Fox's 24 : torture is the only option

It's a TV show - give me a break. Don't confuse Hollywood with reality. What was done at Abu Ghraib could barely be considered torture. Read some of the accounts of men who were prisoners of war during Vietnam and you will hear real stories of torture.

I think at first it is just a good time and it's important to remember that it's fiction. Second, look at the characters that do the torturing. The character, Jack Bauer, is a man of unquestioned patriotism and virtue. He is the reluctant warrior that will sacrifice himself for his country and will commit acts of violence in order to keep us all safe even when it goes against his nature. I don't think you can compare it to Abu Ghraib were you had people acting in there own self interest and were humiliating human beings for fun. Jack takes no pleasure in what he is forced to do. That's why fans of the show like it and watch.

One of the reasons that I am a big fan of 24 is precisely because they portray Jack the way that they have - as someone who will do whatever is necessary to save as many people as possible, whether he likes it or not. The last season did a really good job of showing the clear conflict that Jack has with harming someone such as Paul (Audrey's ex-husband), and yet he does it because he knows it has to be done. While 24 has done a good job of glamorizing usually boring government work, I think they do a pretty good job of showing that the real nitty gritty of interrogation is something that people don't do lightly and that normal people are called on to make extraordinary decisions with little information and time.

Another reason I like this show is because it portrays the government as doing what they can to solve a world-shattering situation with the information that they have and they do not hesitate. As much as the American people (and all peace-loving people, really) would like to believe otherwise, this kind of activity has been going on for years and is sometimes necessary in order to save innocent lives. Humiliation, torture, and even death of a small few (who, in many cases are extremists and think they are willing to die for their cause) for the immediate good of saving thousands or millions is a necessary tradeoff. Sometimes, the threat of real and present death is the only thing that can move an ideal-hardened tongue. As Kevin pointed out, the humiliation at Abu Ghraib wasn't carried out only to gain information to save lives, it was also done to work out hatred and malice on the part of those involved. That crossed the line.

Anyway, teens today are pretty savvy and smarter than a lot of us give them credit for, and so I don't think you're going to find this particular show resulting in little armies of torturers running about. To their credit, 24 did a pretty good job of making sure that people knew last year's show was just that - a show - by having public service announcements before and after talking about how the muslim extremists portrayed in the show were not indicative of Islam at large and that tolerance is warranted. They specifically recognized the concerns you are voicing here, and did what they could to quell those ideas before they got started.

I dunno, I wouldn't call 24's writers a bunch of Bush-cronies or anything... they slipped in that cute "weapons of mass destruction" bit from the vice president readily enough... :)

Teenagers are not nearly as impressionable and naive as you seem to think. What you said probably feels the same to us as me saying "I wonder how those thirty year old people handle the arthritis, walkers, and incontinence?" would feel to you.

I imagine I react in the exact same way that most adults would when watching TV. Its something along these lines:

"I'm watching a TV show. Its not real. Its a TV show. I don't use it to make political decisions or to base my moral values. Its a TV show."

Guantanamo Bey or Abu Graibe(sp)

If you're going to take the time to write an "article" at a site like this, take the 10 seconds to check your spelling - don't just lazy out with a little (sp) - especially if you leave one off of "Bey" (that would be "Bay").

So let me get this straight. You're questioning message this TV show is sending? Albeit a very mild questioning. Isn't this what provokes liberal outrage; when "Christians" question the messages sent by other TV shows. Or what about the propaganda sent by George Clooney's recent flicks? The fact of the matter is that most TV shows and movies have a message and I find myself at odds with many of those messages. With 24 on the other hand I must say that I hope there are people in our government willing to go to the extremes Jack Bauer does in defense of this nation.

When life gives Jack Bauer lemons, he uses 'em to kill terrorists. He hates lemonade.

It's a TV show, man. Honestly. If you like it, then watch it. If you don't like it, watch something else. It's that simple.

Ok, then. I was all prepared to write a comment until I saw "gjetson". gjetson - You said exactly what I was thinking as I read everyone's comments. It is "that SIMPLE"! We also need to remember we live in the "Land of the FREE" - Free to make choices! No one person or one thing can "make" anyone do anything. WE ALL HAVE A CHOICE! If someone is experiencing impulses to do bad things because of a TV show then they first need to choose not to watch that show, for themselves, and then go get professional help because there is a root problem there that's rearing its ugly head! I'm not a psychologist or anything I'm just saying it the way I see it...and on that note...I LOVE THIS SEASON OF 24!

I love 24 (we're a bit behind in The Netherlands, being somewhere halfway season 4 I think, where the nuke has been launched. So please no spoilers beyond this :) ). I do really agree on this post, and asked myself the same questions: Why do they put in a lot of scenes where torture seems the only (or definitely the logical) option?
It even made me wonder (and I know this is gonna sound left-wing European to you Yankees) if it has to to with the series being made by Fox, and Fox being big fans of the Bush administration (anyone else seen OutFoxed?), so as to say: We don't like torture, but sometimes it's the only option, like in Abu-graib or Guantanamo bay. Would it be a big conspiracy? :)

Btw: kpoirier: no real torture? There have been people living in Guantanamo for over three years! In a simulation in the UK (where the subjects KNEW they would be released in 3 days!), no-one made the 3 days. Thats 3 days! I'm completly sure three years off that would drive anyone completly crazy. Now how is that not 'real torture'?

White House Waits 30 hours before releasing information on suicide of close White House Counsel!

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2006/02/14/96800-white-house-waits-30-hours-before-releasing-suicide-note

I saw last night's 24, and it's a horrible show. It embellishes 1 side, and gives no real reason for the other side. They never really talk about true exploitation except when it's for "national security". They always seem to portray people of the Middle East as evil people.

You want to watch a show that does a bunch better job? Watch Showtime's Sleeper Cell. It's about a muslim FBI special-agent who is deep undercover and has infiltrated a sleeper cell in Los Angeles. Miniseries of only 10 episodes, and nominated for Golden Globe. It's now on iTunes too.

And if you haven't already, watch SYRIANA, nominated for oscars. Unlike 24 that always like to say "torture is the only option, we gotta do it", Syriana doesn't point the finger at one person. It points finger at everybody. Even though each party think they are doing the right thing, they are all wrong, and people forget that we are closer to each other than we think, even on a global scale.

I think 24 is a bad show not because it promotes a utilitarian point of view for law enforcement but because it sucks in character development. Most characters on the show at best poorly represent the real life figures. I wouldn't be surprised if the show ended this season.

I love 24 too. But I'm not so worried what teens will come away with from this fictional show. I wonder what they think when they see the reaction in the Middle East to a cartoon, where they see real people burning down embassies, rioting killing and injuring other real people.