24ture

Not having a television, I am not a fan or fanatic of the show 24. My high school, however, has a club devoted to the show. It's an exceedingly creative concept; each episode of a show condenses 24 hours of Jack Bauer's life as a CIA agent. But in accord with the high level of violence on television, 24 itself has become a source of misinformation. Although I'm sure most understand that the actual events documented in 24 are not occurring and have not occurred, that is not what is misleading. The show portrays a false reality of the question of torture and individual rights. As Pierre Tristam writes on commondreams.org:

West Point brass met with "24" producers and writers to urge them to show the real consequences of torture on torturers -- to show, as Gary Solis, who taught the Law of War for Commanders curriculum at West Point, said, that under U.S. and international law, "Jack Bauer is a criminal. In real life, he would be prosecuted."

It's interesting to think of. The desensitation of violence in other countries—not only the Middle East, but also the Sudan—is partly an unintentional side effect of the entertainment media's endless search for the perfect thrill.

Read the excellent article quoted above at this link.