so i've become a 24 fan over the past few years. i didn't watch it in its infancy, but i enjoy it now. but, as cool as jack bauer is, he is one trigger-happy govt agent. just in this season, he's harshly tortured a suspect, shot an innocent woman, and finally, hijacked a plane... all in his quest to protect america. now, i realize this is a fictional show, but it represents a key dilemma in this country's current affairs. jack always acts first, thinks later. whether you can call it acting on the side of caution, he basically sidesteps all the conventions that try to protect people until proven guilty. guantanamo bay and abu ghraib are simple examples of the same thing. we've locked up these people in horrible conditions all because someone defined them as an "enemy combatant". no trial, no jury, no verdict and all their rights as human beings are stripped away. and of course, the entire war in iraq is applicable as well, only our actions are much more morally reprehensible for the large of "collateral damage."
now, don't get me wrong, i root for jack all the same, because i understand the basic premise behind the show. that a series of decisions and actions within 24 hours will determine the history of america forever. i do support agents who have to make split second decisions to save lives, but at the same time, i just think the show perhaps reinforces the gung-ho thinking of many americans.
and on a side note, can i just say that i love curtis. i just love it when he pulls out his authority voice!
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