Does anyone else get pissed off by the premise of 24?

[GreenZoneLT]

I haven't watched it, because the whole idea annoys the shit out of me. There ARE NO FUCKING FOREIGN TERRORIST SLEEPER CELLS IN AMERICA, goddammit. Anybody who even LOOKED like they might have anything to do with terrorism was locked up and/or deported right after 9/11.

I currently live in a country with a terrorist problem. You know how you know you have terrorists in your midst? They blow shit up, constantly. 9/11 was the exception that proves the rule. It took those assholes EIGHT YEARS after the first WTC attack (which was domestic terror) to put together a fairly simple, low-tech attack. Every major Al Qaeda attack since has also been domestic terror, or from a nearby country with a large domestic population (Brits in Britain, Moroccans in Spain, Indonesians in Bali).

I class this idea of government super-cops chasing terrorist masterminds around the country along with UFOs, angels and crop circles. I couldn't stand the X-Files, either. I know it's fiction, but it's fucking annoying fiction because so many idiots believe it actually happens.

[MADem]

1. I just won't watch it. It's a GOP wet dream. And I don't like lousy TV that further insults us

by showing idiotic commercials every few minutes...

[aquart]

7. I won't watch it. Or The Unit.

I find I don't care much for spy stories these days.

[MADem]

54. "The UNIT????" Heh heh....what a masculine allusion. Gee, wonder who the target audience is for

that opus??? :rofl:

I imagine those who are unworried about their units might not be inclined to waste a block of time on it. Good call!

[MistressOverdone]

84. My husband loves

the Unit. Me, not so much. Not to get to personal, I deeply doubt he has any sense of inadequacy. What he says he likes is the juxtipositioning of the homefront with the 'action.' I do like the star, however. The guy from the insurance commercial.

[Limelight]

89. That would be Dennis Haysbert

Who ironically played the President of the United States David Palmer on 24.

[hogwyld]

96. And don't forget

Pedro Cerrano of the Major League 1 and 2 movies.

[Lisa0825]

80. I just recently started watching the Unit.

I had no interest in it, but everything else was a repeat one night... It's actually quite good. And it seems to have some liberal leanings at times too, though I have only seen three episodes so far. For example, in a recent episode, a woman's fiance in the unit is killed, and she has to deal with getting kicked out of base housing, fighting for custody, etc. And even if she won custody, the survivor's benefits for his kids wouldn't be much. The wives were all comparing how crappy the military has treated various widows after deaths. It was very critical of the support for wives/families of the military. If I recall correctly, there was also a crack about the military not providing adequate equipment too.

[MistressOverdone]

83. Now I am with you on the commercials

If I didn't tivo it I wouldn't watch it.

[barb162]

2. Got a link for that statement about the sleeper cells?

I think you're very possibly wrong

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/badguys/070112/fbi_investigating_8000_for_ter.htm
FBI Investigating 8,000 for Terrorism
He wouldn't say it directly, but this week FBI Director Robert Mueller in effect told Congress the bureau has 8,000 people under investigation for terrorism. The FBI is reluctant to release an official figure, as many of those under investigation play only minor roles or turn out to be innocent. Instead, Mueller did it by inference, comparing America's record with that of Great Britain. snip

[Tulum_Moon]

3. I Hate That Fucking Show!

I will NEVER watch it!

[GreenZoneLT]

4. Pffft. Cops always exaggerate threats.

If you listen to cops, there's a vast underground conspiracy of Satanic child molesters out there, infiltrating pre-schools. And every kid who listens to rap should be investigated as a potential gang banger.

If there were 8,000 ACTUAL terrorists in America (as opposed to thousands who happened to mention the words "Allah" and "airplane" in an NSA-monitored phone conversation, thus triggering FBI surveillance), they'd be blowing up malls and bus stations.

Look, we used to HAVE a big radical-leftist terrorist problem in this country. In the early '70s, there were HUNDREDS of bombings each year (mostly at night, outside empty government buildings). You can tell when you have terrorists. 9/11 wasn't an indication that we're massively infiltrated and vulnerable to attack, it was an indication that you should lock the friggin' cockpit door.

[sanskritwarrior]

8. LT

there are sleeper cells out there. They do exist, the 9/11 guys were a sleeper cell, they went about their business until activated. Tim Mcveigh was a sleeper for white supremacists, he went to work everyday and when the plan was set in motion he executed it......Sleeper cells do exist, the whole point of a sleeper cell is to activate them when you want to. They blow things up when you want them to.

In Iraq we have sleeper cells LT, a guy that hides materials in his fields and builds and plants an IED 3 weeks from now is a sleeper agent. He acts when told to, the rest of the time he farms, drinks chai, and has conversations with nice LT's like you and nice SFC's like me........

[Solon]

40. Being a member of a sleeper cell indicates some method of larger organization...

Something that simply doesn't exist. Timothy McVeigh, and a few of his white supremacist buddies, regardless of what they did, were NOT members of a sleeper cell, they had some ties to some local militias, stuff like that, but were not members of some larger, terrorist group.

Al Queda isn't even structured this way, Bin Laden doesn't give orders, he gives support when asked, a key difference, there is no one to "activate" a cell in a city, simply because that's an additional risk that isn't needed. The show 24 is actually an argument AGAINST the existence of such cells. Most terrorism in the world is committed by individual groups who either have no knowledge of each other, or differing motivations, and operate autonomously of each other as a matter of course. This is an encouraged development, because it reduces the risk of being caught before a terrorist attack takes place.

There are some exceptions with Nationalistic groups, the IRA and Hamas being the most obvious examples.

Iraq isn't any different, any resistance to American occupation IS most likely organized, at least locally, however, there are several different groups that do NOT work together that have the same goal. The results are the same, but the methodology isn't. There are Baathists, Sunni, and Shi'ite groups that attack themselves and the Americans in equal measure.

[Mythsaje]

14. The FBI says that whole network of satanic child molesters shit

is just that...shit. They have been able to unearth NO evidence to support it. I can't speak for ordinary cops.

[EdwardM]

5. I don't watch 24

I don't see what the big deal is. Islamic Terrorists exist, and there are almost certainly sleeper cells in this country. You say it took 8 years to attack the WTC, well its been less than 8 years since that attack, so we are certainly not in the clear.

[Sherman A1]

12. I tried to watch it last night

Caught the first hour (episode 3 for this season) and just a bit of the second (hoping for improvement). I found the whole thing, just boring. It came across as a rehash of theme of the Tom Clancy novels of the 1980's and 1990's with more techno gee whiz stuff. Sort of a quickly paced version of Law & Order without the courtroom half of the episode. The biggest mystery to me was trying to figure out where I had seen some of the actors before?

Will the guy shoot the family unless Dad brings back the secret device --- Ah, really don't care at all.....

Will we get over interoffice issues to all play on the same team --- Yawn...

Will the mean spirited Presidential adviser get his way..... So what?

Will the bad guys get the suitcase thing that the Soviets let dissappear..... Whatever?


Politics and Perceived "Trust Authority Messages" Aside.........A non starter for me.......

[Mythsaje]

15. At least Law and Order brings up ethical and moral questions

from time to time. The original, I mean.

24 sounds about as deep as sponge squeezings.

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

6. 24... Feh.

Yes. Never watched it, but yes. I don't watch much TV, but others in the household do. Everything they watch seems to have the same message: trust authority, fear your neighbors. They don't seem to like it when I try to point this out to them.

Broadcasters should replace all shows like this with shows like the one about the puppets living among real people. What was that called? Hmm.

I don't watch much TV, but what I do watch has to have puppets or robots or be a cartoon. :-P

Edited: pronoun trouble.

[GreenZoneLT]

22. You mean that Seth Green/Eugene Levy show?

That ruled. What the hell was that called? ::google, google:: Oh, yeah, "Greg the Bunny." I loved the episode where Seth was "youthening" up the show, and wanted The Count to say "Ah-ight" instead of "Blah."

The Count could never get it right, and wound up saying "Ah-iggit, blah!"

That show had a better concept than execution, but concept counts.

I'm with you. "Robot Chicken" and Ardman films are my obsessions.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

42. Hands down, Venture Bros. is better than 24

Faster paced, funnier and more believable.

Plus Brock Samson is so much more muy macho than Jack Bauer. For that matter, so is Dr. Girlfriend. And likewise, more believable.

[Greyhound]

9. I get pissed of at the premise of our entire TV nation.

I talk to the walking brain dead every day, how stupid can we get? Was H.L. Mencken literally right in his "never go broke underestimating the taste of the American Public" statement?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

18. LOL this is the larger truth. Actually it's sad so scratch the LOL.

[sweetheart]

10. police and 'tough on crime'...

..sold as an endemic brainwashing narrative to condition the sheeple to invasive
policing and loss of civil liberties needn't bother yourself if you don't watch it.

Its their narrative to destroy civil rights protest:
http://www.publiceye.org/defendingjustice/pdfs/chapters/toughcrime.pdf

[sam sarrha]

16. and look what happens if we let anyone out of GITMO.. all atomic bombers there there are.

[peacetheonlyway]

11. am BOYCOTTING 24 from this day forward

I'm embarrassed to say this was my guilty pleasure. get a little
adrenaline rush on sunday/monday nights watching 24. I knew it was total bullshit
but that was what i wanted in my entertainment, suspended reality.


it was not until I saw the Evil Faux-FOX News screens plastered all over Sunday's 24 episode and then the obvious message of 'torture is ok when jack Bauer is doing it for the name of US safety' and then in a sort of twisted irony, they show how even the tortured becomes the torturer within minutes of Jack's getting out a chinese jail, he's back stabbing someone.

Jack unfortunately epitomizes the GOP Ubermansch. just like Hegal's pre World War II Hype that prepared an entire country for the extinction of 6 million jews, the 24 Hype is in a very subtle way preparing America for the invasion and Nuclear annihilation of Iran. In a sense 24 is the philosophical equivalent of Hagel, Kant and other philosophers drilling the 'nation before self' motif. 24 just says 'kill the terrorists at all costs, torture fully allowed' motif.

It was not until tonite's show concluded with a Mushroom cloud that I realized the show is as addictive as it is sly in it's message.

as an avowed peace activist, I could swear to you the earlier episodes were more questioning of civil liberties losses when the DOD son's got tortured. but these later shows seem to indicate Murdoch and his FOX MINIONS are using the show for a fullscale preparation of the American psyche for the inevitable US Invasion of Iran. and any nuclear confronation that may require.

I'm disappointed in myself for letting myself watch it, but now feel glad I know that this show confirms all my research that a strike on Iran is imminent.

The cowards in Congress, yes democrats now, must not really understand the stakes here are very high and we need more than rhetoric and threatening to withdraw the purse strings, we need fullscale investigations of bush and to conclude his leadership with necessary impeachment.


So I am hereby boycotting 24 and hoping to influence friends who watch the show. it's a small step but makes me feel better for ever having watched it at all.

[mduffy31]

19. All I have to say is this

The Fox News stuff is because of Clearance issues, that is all.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

32. Good Lord.

You're really overanalyzing the show. It's simply well-crafted entertainment, nothing more, nothing less.

[peacetheonlyway]

92. You should chat with the writer of Dharma and Greg

her storyline was entirely her own until it got popular.
the station with the endorsement of the US government
began asking her to write Greg (the conservative guy's character)
as having a Military past and then really began driving his character
as a military person.

no, bottom line when we see a mushroom cloud over Iran,
and the American sheeple continue to do nothing to demand congress
to stop a stupid war,

we can all thank shows like 24 for deadening our senses..

i'm firm in my belief the show has taken on serious undertones of torture is ok
and annihilation by terrorists requires drastic actions, none of which are true.

[Mythsaje]

13. I never saw the appeal of 24...

From the beginning I saw it for what it was. More bullshit propaganda. And not even particularly entertaining propaganda, in my opinion. I watched ONE episode, just to verify my suspicion.

It's a RW wet dream. Every RW sofa-sitter WISHES he was Jack Bauer, beating terrorist ass.

[ClintonTyree]

27. Elisha Cuthbert has a LOT of appeal......

Another Canadian girl. :loveya: Beyond that...... :puke:

[Lasher]

17. Hmm, this seems to make sense.

Condi and the rest of the Bush junta dinosaurs are trying to make the pesky facts fit their Cold War mindsets. They need a Soviet Union to oppose so they pick countries virtually at random and invade them. There has to be a KGB out there somewhere, so they imagine a coordinated network of sleeper cells for the CIA to play imaginary chess games with.

OK this is a little too simplistic but I do believe the mindset is a factor that has brought us to where we are.

Thank you for your service. Come home safe.

[liberal renegade]

20. It's just another tool for brainwashing

so we can keep feeding the pigs at the terrorism trough...

[Philosoraptor]

21. Having never seen it...

I don't feel qualified to critique it, but based on your thread, I think I get it now, and yes, I think it sucks. Lost all respect for mr. Sutherland.

[TomClash]

23. Biggest sleeper cell in the US

is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.

[Vidar]

24. I've boycotted this show from its inception.

[tomreedtoon]

25. You'd BETTER watch. People believe it.

The wet dream was not simply the nuke going up in Los Angeles. It was the American populace rising up against anyone who even looks like a Muslim, breaking down their doors and refusing them service. Heck, they even have a Presidential advisor who wants to turn arenas into detention camps. (Because, obviously, that worked so well in New Orleans.)

If you people refuse to hold your noses and watch "24," you will be blindsided when this propaganda inspires real racism and pogroms here in America. Or is this reluctance some more of that incompetence that lost the Democrats the last two Presidential elections?

[ClintonTyree]

26. I watched the first episode.....

when it first debuted. It looked like any other network crapfest and haven't watched it since. I'm not one for mindless "entertainment" anyway. If I can't learn something from what I'm watching it isn't worth my time. Needless to say, I don't watch a lot of TV. ;)

[BushOut06]

28. The producers are preying on our basest fears

I posted this last night, and pretty much got taken to the cleaners by all the '24' supporters out there. It's my contention that by having Muslim terrorists set off a nuke, it's akin to depicting some hulking black man raping a pretty young white woman. FOX claims to be "fair & balanced", which may be why they put in a few elements to try and appease some of the more progressive elements in this country.

You know damned well that Rethugs are going to point to last night's episode as why we need to press on with this "war on terror", and why such things like warrantless searches and spying on bank records is okay.

[Raksha]

99. Yes, I know good and well the Repukes will use "24"

as one more way to catapult the anti-Islamic propaganda. That's because they are already doing it, or one of them is anyway.

Re >>You know damned well that Rethugs are going to point to last night's episode as why we need to press on with this "war on terror", and why such things like warrantless searches and spying on bank records is okay.<<

I have to emphasize that not only have I never watched "24," I never even heard of it until last night when I read the first "24" thread on DU. Not having seen the show, I really didn't know what to make of it, but people made it sound as though the "ticking bomb scenario" plotline was used as a justification for torture. That made me suspicious right there.

And then today on another forum, the most hardcore neocon freeper Bush cheerleader of them all put in a big plug for "24" on a thread dealing with something else. Now this guy is much smarter than the average freeper, which only makes him slimier and sneakier. I've been dealing with him on various forums for about 12 years now (on and off) and I know better than to turn my back on him.

I was about to go out and only had time to skim his post quickly, but his plug for "24" was an automatic thumbs-down from me. I'm not saying I won't watch it when I get my TV hooked up, but I have no doubt now that it's right-wing propaganda.

[liberal hypnotist]

29. I'm slightly paranoid..

and getting worse but, I do watch "24". I keep thinking it is a Karl Rove plot to make Gitmo OK. Then, I think of when I was a kid and we were told not to watch "rock n roll" movies like "Blackboard Jungle". At least, "24" is putting current issues up front. Is Jack Bauer a pawn or a patriot?

[peacetheonlyway]

94. he's a dumbass when his country betrays him now

3 or 4 times and he keeps going back for more, the actor paycheck must be good.

actually, Jack Bauer does not represent reality, nor does gitmo, nor does bush,
but unfortunately all 3 do exist as our reality while we let them.

stop the reality...

[MistressOverdone]

30. Actually, if you watch it you will see some subtle

plot manuevers that make you think. Now, this year it is Islamacists, no political correctness there. But Jack is damaged from 20 mos. in Chinese prison and not able to torture anymore. He told a "colleague" that he stopped because he saw in the man's eyes that he would not talk. Then the "colleague" got the info out of him with a few blade twists. Also, this year one of the terrorists turns on the others (or so we are led to believe) and is given a presidential pardon for working with Jack, et al, to apprehend the real bad guy. So it has introduced, for the first time, some grey areas. Plus the government, led by another black president, is doing internment camps. They are hitting the major issues.

Whether there are sleeper cells in the US, I have no idea. I do hope that poster is correct, and it is all a ruse.

[lectrobyte]

44. Subtle? The message is "torture works", even when Jack thinks

otherwise. I watch the show, it's entertainment, but the message is pretty insidious.

[MistressOverdone]

45. No, I don't think that is the message

I think it is more nuanced than that. It worked FOR the Islamacist, but not for Jack. I think that raises a lot of questions. More than answers. You didn't get that out of it? I think Jack could have done the same thing and gotten no answer.

[peacetheonlyway]

95. bingo, you're right!

if you'll notice the 'viewer discretion advised'
we let our primtime kids watch this crap without an "R" rating.

i've always wondered about the 'torture is ok for a better end, end justifies the means machiavellian themes' which have been there since day one!

[aquart]

55. Goody. It's a Republican infomercial.

[Lost4words]

31. If it dosent make me laugh, I dont watch.

I got the GOP trying to destroy my life, I dont need some stupid series promoting violence and destruction, We got the GOP terrorists to worry about.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

33. No Way, I Love It! Can't Wait Till Next Monday In Fact. Best Show On TV!

It is absolutely one of the most entertaining, well written/produced and engaging shows that I've ever enjoyed. As usual, the season openers were brilliant and have me cursing the 6 days inbetween the next episode.

As far as there being no sleeper cells is concerned, I think it would be an ignorant and dangerous position to declare that there is no chance that any exist. None of us know that and though hopefully unlikely, it is most definitely not something of which the concept of can just be ignored.

But even so, 24 fuckin rocks. I always encourage anyone who hasn't gotten into it to give it a chance. I've gotten countless numbers of people hooked on it over the past few seasons and not one has returned yet and said "nah, I don't like it".

[zonkers]

34. They went too far today with that nuclear bomb.

[MistressOverdone]

46. I AM interested in seeing how they resolve that one

The bomb guy blew up. Was the site right in LA or on the outskirts?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

52. In Valencia, outside of Los Angeles.

[Marie26]

35. Yes

I watched the premiere last night, cause my friend was raving about how great the show was. Ugh! It was total fear-mongering propaganda. It's almost like the main aim was to scare Americans into supporting Gitmo & the torture of prisoners.

(But X-Files is cool!)

[negativenihil]

36. 24 boycotters - get over yourselves.

it's a tv show. entertainment. no one cares if you're boycotting the show. in fact i encourage you to stop watching if you don't like it. There are plenty of other programming options.

anyway on that note - i'm a 24 die hard. started watching with the first ep of the first season, and have followed it since.

[Limelight]

90. I didn't start till about the 3rd Season...

but I'm right there with you now my friend.:thumbsup:

[blm]

37. I do. I believe it's purpose is to MANIPULATE us into ACCEPTING criminal covert actions

because they know that eventually the crimes committed by BushInc EILL come into the open at some point.

IranContra, BCCI, illegal wars in Central America, Iraqgate, and CIA drugrunning have all contributed to the chaos in the world we have today, and especially to the rise and growing effect of global terrorism, and events like 9-11 and the further destabilization of the entire Mideast region.

[MistressOverdone]

85. Wow

Do we ever have different world views!

[Codeine]

104. Actually

it's purpose is the same as every other program on the box; to make you pay attention long enough to see the advertisements. The show brings in eyes, which brings in money.

[Mandate My Ass]

38. I was at a friend's house last night. First time I ever saw it.

I found the premise totally ridiculous and it was obviously catapulting the propaganda. Garbage of the lowest sort.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

39. I don't watch it either

While the premise of "an hour for an hour" was intriguing, the plot seemed designed to promote fear of "terrorism" in the population.

(I once had an elderly neighbor, who had been a Marine at Guadalcanal, and who went into a rant each time a World War II movie was released: "Another goddamn recruiting film!")

[JitterbugPerfume]

41. It never occured to me to watch that crap

I used to love x-files ----pre 9/11

[MistressOverdone]

86. LOL

Now THAT was crap! Seriously, I just could never get into it. It got way to convoluted for me. My husband still mourns its demise. Now David D. does puppy commercials!

[JitterbugPerfume]

106. but it was

entertaining crap LOL

[Odin2005]

43. Christ Almighty, some people need to lighten up and take off the tin foil hat.

I really like the show, if some paranoiacs don't like that they can kiss my ass.

[MistressOverdone]

48. Actually I am more offended

by the constant murder shows that tells daily stories of death by all kinds of awful means, many or even most invovling victimized women. THAT gets old.

[Norquist Nemesis]

47. Nah. It takes a whole lot more than Jack and his team

in real life, so no it doesn't bother me. I watched the first season and enjoyed it. But by the third or fourth episode, the premise that only Jack can save the world became tiring. Every once in a while, we'll tune in if there are re-runs on the other networks.

[fishnfla]

49. How many people were killed off on that show last season?

I dont watch TV at all, but Iread where 30-some people were killed on this show last year.

It is supposed to be within a 24 hour time period?

That Jack character, he must be the best, or the worst agent, since Bond

[The Stranger]

50. Neocon propaganda.

[ileus]

51. It's (24) is fiction in case you didn't know

[applegrove]

53. Sorry you don't believe that what happened on 9/11 was al Qaeda.

It was. America was attacked by a bunch of pipsqueeks. It happens. There is evil in the world. The * WH just used it to create fear fear fear and have carte blanche to run their war games for a few years. Instead of healing the country...they upped the fear. And now have made a mess of the Middle East. The real tragedy is that * was in power when the USA was attacked by al Qaeda. Al Qaeda attacked the USA because attacking civilians inside the middle east wasn't winning them any popularity contest...so they switched to attacking outside the USA. And * handed them a long dirty war and a chance to radicalize some of the people in the Middle East even more. Which is what al Qaeda wanted to begin with. So Americans didn't get healing that should have come with a grown-up responce to 9/11, and the Middle East got mayhem. Bush is just a big huge incompetant pawn.

[Poiuyt]

56. There was just a segment on MSNBC asking if this was more Fox fearmongering

The Repub guest said that it showed that the threats are real!

[FVZA_Colonel]

59. I liked how casually he dismissed claims that it exagerated the effectiveness of torture.

"Oh, I'm shocked that a television show would portray something unrealistically!" Well, fucknuts, concerning the subject matter I'd say it's pretty damn important.

[JacksonWest]

57. Does anyone else get pissed that every thread ripping 24 is started by people that don't watch it?

[Zhade]

58. I have an even bigger problem with the show's love of torture.

Torture doesn't work, yet the show pushes the lie that it does and is sometimes necessary.

Sorry, don't care how left-leaning Keifer is, that's some bullshit right there.

[bluewave]

60. Brown terrorists killing Americans for no reason

And then detonating a nuke. How is this not propaganda? This show appeals to the lowest common denominator. When I hear the defense "you don't watch it!" it feels like jeers from the peanut gallery.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

61. The show has featured all ethnicities of terrorists.

:eyes:

[bluewave]

62. Who detonated the nuke?

Apparently a guy named Abu Fayed. Another named al-Assad. This reminds me of the Republicans having a black rep in a sea of southern white Christians to prove they are inclusive.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

66. A previous season had a non-Muslim terrorist detonate a nuke.

In fact, previous seasons had Eastern European, Mexican, American and British terrorists.

And the fact that the nuke was detonated in last night's episode is hardly an example of Islamophobia -- every season has featured progressively larger calamities -- this is the next logical step for the show. This season's enemy just happened to be a Muslim.

[bluewave]

67. How many Mexican terrorists do you know?

This feels like an affirmative action for terrorists proposal. Invent absurd groups of terrorists so you can later bring out the Muslim ones. It's not the Mexicans, Eastern Europeans, or the various other groups who will be hurt by this, just Muslim Americans.

Oh, and btw, Bush is trying to get us into a war with Iran on the false premise they have nukes and will use them against us. And then "24" has Muslim men detonating nukes the same weekend. How... convenient.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

68. Yikes, talk about reaching.

Different terrorists were used because using the same group would be redundant and possibly offensive. I have yet to see any Muslim-Americans hurt by the portrayals on the show -- BTW, you forgot to mention the positive Muslim characters they have as well.

As for Iran, how the hell does that connect to 24? Do you have any idea of the lag time between writing/shooting a TV episode and the actual air date? Do you literally think they filmed the episode last week just to draw a parallel with Bush?

:eyes:

[jelly]

81. check this - new season of 24 being used as RW propaganda

from the NY Post -- http://www.nypost.com/seven/01162007/tv/24_go_boom__tv_michael_starr.htm

"24" executive producer Howard Gordon said last week that the show's topicality this season "is a real concern."

"This season threatens to be too real," he said. "We live in a parallel universe . . . and the details of this season, especially, are frightening because they feel so real and plausible.

"We hope people embrace these concerns, and this <'24'> becomes compelling TV."

Internet gossip Matt Drudge quoted a Fox exec as saying the network is prepared for any "fallout" from last night's episode from cities which might be targeted in future nuclear explosions on "24."

The episode made it clear that there are four more nuclear devices possessed by the Arab terrorists featured in this season's plot.

Drudge also draws a parallel between last night's "24" and a recent CIA report outlining possible explosions using "low charge nuclear weapons" - like the bomb detonated in L.A.

"Time to wake the country up!" Drudge quoted an unidentified Fox exec as saying.

edited to add text from linked article

[rinsd]

76. Yeah 24 is a psyops promoting war with Iran

:eyes:

[bluewave]

100. Did you read the above link?

A Fox exec told Drudge "Time to wake up the country."

It is exactly what I claimed.

[rinsd]

107. Wow a anonymous Drudge quote

That's quite the solid foundation you have built there.

:eyes:

[high density]

63. Not really

It's completely brainless entertainment. Don't read too much into it. The show makes no sense at least 75% of the time anyway.

[coalition_unwilling]

64. That is just one of the premises. There is also the idea that

torture is justified in the case of the "ticking time bomb" scenario, when anyone who knows anything about the subject of torture knows that that whole trope is just a bunch of bullshit.

[Patsy Stone]

65. No.

It's called a TV SHOW. Several seasons ago, there were European terrorists. Did that piss you off too?

[dogman]

69. Obviously you haven't watched it.

Otherwise you would know that much of the purported terrorism is MIHOP. There is a group of RW money people who have people on their payroll in the government and stooges, like the President in the last series who could have been Lieberman's double. They express the moral dilemma of protecting the Constitution and the population in stark terms. I enjoy it but could see that some might reject the violence. The fact that people approach fiction with preconceived ideas does not make it propaganda.

[HootieMcBoob]

70. I'm totally addicted to it

are there things about it that bug me? Yes, absolutely...but I love it. I tivo every episode. It's a great tv show in my opinion.

[Little Wing]

71. Nope.

But one thing:

"There ARE NO FUCKING FOREIGN TERRORIST SLEEPER CELLS IN AMERICA"

Wake the fuck up.

[SweetGrass]

105. Spot on.

THANK you. :applause:

[SaveOurDemocracy]

72. It's TeeVee folks, change the freakin channel!

I sometimes find myself shaking my head in disbelief over the level of hysteria that explodes over really mundane personal choice issues. People who've watched 1 episode, or never at all, troop in to give their very necessary opinions on it all.

Change the channel, take a walk, read a book, make love, call a friend ... nobody's forcing anyone to watch it.

[theboss]

73. I hate Star Wars too because it's fiction

There is no way that a Wookie and an Ewok would be friends.

All entertainment should be cineman verite documentaries.

[Strelnikov_]

74. I Kinda Feel The Way You Do About Showtimes 'Sleeper Cell'

Have never seen 24, and based on what I have read, am really not that interested.

Yes, it is entertainment. But in an era where the threat of 'terrorism' is being used as a political weapon, I find unrealistic and inflammatory depictions somewhat distressing.

9/11 (per the official record) worked because it was a simple plan. 'Al-Queda', while they were in existence, were a bunch of amateurs, not SPECTRE. As you say, since 9/11, all of the major attacks (London, Spain, Bali) have been local amateurs.

On the other hand, in Sleeper Cell, the 'terraists' are well-funded foreigners (and locals), deeply embedded with a highly trained command and control structure. They engage in drug trade with the Mexican mafia in order to buy explosives from the white supremacists (so much for compartmentalization). They have 'full-pads' dry runs of their operations, including purchasing via black market a quantity of the poison they plan to use (so much for limiting exposure of the pending operation).

And, of course, the planned operation will produce deaths in the tens of thousands.


No, we are not facing SPECTRE. I guess it would be hard to fill a 13 episode series with a simple plan.

[rinsd]

75. I hate these threads

A mix of sanctimony and self aggrandizement about what is ultimately an entertainment choice.

[Patsy Stone]

77. Just wait.

American Idol starts tonight. You wanna see sanctimonious?

[rinsd]

82. Excellent MST-3000 silluoette (nt)

[SaveOurDemocracy]

78. yuppers

:popcorn:

[Kelly Rupert]

79. Not really.

It's fiction. I don't get pissed off by James Bond movies because there's probably not really some Russian madmann building a giant space laser, or because there's probably not really a terrorist financier who can't resist a game of high-stakes poker. I'm not angry at the X-files because there aren't really aliens in our midst, and I'm not angry at the X-men because there aren't really superhero mutants. It's fiction, and I won't get angry at entertainment just because there's a risk some might conflate it with reality.

[RamboLiberal]

87. No I get pissed off at DU'ers who get pissed off at something

they confess they never watched!

[ButterflyBlood]

88. Hey, it's a FICTICIOUS TV show

Whining about how it doesn't mirror reality is like whining about King Kong because no gorillas can be that big...

[Limelight]

91. All 24 Hates will love this...

www.CTURookie.com

For the fans it'll be interesting to see if this ever crosses over with the real deal.

[Roxy66]

93. Sorry....love it. Great ENTERTAINMENT!

[Hippo_Tron]

97. The West Wing is also fiction

That doesn't mean that I don't like to escape to a world where the people who run the country actually try and use their power to help people.

Fiction or actually I think a better word for it is fantasy allows us to escape reality for a few hours and for some people their venue of fiction is one where agents like Jack Bauer have borderline superhuman abilities that they use to stop terrorists. It's the same reason people watch James Bond.

The problem isn't 24. The problem is that part of our population is extremely uneducated and think this shit is real.

[MADem]

101. I didn't like that show either. Sure, the political idea of the show was nice, but

it just wasn't realistic at all. They made the damn White House look like Grand Central Station, with a kazillion people racing up and down the corridors. It's not like that at all....the only place you see a crowd is in the press areas.

I think it's funny how people get upset on this thread because some people dare to say they don't like the show--after all, it's just their opinion! The anger towards the contrarians, and protective attitude towards "their" show is sort of interesting to note. I say people are still free to like something or hate something in America...at this point in time anyway. The Faux Thought Police haven't yet gotten the government contract to order that we all be patriotic by watching 24, or get tossed in jail for saying something bad about it...!

You CAN hate the show, and not hate the folks who watch it, after all....

[Hippo_Tron]

102. I don't mind people saying it's a crappy show, personally from what I've seen it's average

What I don't like is people saying that the show has an objective as neocon propaganda and thus that implies that you don't think other people should be watching it either because we're supporting the promotion of torture. The people arguing against 24 aren't arguing that it's a bad show they're arguing that it's propaganda and it's shameful that Americans watch it.

I have no problem with saying it's a bad show. In that case they shouldn't watch it and let others have their personal preferences.

Regarding the West Wing I'm no expert on what the corridors look like but I'm inclined to say that it's pretty crowded. The show focuses on at most 5 members of the White House senior staff. In reality there are at least 40 senior staffers if not more. The west wing is in fact a very crowded place because everyone would much rather work there than the OEOB because it's close to the oval office. Sorkin actually did a walking tour of the set on the DVD special features and showed how the set of the lobby was about the size of the lobby when John Kennedy was President. Since then they've shrunk the lobby to like 1/5th of the size and used the space for more offices.

I'll admit that the walk and talk scenes sometimes resembled a cafeteria at lunch time which was probably dramatic effect to make everyone look really busy and the corridors probably aren't that bad. But the fact is that you have as many people as possible crammed into a fairly small office space and I'm sure that some of the people walking around is realistic.

[Initech]

98. Um......... it's a fucking TV SHOW!!! And a fictional one at that!

Don't look too deeply into it, and think that every show centered around terrorism is some kind of GOP fucking mind control plot. Just watch it, and you might enjoy it. :eyes: :puke

[orleans]

103. hey! ya gotta keep that "terra in your face" crap going for the public

to stay paranoid over it