Torture in The Living Room

(Kelsey McNeal/FOX)

We wrote last month about the debate around whether "24," on Fox, is a conservative show. (Time: "Is 24 just a TV show or right-wing propaganda?" Newsweek: "Depending on your perspective, "24" is either a neocon sex fantasy or the collective id of our nation unleashed.")

Now comes a New Yorker profile of Joel Surnow, the man behind "24." And it's a doozy, so much so that it has Nikki Finke calling for a boycott of the show. Surnow is a Bush supporter who says "[p]eople in the Administration love the series, too. It's a patriotic show. They should love it." The series' "show runner," however, is a self-described "Moderate Democrat" who believes "people can differentiate between a television show and reality."

Much of Jane Meyer's story focuses on the regular use of torture on "24." In November, the dean of the United States Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Army Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, met with many of the minds behind the show. Writes Mayer:

Finnegan told the producers that "24," by suggesting that the U.S. government perpetrates myriad forms of torture, hurts the country's image internationally. Finnegan, who is a lawyer, has for a number of years taught a course on the laws of war to West Point seniors—cadets who would soon be commanders in the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. He always tries, he said, to get his students to sort out not just what is legal but what is right. However, it had become increasingly hard to convince some cadets that America had to respect the rule of law and human rights, even when terrorists did not. One reason for the growing resistance, he suggested, was misperceptions spread by "24," which was exceptionally popular with his students. As he told me, "The kids see it, and say, 'If torture is wrong, what about "24"?' " He continued, "The disturbing thing is that although torture may cause Jack Bauer some angst, it is always the patriotic thing to do."

Finnegan also said in the meeting that DVDs of "24" circulate among soldiers in Iraq, who "then walk into the interrogation booths and do the same things they've just seen." When asked about the prevalence of torture on "24," Rush Limbaugh, a friend of Surnow's, said this: "Torture? It's just a television show! Get a grip."

[selmafa]

I think this isn't just an "interesting conversation" to be having, but a very serious issue. If Americans were the ones getting tortured, there would be massive public outcry. However, many people seem to think that just because someone isn't of your own nationality they don't deserve the same consideration as human beings. Because, by the way, what we're talking about is universal human rights. Some of the people who posted seem to not have even read the article before posting, because what it's pointing to is that TORTURE, IN THE CONTEXT THAT IT IS SHOWN ON, FOR EXAMPLE, "24", DOESN'T WORK. Even high-ranking military personnel agree. What the articles about the subject are decrying is that inept, possibly inadequately trained soldiers are using torture on the field--and at an alarming rate--under the wrong impression that it works, because that's what they see their fictional (emphasis on "fictional") heroes doing.

By the way, I wish that people would learn what "pacifist" means before using it. I mean, Antillo99, do generals count as pacifists? Because most of them are also against torture, and much more cautious about war than the war-mongers who sit on their couch all day watching Fox News and drinking lite beer.

[CBSTV]

The series "24" and Fox TV are a good match. Both favor conservative Republican ideology.

The disturbing part of this report is that Fox's drama may influence the military. It's also sad that many Americans enjoy viewing the acts of violence for which this show is known.

[ronmwanga]

This is a wondeful conversation to be having. If anything, "24" presents the Cheney side of the argument fully, which cannot be a bad thing, as the McCain side of the argument has received full realization in the media. I, for one, am generally against torture except in the extremely rare circumstance when thousands of American lives are at stake and there is justifiable argument that the captured enemy has solid knowledge that could be useful in saving lives.

But America has to have this argument, with eyes wide open. The argument "pro-torture" isn't as intellectual as it is emotional, so "24 (a well-written fictional tv drama),' is, in a way, the best realization of that side of the debate.

[superfancy88]

Yes, I agree with the above -- and go one further! I support Jack Bauer for US president! There, I've said what we're all thinking.