completely disregarding the consequences. Eastwood claims “American Sniper” was an anti-war movie. However, his oversight of the US-Iraqi war backstory had a potent effect on those uninformed about politics.
Shortly after the release of the film, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said hate-speech towards the Muslim community on social media surged. Whether these threats are empty or not, it inadvertently highlighted the prevalence of Islamophobia and sustained destructive stereotypes of Muslims.
This perilous mentality is deep-seated in the ethical delusion that this country has embodied.
Media representation firmly influences the acceptance and treatment of social groups. Moving past these detrimental media representations of Muslims will help us overcome social exclusion and discrimination against them as a community.
The most dangerous thing about Muslims is our false perceptions of them. And these skewed perceptions happen to be just as dangerous for the Muslim community as anyone else.
It is not my intention to offend the legacy of any solider or veteran, but address the harsh reality that comes with the territory.
These movies’ aftershocks give the average person the capability of dehumanizing the entire Muslim population of over a billion people.
War sensationalism films like “13 Hours” and “American Sniper” keep cranking out constant and deep misinformation. When there are communities suffering at the expense of these films, where do we draw the line between ethics and entertainment?
Source: m.newsrecord.org