Counter-attack on Counterterrorism’s set, ’24’

By: Christina Borgers
Posted In: Opinion

Every Monday night, millions of fans tune in to Fox’s hit drama series, ’24.’ Always with a heart wrenching plot, ’24’ captivates its fans with the possibility of terrorism on our home front. Amidst the adrenaline of the show, some fans are protesting that Muslims are being exploited as the villains, causing some Muslim groups to remind us that not all of them are terrorists. Under fire once again, Fox executives argue that they are not shining light on any ethnic or religious group in particular within the program.

I believe that the portrayal of ethnicity within the show acts merely as a general symbol, a symbol that does not point a finger in any one direction. ’24’ is a breathtaking, drama TV series that captures the idea of counterterrorism within the United States using real life scenarios without targeting any religious groups.

With the first season of ’24’ making its debut after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, some people were left with the impression that the new hit series was in response to current events. The first season climaxed with a girl detonating a bomb on her flight as she escaped via parachute. How convenient!

Keeping the show’s perspective in mind, regardless of who played the role as “villain” or terrorist, the theme of people working together to combat evil remains prevalent. Fast- forward to our society today. We have men and women fighting for our country overseas to keep our enemies from attacking our homeland. The themes of both are parallel.

’24″s depiction of different ethnic groups is significant as well. If the creators of the show decided to use all American people, then I think the show’s popularity and reality would not be as significant.

The reality of our world today is that most of our enemies are overseas, making them of different descent than ourselves. The show captures the essence of reality while intertwining our real-life overseas assailants with the possibility of homeland native enemies conspiring against the government.

The producer’s idea to use different religious groups to symbolize the “enemy,’ I think, is something people ought not to get offended by. Throughout ’24″s six seasons, they have used several different villains, regardless of our world’s actual condition. Those that were used who were not a threat to us in reality at the time were not offended by the show. I believe that what we absorb from the daily news combined with TV entertainment has raised voices because we are taking things to heart that are not necessarily true in our society through TV shows.

If the condition of the world were different, I think that the response to the show would change. We would be watching in awe as CTU receives numerous calls from the President ordering them not to spy on the potential terror cell in northern California for fear that they will release the nuclear bomb they claim to own. Meanwhile, the show would not have the potential reality behind it as we know reality to be today. We are granted with basic knowledge of “terror cells,” “spying” and “nuclear bombs” thanks to the media. This basic knowledge, if used wisely, could help us to understand our surroundings both near and far, or hurt us by causing us to jump to conclusions without knowing the facts.

I believe that all who are protesting the program in order to remind the general public that not everyone is a threat to our country, should look at the show in a slightly lighter manner. ’24’ symbolizes a country working together for a common cause, to fight terrorism, in return for becoming a more tight-knit nation as a whole. If it weren’t for the “Jack Bauers” who were proactive and willing to put their lives on the line for millions of others, then what condition would the country, both in sitcom and reality, be in?

Just as the members of CTU work together as a team, members of our student population can work together for a common goal in order to maintain our Salve community. Whether we participate in small activities together, such as tutoring someone, or serve others together in soup kitchens, the sense of community will resurface. Having the community to rely on is a great asset, which we can see within ’24″s premise. If it weren’t for their close network, CTU would not have been able to pull-off some of their intense undercover operations. The great TV series is one that captivates complex minds, entices the eager and captures the attention of many across our ethnically diverse country.