Anushree Navaneethakrishnan - Week 9: Beyond the Fairytale (1/15)
America has claimed its reign as global superpower since its victory during the American Revolution. From economics to politics, America has managed to illustrate its ability to dominate the other countries, resembling a play similar to that of Snakes and Ladders. The tactic that is behind the success of this nation’s status, currently unknown to many, is its method of gradually feeding information through the most unsuspecting places such as the movies we are entertained by on a Friday night.
But instead, when digging deeper behind the ideologies, we see the filmmakers establish America’s superiority over the Native Americans, calling them “heathens.” The idea that inspired the need for vast colonization, Manifest Destiny, was seen as Governor Ratcliffe arrived at Virginia seeking gold and land, thinking it was his duty as an “American” to civilize the “savages” and provide them with a better life.
By creating the notion that America is the country that helped build other civilizations and demonstrating it as such a noble act, America places itself on the throne, influencing the way kids and other individuals all across the globe view America as the world power. This is just one example of the subtle reinforcements that America makes to reestablish its power as an empire as we can explore more movies like Legally Blond and The Social Network, which romanticizes America as the center of higher education and innovation, thus again placing itself on a pedestal.
Hi, Anushree! The topic that you covered this week was very interesting, as it is easy to see movies simply for entertainment purposes, but really they can also be used to spread propaganda. Your point about Americans absorbing such content at a young age really struck me because children really are impressionable and will carry such perspectives throughout their lifetime. Thinking about it like that, they don’t seem like just kids movies, but types of media that shape our society, even if in small ways. I think the example of the ‘Pochahontas’ movie that you cited strongly supported your argument; even through singular words like “savage” which can be sprinkled throughout dialogue, people can solidify their beliefs about other marginalized groups. I never really thought about it as a way for Americans to put themselves on a pedestal, however, so I found your last paragraph really thought-provoking. It is true that sometimes perception is a stronger tool in politics than reality. Flawed beliefs and constant imagery feeding us the information that America is superior to all other nations can distract us from all the problems we face from within, which can halt any sort of progress. I thought the perspectives you shared were insightful, and the clear and concise manner in which you presented them helped make your post extremely effective. Thanks! I hope I can hear more of your views on this topic in the future!
ReplyDeleteHi Anushree! I really enjoyed the way you connected the game "snakes and ladders" to America's domination, which was a game I had honestly completely forgotten about over the years. It was interesting to see the way you slowly led up to the main idea of your blog, revolving around the control of the American government as they use movies to feed us with propaganda. It can be a little shocking to realize just how easily viewers can be influenced by what they see, but I sadly cannot say I disagree with what you shared. The way you were able to pick apart "Pocahontas" and point out specific words used to influence our perceptions really strengthened your point and showed just how important the notion of being the global superpower was to Americans. I appreciated the way you ended your blog by providing us with further examples of movies that encompass this ideal of reinforcing America as the top power, as it allowed me to think more deeply about these movies I had already seen but never really noticed these underlying themes in.
ReplyDeleteHi Anushree! I really like the introductory paragraph of the blog because it sets up your entire blog really well. It also shows your purpose in writing this blog, which is to accentuate America’s habit of discreetly providing information to the public through unexpected forms of media. Within this blog, you focus on how America achieves this through different movies, with a heavy emphasis on Pocahontas. I definitely agree with the claims that you made about this film. This film is one that I have loved ever since I was little. I used to watch it very often and I thought that it was a great way to demonstrate the relationship between Native Americans and new settlers. However, I have recently learned that this is not the case. In my history class we watched some scenes from this movie and it really shows just how harshly these Native Americans were treated. The claim that you made about America placing themselves on a pedestal and influencing younger generations is one I can relate to heavily, especially due to this example. When I originally watched the movie I thought it showed a good relationship between the two groups since it was a love story between Pocahontas and John Smith. Just like these newer generations, I was brainwashed and I believed America had a good foundation. Overall, this blog is very powerful and I think it is extremely important and relatable, especially to people our age. Thank you very much for sharing this.
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