Reg and I went to see an interesting movie tonight. Film would be a more appropriate label, I suppose. People tend to use the term "film" to indicate that the show is worthy of a little more consideration intellectually; that it has merit beyond it's entertainment value. Good Night, and Good Luck was about the efforts of Edward R. Murrough, a newsman with CBS in the early 1950's, to expose Senator Joe McCarthy for his unjust and misleading methods of questioning those he would put in the spotlight as having ties to communism. The movie glorified Murrough for his brave decision to stand up and call Senator McCarthy out for doing something that should not be tolerated in a country where individuals rights are assured by the constitution. It reminded me of the parable about the Emperor's New Clothes, where an Emperor is convinced by a wily trickster that he is wearing the finest clothes in the land. The trickster acts as if only those truly worthy can see the clothes, and so the Emperor, not wanting to look stupid, pretends that he can see them, and his entourage follows suit. Everybody just goes along with the idea that the Emperor, actually naked, is wearing fine new clothes, until someone finally points out that it's all hogwash.
The news media certainly has its problems, but it is also vital in its influence on people's opinions (and votes) regarding major social and political issues in this country. It's nice to hope that not all people in the news media are simply after money and sensationalism, but the actual truth, and the preservation of the ideals of liberty. Since the invention of the television, and now the amplified power of the internet, the majority of the population bases their opinions on information that is presented to them by news organizations. The media have a great amount of power and responsibility when it comes to what happens in this country, and the freedom of speech is a vital part of the checks and balances that allow us to live without fear of repression. I am probably a bit of an idealist, but I like to think that people are generally good, and are motivated by either their desire to improve their own situation, or the situation of others. It may not always be a realistic view, but I can at least hope that there is a significant fraction of people working in the news organizations that are motivated by the latter.
It is interesting to me that George Clooney has written and directed this film, given that he has shown his political opinions about freedom of speech in the past. Terry Gross interviewed him on Fresh Air a few days ago, and he spoke about how he and other Hollywood celebrities were outspoken against the Iraq War in its early days, and how various politicians and news organizations referred to them as "traitors" because they (the celebrities) did not believe in the claims the Bush administration put forth about the reasons for going to war. Since September 11th, it seems that those who speak out with the cool voice of caution and reason are trumped (at least on the front page or in prime time) by those who cloak themselves in the veil of patriotism, which is used as a backstage pass for many actions that later seem a bit ridiculous. Those who don't support the Iraq War have been labeled as unpatriotic. I recall a debate between Bush and Kerry last year in which Bush said that Kerry was projecting a non-presidential attitude by implying he did not support the war. Bush was basically saying that the troops would feel betrayed if Kerry was elected, since Kerry did not support the war, and therefore did not appreciate the sacrifices they were making. Patriotism is an easy out for someone who wants the public to forego basic reasoning, and rally blindly to the flag.. . but I digress.
This film about McCarthyism may be as topical in today's political environment as Arthur Miller's The Crucible was in the McCarthy era; though it's unlikely this film will be as lasting or as well remembered.
Anyway, it was a good flick, and I thought I'd think out loud for a bit.
Good night, and good luck.
1 comment:
I think you are way off base to suggest that people elected Bush due to blind patriotism. That shows a true sense of arrogance, from the hill on which you stand. Only YOU are right, and anyone else is blindly patriot and wrong.
Which is funny, since you have the media in your (liberals) pocket, who spent the last two years trashing Bush, the troops, the Iraq war, American foreign policy, and America. The US is a far cry from a nationalist state like China. There are those of us who love the country, and that does not make us dumb, ignorant, or worthy of the arrogance of this blog entry.
I voted for Bush because we MUST win in Iraq. We fight al Qaeda's main thrust and army in Iraq right now. If we lose the consequences are ten fold. It doesn't matter why we got into Iraq at this point, we are there and we must win or we will face a much stronger enemy.
I did not vote for Kerry because I didn't think he was speaking on Iraq from a place of sincerety. He was blowing with the political winds. I know, Bush overdid that attack on Kerry, but it was a fair attack. Kerry stuck with calling bush a liar (3rd grade) and Bush stuck with calling Kerry a flip flopper (which was true). Clearly that has been proven on his ever changing position on the subject throughout the course of the year. Heck, a little over a year ago he was calling for putting MORE troops in Iraq. He's been saying for the last year, and his position changed almost after the election was over, that we need to have a planned timetable for pullout. Which is it?
As for this movie, gag me. Another melodrama where the poor liberal is oppressed by the evil conservative. How many movies would Hollywood make a year if they didn't have this story to re-hash over and over and over? Not many.
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