“It’s not what you are, it’s what you appear to be.” Professor McCay said that in our previous class. That in it’s entirety is true. Appearance is what people care most about. The personal lives of celebrities and roles models of any sort are kept in a vault to which only they know the combination. It is sad to say but over very own government follows this charade as well. The government is only concerned about their image.
In the film this is expressed when the president and his cabinet are first presented with the news of the earth being surrounded by the fleet of martians. While discussing how to handle the situation the conversation pretty much revolves around which tactic would allow the government to appear to be in the best interest of the vast majority of the United States. The president babbles about what he’ll wear and what he’ll say, completely ignoring the seriousness and danger in approaching this invasion without the maximum force and protection for the United States. In consequence of wanting to appear friendly and being the first to be in contact with the extraterrestrial life the general is annihilated. Burton exposes the governments’ tendency to buy the media.
Burton also makes a mockery of the military and it’s population of spineless soldiers. The general receives a phone call from his wife before meeting with the martians and he exclaims in joy about how his plan to stay quiet and obey orders would result in him getting power some day. People of the military are literally sworn to obey the orders they are given no if ands or buts about the situation. in my opinion joining the military is just like giving away your freedom of speech or any freedom for that matter. It’s similar to just re-enrolling yourself into grade school. You must follow strict instructions and only speak when spoken to. It is a never-ending cycle of cloning people. The military is full of people who move up rank by obeying the orders of others of higher rank. Those of the higher rank are following the orders of the government who are initially only doing what they do because of the public acceptance they wish to receive. As more privates move up rank they evolve into what they once disagreed with.
Conformity basically rules the United States and Burton has no regret for exposing that. He openly criticizes the poor care the United States is in because of the government in hopes more people will realize what is happening and dare to be different.
It's interesting what you said about the government being obsessed with image and how the buy the media to present themselves how they want. You're totally right.
ReplyDeleteAmerica does also have a certain level of conformity that it pressures people to submit to, which totally contradicts our need to be individuals, which is also a characteristic of America.
Burton definitely wants people to stop being clones, but I also thing it's interesting that, although he criticizes the government for putting out an "image" that they want to show to the world, he himself has cultivated his own "image" as a rebel, as an outcast that he wants the world to see. I mean, his hair doesn't really look like that when he wakes up you know.
Katie Frederick