Many of us are thinking about the new era of civil rights movements that are currently occurring. Footage of rioting and innocent people getting beaten and/or killed is something that our collective conscience is trying to deal with. This chapter of the history of 2020 is complex and extensive, growing by the day.
I’ve been reflecting on how current events are changing my understanding of the world. During lectures, I’ve been struck by recurring ideas around propaganda and the way people become able to commit acts of violence against other humans, a behavioral process conditioning.
The act of conditioning, instills and reinforces the ideology within groups of people to be willing to kill others, is particularly evident in wartime, necessary and common during historically significant conflicts. Implemented by the ideology of moving image, videos and film have been used for both war propaganda and psychological conditioning from the early 20th century. In the UK, film was widely used in WWI and WW2, such as ‘Battle of the Somme’ (1916), ‘Kill or Be Killed’ (1944). In the US also widely used propaganda films within its training programmes:
‘… Some used to motivate soldiers, some to instill a sense of pride. Some even introduced specific military traditions and history. Others shaped political positions.’ (1)
Used within the context of conflict, films have a significant role when it comes to justifying violent narratives. The power of filmed military propaganda is historically well-developed and effective: it validates violence within their role. After reading ‘Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop’, I kept thinking about the particular conditioning method he detailed in his confession.
‘ … nearly everyone coming into law enforcement is bombarded with dash cam footage of police officers being ambushed and killed. Over and over and over. Colorless VHS mortality plays, cops screaming for help …’ (2)
Observations like this spell out how powerful moving images as a medium for propaganda can be. Given the enormous quantity of audiovisual content that’s available, critical thinking about its source and messaging is vital. With viral videos of cops kneeling in support with demonstrators and moments later, tear-gassing the same demonstrators, it’s clear we need to ask some critical questions;
Who’s shown to be the saviour?
Who’s shown to be the victim?
Who’s shown to be the righteous?
Considering images, like injured white far-right protester being lifted up to safety by a #BLM demonstrators in London yesterday, it is prominent that it’s never a simple comparison of opposites: the heart of the matter lies in the grey area between. Profound images like these cause us to consider the power of filming and sharing events promoting equality and justice and condemn fascism and racism.
We have a social responsibility to create and promote media that protects the rights of the vulnerable and all those whom the social contract hasn’t been equally upheld. The more people making an effort, influencing the collective conscience through the emotive medium of moving images to share ideas, stories and news events, creates better outcomes for us all.
2. https://medium.com/@OfcrACab/confessions-of-a-former-bastard-cop-bb14d17bc759
3.http://youtube.com/watch?v=c0hTxEdaeyY
4. https://thegrio.com/2020/06/04/cops-kneeling-protest-pr-stunt/
I really appreciated your comment that “it’s never a simple comparison of opposites: the heart of the matter lies in the grey area between.”
Conflict constantly brings with it many questions, and its oversimplification can be incredibly problematic. I think it is important to acknowledge that there is almost always a grey area in between the opposites that we tend to focus all our attention on. The reality is, all too often, that these opposites aren’t too clear-cut and the answer is rarely ever simple.
The role of media is also such a massive contributor to any social movement nowadays, and I think it is particularly interesting to note how no longer is it just the journalists and authors projecting their views through newspaper and television, but that the everyday social media user has such influence in their sphere of followers. People hear of updates far sooner through Instagram than official news broadcasters because our generation is so much more likely to listen to what our friends are telling us than turn on channel one at 6pm. In this way, it’s so important that we address our portrayal of the saviour, victim, and righteous shown in what we post – to truly pay attention to the story we are telling, and ensure we know the facts before we blurt “fake news”.
Super interesting Post Ruby! Your discussion of film as propaganda immediately made me think of the 1915 film ‘Birth of a Nation’. It presented slavery in a positive light as well as portraying the formation of the KKK as a response to the ‘threat’ of freedmen. Although racist and repugnant, the films aesthetic appeal let it be shown at many galas. Like the other films you mentioned, Birth of a Nation sparked widespread violence against black people and several civil rights protests. Personally, I can’t think of any modern films that have generated such violence or outrage.
If propaganda is truly biased information used to promote a political cause, I think that our news comes closest. Just think of how FoxNews portrays Donald Trump. However, I agree that images have the power for good and that it is our responsibility to determine which are harmful and which are positive.
This was an interesting post to read and I think the points you made were well addressed. I agree with you that our contemporary society is a complex one, growing increasingly convoluted by the day, and the conflicts we face reflect this. Particularly the conflicts we face as a society, those coloured by prejudice and deeply rooted into our past. The ease with which we’re able to record and share footage with others in the modern age comes as both a blessing and a curse. It means that while movements towards equality such as BLM are able to begin, to have what’s typically swept under the carpet brought to see the light of day, the opposite is also true. As you said, propaganda can be used extensively to distort the perception of both the public or targeted audiences, to alter how it is a collective of people views another. While we are now beginning to see evident steps towards equality taking place, broadcast globally now with ease due to media, there is still a way to go but hopefully we can make it there someday.