The US military has criticized the producers of TV hit 24 for featuring too many scenes of Kiefer Sutherland's character Jack Bauer torturing suspects for information. Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan recently visited the set of the hit show in California to speak to the show's makers. Finnegan is concerned about the effect the torture scenes are having on US troops abroad as 24 is popular among members of the American armed forces. According to the New Yorker, Finnegan told the producers, "I'd like them to stop. They should do a show where torture backfires. The kids see it and say, 'If torture is wrong, what about 24?' The disturbing thing is that although torture may cause Jack Bauer some angst, it is always the patriotic thing to do." Human Rights First spokesman David Danzig says, "I think there is no ques! tion (that torture scenes are having an effect). We have spoken to soldiers with experience in Iraq who say, for young soldiers, there is a direct relationship between what they are doing in their jobs and what they see on TV. The image of the US and its military is being affirmed."That's something I hadn't even considered. The military is probably the first group of people I should have been concerned with since they're in the perfect position to live out anything they see on 24. And right there is proof that there is reason for concern. Luckily, there's good news. Check out another blurb from WENN.com's [http://imdb.com/news/sb/2007-02-15/#tv3|movie/TV news column from the very next day] (also available at IMDB.com):
Although denying that he is reacting to growing international criticism, Howard Gordon, an executive producer of Fox's 24, has disclosed that the show plans to cut back on torture scenes. "What was once an extraordinary or exceptional moment is starting to feel a little trite. The idea of physical coercion or torture is no longer a novelty or surprise," Gordon told today's (Thursday) Philadelphia Inquirer.On the surface this is good news but leave it to me to find a shitty lining to this silver cloud. If you read Gordon's quote you can plainly see that he gave little thought (if any) to the concern that the events he puts in his shows might have a negative effect on his audience and even the greater world. He simply looked at his choices on the show in simple terms of drama. If only we lived in a world that was so simple. Where you could literally say or do anything and there would never be any consequences for it. Just thinking about how little emboldening of terrorists we'd be doing. But I digress. There's a bit more from that column:
"It's not something that we, as writers, want to use as a crutch. We'd like to find other ways for Jack to get information out of suspects," he added. Gordon's comments came after the New Yorker magazine reported that Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, dean of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an eminent military lawyer, had flown to California to meet producers of the show. Finnegan reportedly told the producers that promoting illegal behavior on the show was having a damaging effect on U.S. troops in Iraq. Finnegan told the magazine, "The kids see it and say, 'If torture is wrong, what about 24?'" In response, Gordon told the Inquirer,"The thesis that we are affecting our soldiers in Iraq in their treatment of prisoners is being exaggerated, I think. Hopefully, there are a lot of filters between their watching 24 and their work in the field."Nice, so now he's assuming something that makes no sense. How many filters are there between you, the TV shows you watch and your job? Is there anyone telling you to remember that what you see on TV is fictional? I'm not saying human brains are empty vessels, but with all the money spent every year on those repetitive TV commercials you must accept that they have some kind of effect on us.
Orignal From: US MILITARY SHARES MY OPINION OF 24 TV SHOW
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