Is the series "24" part of government psy-ops?

[burythehatchet]

ANother poster asked the same question about Carnivale. Since I saw the last episode of 24, I have the same suspicion about 24. The storyline of course involves meddle-east terrorists (as opposed to judge terrorizing white supremecists).

Torture has been used repeadly in this show...and surprise...it WORKS every time. Not only that but it takes just a little torture and the person just starts blurting out all kinds of great information.

I have to say that it made me very angry that the bush crime family puts this type of propoganda out there.

[trumad]

1. Actually the torture

hasn't worked every time..

They did it to the Sec. of Defense son, he didn't say anything... and they did it to the CTU lady who was falsely accused of being an inside mole.

[nookiemonster]

2. I agree, the torture was essentially ineffective.

It's not a bad show. Albeit a little far-fetched at times.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. er unless im wrong

in 24 torture works exactly as the torturers want it to work.

Innocent people (the son, the falsely accused CTU op) don't 'fess up, the guilty ones crack real quick and give good information.

From what I've heard this is completely contrary to reality. Tortured people invariably say anything that they think their torturers would like to hear. Guilt or innoncenc don't matter and the quality of information is near-zero.

[fishwax]

25. Not necessarily

It wasn't ever clear that the son actually didn't know anything. He just said he didn't know anything that he thought was relevant and he wasn't going to say anything beyond that, even under torture.

But everything I hear about real life torture is the same as what you hear: victims will just say whatever they think will make the torturer stop, whether it's true or not. I don't ever remember seeing that happen on 24.

[Bridget Burke]

3. On a recent thread discussing torture....

One poster repeatedly came out in favor of it. His reason--it was shown on "24"--so it must be OK!

[burythehatchet]

7. I'm hoping that wasn't at DU, but I suspect it was.

:(

[Bridget Burke]

17. Yes, it was here.

People on the thread kept pointing out the problems with torture. For example, the torturee might say anything to stop the pain. How would a pro-torture policy affect our own soldiers taken captive? And--torture's WRONG!

The poster kept telling us that we were mistaken--because we weren't watching "24"!

[ikri]

4. Don't forget the first series

Where there appeared to be a group of right-wing businessmen controlling events to try & topple the presidential candidate. Lots of the same in series 2 also.

Not the best story line to run with if you're trying to put forward a right-wing agenda.

[nytemare]

6. I couldn't tell you anymore, I stopped watching halfway through

season one. It was really just getting incredibly far fetched for me.

[ucmike]

8. it's too complicated and convoluted

also, ctu is not much of a govt agency. they seem to let in anyone and it seems that about 10-15% of their staff is working for the terrorists at any given time. although the bad guys are arabs, there's a mix of american corporate types behind them.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

13. Not at all like real life, right?

[sendero]

9. I dunno...

... I watched season 1 and 2, blew it off this time.

Frankly, it is ok stuff for the genre, but the writing is anything but tight. Time and time again, ridiculous things that would never happen in real life happen just in time to save our heroes.

If you want to see a show that is topical and brilliant, watch Boston Legal.

[burythehatchet]

18. the writing and the acting are the absolute PITS

they've figured out the secret of how to keep you interested.

[sadiesworld]

10. The show is heavily plugged by the RW radio wingnuts.

:shrug:

[LizW]

14. THAT's a bad sign

I watched and liked season one, except the dumb daughter drove me crazy. I quit a few episodes into season two.

In general, I enjoy a drama that has a convoluted continuing story line, but "24" began to bother me because even the "good" guys follow an "ends justifies the means" philosophy. Too close to real life for me.

[terrya]

11. Or maybe it's just a television show n/t

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

12. It is meant to keep people very afraid........ n/t

[trumad]

16. I love how ridiculous the show is..

It's kind of campy.. There aint many shows on that have me yelling at the TV.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

20. I stopped watching half way into the first season. I found it

excrutiatingly angering to watch. Even Southerland's brilliant acting couldn't keep me watching.

[AG78]

15. If anybody watches 24

to reinforce or form their political beliefs, whatever side they may fall on, then that anybody has problems.

[burythehatchet]

19. I'm not sure I understand your statement or its implied

meaning. Did someone say they watch 24 to form their political beliefs?

[AG78]

21. No, but you asked...

"Is the series "24" part of government psy-ops?"

Then said...

"I have to say that it made me very angry that the bush crime family puts this type of propoganda out there."

If it is a government propaganda psy-ops program put out there by the Bush Crime Family, why else would they do it, other than to form the publics political beliefs?

I was just answering your original question the only way I could. I have no idea whether or not 24 is psy-ops. All I was saying was that, for example, if somebody has no opinion on torture, then watches 24, and comes away from watching it with the opinion that torture is quick, easy, and gets the right answer every time, then that person has problems.

I've watched the show for 4 years. The plot gets absurd at times. The writing isn't great. Like the lazy Michael Moore line from earlier this season. But they only have an hour for each action-based episode, so they have to lay the background for the characters quickly, to let the viewer know where they stand. It's not a nuanced show like West Wing. That Moore line didn't bother me.

The Muslim terrorist doesn't really bother me either, since the end of every season has a corporate white guy as the key villain.

You said you're angry at the Bush Crime Family for putting the propaganda out there. All I said was that if someone watches 24, and buys the BCF propaganda campaign(if it is one), then they have serious issues between reality and television that need to be checked out.

[Wise Child]

23. Looks like in the current season, there is a Military Industrial Complex

connection.
Selling arms to terrorists. I'm early into the second season, and I've heard the plot is similar. I think 24 is filling in on the paranoid conspiracy drama void that The X-Files left behind. Torture doesn't seem to always work, the right people seem to die at the wrong time, and other moments of bad timing.

On another internet forum, their is a forum member, who is an American expatriate, living in Great Britian, afraid of returning to the United States due to the sharp Right-Wing turn our nation has taken, but she loves 24.

[Wise Child]

26. and another point, lack of detail in the "poor writing".

Also, in the fourth season, I haven't heard the terrorists envoke the name of Allah. Just that they have a "cause". They seem to use generic third world revolutionary rhetoric, and look tough on camera with AK-47s.

The Araz Family mentioned that they are Muslim as just a passing thought.

[theboss]

22. It's a good show

And you need to seriosuly take a step back if you see a Bush conspiracy in everything.

[burythehatchet]

24. I would have to disagree with you on that one

I don't see bush conspiracies in everything, but I do know that the media has been co-opted by people who do want to use the TV medium to conduct operations. It's not only the news either. And not being watchful of it would be dangerous. The particular issue I bring up of torture is just a little too convenient given the current debate on this issue.

[babylonsister]

31. Great show! I don't see any conspiracy theories either.

I need to get my share of alternate entertainment, and this fills the bill in a big way as it's one of the better shows on the tube.

[MadHound]

27. Quite frankly, ALL television is nothing more than

Government/corporate propaganda. Shows to ramp up the fear level(24, etc), shows to keep people in line(Law and Order, CSI), and all shows are intended to keep people glued to the set for televisions most important mission, advertising.

It has been shown that a person who watches television quickly slips into a light hypnotic trance, and are thus much more suggestible. Thus it isn't that suprising that people will believe the most outrageous things said on Faux and other networks, they've been programmed to believe them. Sure, some, maybe even most, people are somewhat or fully immune from the hypnotic effects of television, but a significant portion, if not the majority, of people unfailingly fall for whatever BS is spewed out of the tube.

Government and corporate America have also becom quite adroit at mastering the medium of television. They have muzzled those pesky reporters that did so much investigative work in Vietnam and afterwards, they have managed to stage manage the news so that real, damaging issues of the day will not get airtime, while puff pieces such as the latest celebrity crime, or ghastly murder get lurid, non-stop coverage. It is amazing how non-stories get such airplay, but they do, to the detriment of real news.

Television is one of the major factors in the dumbing down of America. The average American watches four hours plus per day. That is an incredible amount of time that one gives your brain over to corporate and government propaganda. And don't underestimate how much influence the government has on TV and other news sources. In the seventies, during the the House Committee on Intelligence probe into the excesses of the CIA, agents openly bragged about how easy it was to either buy a journalist, or plant one in order to get out the government propaganda, not only with television, but across the whole spectrum of mass media. And matters have only gotten worse since then. Learning their lesson well from Vietnam, the military "embedded" reporters with the troops, and forced all stories to go through Central Command before being released. And when reporters strayed from the range, they were thoroughly chastised, and sometimes sent home.

It is time for a change in the mass media in America, especially television. And I think that the only way to bring about such change is for Americans to turn off the TV until corporate America listens to us. Otherwise, we'll just continue to watch the dumbing down of America, as more and more of our fellow citizens hand over their critical thinking skills to TV.

[trumad]

28. I'm so fucking smart from reading DU

that I think it's important to dumb down every once in awhile. ;-)

[burythehatchet]

29. its a sad reality.

I've been addicted to television and one of the most disturbing aspects used to be the feelings of anger, confusion, and anxiety after a weekend-long TV binge. Compare that to the incredible rush of reading a good book.

[TOOLZ]

30. Did you see the Second Season? That was a little TOO Close to the truth..

A nuclear bomb smuggled into LA set to detonate by Middle Eastern terrorists, allowed in by a cabal of government and oil company agents who wish the bomb to go off in order to start an all out war in which they would get rich.

Sound familiar?

Actually, one or two of the Exec Producers are the only Republicans on the show, so they deliberately backpeddaled from being so spot on in subsequent seasons.

I love the show btw.