In the film Good Night and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney, we join journalist Edward Murrow in his struggle to bring light to the injustice of the investigation and conviction of communists in the ‘50s. The main struggle of the film is Murrow trying to show Americans how unconstitutional Senator McCarthy’s methods of convicting communists were. Murrow was not denying the threat of communism and saying that McCarthy shouldn't have been investigating it, he was simply saying that the way in which it was being done was unjust. His purpose was to educate, and to have people want to be educated about the actions of their government.
I believe that fear is a very strong theme in this movie. It is ironic to me that we Americans feel fear towards outside threats to the nation as well as towards our own government. It seems to me that most fear directed toward the United States government is in response to its manner of protecting American citizens.
With the government’s “you’re either with us or against us” attitude, prevalent in the ‘50s as well as today in 2011, we can see a kind of control through intimidation. Government institutions like the Patriot Act undermine our basic constitutional rights for the sake of our national security. Undoubtedly, protecting the people of the United States is an important responsibility of the government, however overlooking the rights of the people in order to do so, sometimes to no avail, is counter productive. The personal liberties of Americans do not have to be compromised in exchange for protection from the government.
Good Night and Good Luck also spurs thoughts on the role of the media, namely television, in our society. In the film, Murrow proclaims “We have a built in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information; our mass media reflects this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses, and recognize that television, in the main, is being use to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it, and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture, too late.” A television show meant purely for entertainment is not evil, but we can’t allow ourselves to become completely distracted. Media should be intelligent and educating. Another quote from Edward R. Murrow, “Let us dream to the extent of saying that on a given Sunday night the time normally occupied by Ed Sullivan is given over to a clinical survey of the state of American education, and a week or two later the time normally used by Steve Allen is devoted to a thoroughgoing study of American policy in the Middle East.”
Good Night and Good Luck also spurs thoughts on the role of the media, namely television, in our society. In the film, Murrow proclaims “We have a built in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information; our mass media reflects this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses, and recognize that television, in the main, is being use to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it, and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture, too late.” A television show meant purely for entertainment is not evil, but we can’t allow ourselves to become completely distracted. Media should be intelligent and educating. Another quote from Edward R. Murrow, “Let us dream to the extent of saying that on a given Sunday night the time normally occupied by Ed Sullivan is given over to a clinical survey of the state of American education, and a week or two later the time normally used by Steve Allen is devoted to a thoroughgoing study of American policy in the Middle East.”
I agree with the statement "It is ironic to me that we Americans feel fear towards outside threats to the nation as well as towards our own government."
ReplyDeletePeople in America are just as afraid of terrorists as they are of their own government. I believe the government does use intimidation quite often.
I don't think that the government should have even had the option of the Patriot Act. Why would anyone in their right mind want to let that happen? People are often so quick to call out the government, or another citizen, for taking away certain rights but allowed for this act to be passed that would be taking away quite a good few of them.
TV today is used mostly for "escapism." The media should be used to educate but even when there is something meant to educate it takes sides. Don't you think it should just be used to tell people about the facts and goings-on of the country? Another problem with the media is that, while being biased, journalists and media personnel may lean the story to one side leaving out parts and people will believe everything they see and hear.