JACK BAUER IN THE AGE OF OBAMA
My latest column is up at PJ Media and in it, I share my thoughts about this season’s finale as well as chart the course of 24 through the years and how changes in the show reflected changes in America.
As the years passed and his friends were killed off, his family drifting away, Bauer became more of a lone sheriff type facing off against evil, bringing to mind Will Kane in High Noon and other Hollywood icons. Indeed, the Bauer character was reminiscent of real American legends — hunter heroes like Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, and Davey Crockett, whose exploits, portrayed in widely available dime novels, enthralled the nation. They too did what was necessary to survive, fighting savage animals and savage men, hacking a civilization out of the wilderness with their own two hands and the sweat of their brow, succeeding against almost impossible odds.
The legends that grew up around these men hid some pretty despicable real-life traits. But there is no denying their impact on the American mind in the 19th century as white civilization made its way westward. Bauer’s legacy also may be complicated — a mix of pure Hollywood invention and quiet, confident patriotism with a dash of violent, “means to an end” philosophy. But as a symbol of American determination to fight and defeat terrorism — a cause that seems to have fallen off the rails recently — he will always be remembered as America’s post-9/11 hero. As problematic as Bauer’s methods proved to be, there was the secret hope that somewhere in the American government, someone like Jack Bauer actually existed to protect us.
The Bauer mythos was enhanced by his battles with national security bureaucrats and politicos at the White House who never understood what it took to save lives. Frequently clashing with his superiors, Jack represented the quintessential American prototype who disparaged authority, was self reliant to a fault, and sought inventive means to fulfill his duty.
Read the whole thing.
The left is focusing on going after talk radio in an effort to eliminate free speech. I learned a lot about this at: freedomtolisten.org
Comment by Ferguson Braithwaite — 5/21/2009 @ 11:30 am