Based on this Article : https://reason.com/2019/08/23/can-adam-driver-make-americans-care-about-cia-torture-again/
“Can Adam Driver Make Americans Care About CIA Torture Again?” - SCOTT SHACKFORD | 8.23.2019 2:35 PM, Reason
(Reason is a libertarian magazine that leans toward free market and “small government” opinions. However, this post is about entertainment media as a means of social influence, a subject matter with a fairly neutral stance in terms of partisanship.)
Amazon Prime recently dropped a trailer for a new movie, The Report, which will become available in November. (Trailer Here). The film details the efforts of one Senate Committee to uncover and, well, report the brutal interrogation and other prisoner abuses by the CIA after the September 11th attacks. These methods were used in the early 2000s during the Bush administration and ended during the Obama Administration, but afterward, the Agency and much of the Administration did everything in their power to keep evidence and knowledge of these practices under wraps. It wasn’t until 2014 that the “enhanced interrogation” came to light. (If you’d like, the full report can be found here, pages 11-27 give a good outline of the document. Fair warning, it does get graphic.)
Five years is not a very long time in terms of “historical Drama.” The movie industry can be hesitant to touch fresh wounds, as the longer you wait, the fewer people are left alive to remember the subject matter and be angry at a misrepresentation of it. From a less cynical view, it can be easier to gather objective information about a subject as more time goes on, as the heat of the moment fades and people get the benefit of hindsight.
The debate about what is “necessary” in times of crisis is forever-raging. The same arguments always arise, whether it’s dropping an atomic bomb on a civilian population or starting an invasion or burning a village to the ground. “It’s them or us, it’s a total war, a few destroyed lives are worth the price if it protects everyone else.” And on the opposite side: “Nothing justifies this kind of brutality, it doesn’t work, it’s needless, civilians shouldn’t be punished for the actions of a few.” One is more “realist,” (and criticized as cynical) and the other is more idealist (and criticized as naive). But, people will defend both with equal vehemence.
So why would Amazon risk a public backlash by releasing this film, which criticizes both the CIA and the Obama Administration for their cover-up? Maybe it’s to force people to remember. It’s not just the brutality that’s disconcerting here, it’s the secrecy. How much is the executive branch capable of hiding? How much of their action is outside of our control? And how do we trust people with such low regard for human life that they were willing to commit these atrocities? These questions are too important to be forgotten, especially now, when the world of politics is more chaotic than ever, and the executive branch seems to want to test the extent of its power.
Words in a report can have an effect, but watching history play out, that creates real understanding. Films are not made to be educational (normally), they’re meant to tell truths that are impossible to find in facts. Films like these, no matter the motivation for making them, force the viewers to think, and to confront dark and ugly things in a way that appeals to their empathy and stays with them long after the credits roll.
5 comments:
An instant classic when it was published in 2008, Jane Mayer's _The Dark Side_ documents the unconstitutional charade when George W Bush and Dick Cheney made torture a national priority from 2001 forward. It's comprehensive and highly recommended, and exhibit A in the case of political norm erosion as a longish trend vs. a Trump bomb.
I think that this movie can do a great job at bringing the CIA's "enhanced interrogation" to light. You're very right about a film being arguably the best medium for uncovering the horrendous acts of the CIA following the 9/11 attacks. The PDF you attached that contained over 700 pages would be too much for the average American to read and take interest in.
My question is why did the CIA even do this? Torture is generally a very ineffective method of squeezing out information (as said in the full report). Those who are innocent with no information would lie to stop the torture, and those who do have information could admit it in other ways. Torturing innocent people is not a reasonable risk to take in this situation. Also, where are these people now? Are they still alive? Have they tried telling their stories and experiences? How was the government able to keep this hidden for so long?
Overall, this was really a really interesting article and topic. I enjoyed reading your summary as well as looking more into this movie.
Of course, the CIA's techniques of gathering intelligence in the years back would be considered now as inhumane and ineffective, but one would have to think of the events that were currently happening at the time the techniques were implemented. There were multiple engagements in the Middle East, such as the US-Afghanistan War, in addition to the September 11th terrorist attacks. Fear was prominent in this time, making people attach themselves to anything that had power or could provide security. Such a power would be represented by the United States, taking initiative on its citizens' fears, thus implementing the Patriot Act, for instance. To many, they'd rather give up some of their liberties if it was in the name of countering violence and terrorism; anything to prevent something like the attacks from happening again. Tapping cell phones, extreme information gathering techniques, even raiding without search warrants are just some violations of liberty, but were given up to prevent terrorism. One would claim that these techniques were fine, that he or she doesn't have anything to hide; if one did, they would surely be connected to whatever affair the CIA was involved in. Yes, it may seem ill-thought out, but that's what fear does to a rational mind. The illusion of security is enough to give up any value of privacy.
It is a very brave move for Amazon to come out with this movie. I agree with your point regarding that most people would try to forget the past and move on with the newer generations. I believe Amazon decided to bring light to these horrid memories. Some day, the truth had to come out and it just so happens to be now. Since most of us were kids while this was happening, it's crazy to think that ugly things have happened in our generation too. I'm interested in the fact of why Amazon wanted to create this movie now and not later in the future. I also have a similar question to Will, how was the government able to keep this all quiet for so long? Maybe they paid the victims, etc. but I'm honestly really glad this movie is coming out so we all can see the imperfect world that was going on behind us in our little innocent lives when we were younger.
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