I can understand that viewers would enjoy a well written, entertaining show. It's usually a bit suspenseful. A great cast. But what's galling is the preoccupation with abject jingoist sentiments and imperialist revisionist history in nearly every other scene. But then, that's also completely predictable for U.S. television, I suppose.
With each military crisis or conflict, the entirety of U.S. history and complicity in anything ever is completely ignored. It might have been more M*A*S*H like in legacy if the writing had gone deeper, beyond refraining jingoist and imperialist lie after lie after myth after myth. For example in season three the Israel/ Palestine conflict is addressed with the same old tired b.s. as IF the IDF weren't regularly massacring Palestinians (to this day as well), as if the house demolitions weren't occurring (and ongoing to this day). When if any of the reality of the now 50+ years of illegal, brutal military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, if any of the actually occurring apartheid and ethnic cleansing had been addressed, this series would have seemed more real.
That's one example but you get the picture, same w/ crises on this show involving Mexico, Haiti, etc. anywhere the U.S. has undermined local economies to destroy the society and make other places mere colonies of U.S. empire....is painted in this series as "evil," etc.... quite shallow and very disappointing in this regard.
In comparison (and I suppose I compare it to M*A*S*H because the cast is great and the writing is good, etc. and it has to do w/ U.S. government/ military in a kind of dramatic way)....in comparison M*A*S*H (t.v. show; not the movie) although more of a "comedy," allowed for more reality to enter in. For example, addressing the jingoism of "Colonel Flag" and "Major Frank Burns," and addressing the hardships suffered by the local population as a result of U.S. military actions, even giving the "enemy" soldiers a very human face, addressing McCarthyism, etc.
The legacy of this series could have been more important. But now, it's on the historical shelves alongside pro-imperialist "rah-rah! USA!" type shows. Disappointing. For example season 3 episode 19 is so full of self-congratulatory jingoism that it strains credulity.
In addition to reoccurring racist appropriation and anti-African sentiments within the script. In fact, this show is racist af in many instances including C.J. getting "upset" over Affirmative Action (which by the way benefits we white women moreso than anyone else) and literally says her father was "passed over" b/c "less qualified Black women" got the jobs he was hoping to get. Just wow. How did someone actually think that was appropriate? Other examples of thinly veiled racism and anti-African sentiment occur throughout the series, but such things are fairly ubiquitous in U.S. television for the most part, so this series is no exception.
And I can't tell if the show about "crazy Zionists get upset that map from the 18th century didn't include the non-extant Israel" was satire or for real. Just amazing; literally an historical map is "banned" b/c it "doesn't recognize Israel" which didn't exist at that time. This show is really good at one thing: showing w/ accuracy how insidiously heinous liberals are, and how full of nonsense our notions about so- called "freedom" and "democracy" (i.e. killing innocents the globe over for centuries) are; and how this is sadly taught to each new generation.
Season 5, episode 21, "Gaza." The unapologetic Zionism and anti- Palestinian sentiment; forever painting the oppressed Palestinians as "terrorists" while abjectly ignoring the never-ending aerial bombardments upon the imprisoned people of Gaza, the illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank by Israel, the home demolitions, destruction of infrastructure, hospitals, fuel stations, water supply inflicted upon the Palestinian population by Israel and IDF. One character says flippantly: "Displaced? Palestinians moved what~ 15, 20 miles?" wow, yeah; and some to the sea and their death; and not "moved;" forcibly displaced, just wow re: the Nakba. And the other character says: "You know after 50 years, one option might be to 'get over it." Just effing wow, what the hell? Just "get over" the forcible displacement of an entire people from their homes; and the ongoing terror launched against them by IDF w/ U.S. funding? It's still going on; that's why you don't "get over it." And this episode centers its plot around the a white whitehouse aid who is injured, possibly killed in a car bombing; but devotes not one second to the massive and indiscriminate, deadly violence unleashed upon Gaza and the West bank decade, after decade, after decade, continuing during the airing of this show and up to the present day. This is just one example of the gross jingoism and white nationalism woven into each episode of this show. Again, I know, not surprising but it might have aimed higher, ala M*A*S*H.
With each military crisis or conflict, the entirety of U.S. history and complicity in anything ever is completely ignored. It might have been more M*A*S*H like in legacy if the writing had gone deeper, beyond refraining jingoist and imperialist lie after lie after myth after myth. For example in season three the Israel/ Palestine conflict is addressed with the same old tired b.s. as IF the IDF weren't regularly massacring Palestinians (to this day as well), as if the house demolitions weren't occurring (and ongoing to this day). When if any of the reality of the now 50+ years of illegal, brutal military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, if any of the actually occurring apartheid and ethnic cleansing had been addressed, this series would have seemed more real.
That's one example but you get the picture, same w/ crises on this show involving Mexico, Haiti, etc. anywhere the U.S. has undermined local economies to destroy the society and make other places mere colonies of U.S. empire....is painted in this series as "evil," etc.... quite shallow and very disappointing in this regard.
In comparison (and I suppose I compare it to M*A*S*H because the cast is great and the writing is good, etc. and it has to do w/ U.S. government/ military in a kind of dramatic way)....in comparison M*A*S*H (t.v. show; not the movie) although more of a "comedy," allowed for more reality to enter in. For example, addressing the jingoism of "Colonel Flag" and "Major Frank Burns," and addressing the hardships suffered by the local population as a result of U.S. military actions, even giving the "enemy" soldiers a very human face, addressing McCarthyism, etc.
The legacy of this series could have been more important. But now, it's on the historical shelves alongside pro-imperialist "rah-rah! USA!" type shows. Disappointing. For example season 3 episode 19 is so full of self-congratulatory jingoism that it strains credulity.
In addition to reoccurring racist appropriation and anti-African sentiments within the script. In fact, this show is racist af in many instances including C.J. getting "upset" over Affirmative Action (which by the way benefits we white women moreso than anyone else) and literally says her father was "passed over" b/c "less qualified Black women" got the jobs he was hoping to get. Just wow. How did someone actually think that was appropriate? Other examples of thinly veiled racism and anti-African sentiment occur throughout the series, but such things are fairly ubiquitous in U.S. television for the most part, so this series is no exception.
And I can't tell if the show about "crazy Zionists get upset that map from the 18th century didn't include the non-extant Israel" was satire or for real. Just amazing; literally an historical map is "banned" b/c it "doesn't recognize Israel" which didn't exist at that time. This show is really good at one thing: showing w/ accuracy how insidiously heinous liberals are, and how full of nonsense our notions about so- called "freedom" and "democracy" (i.e. killing innocents the globe over for centuries) are; and how this is sadly taught to each new generation.
Season 5, episode 21, "Gaza." The unapologetic Zionism and anti- Palestinian sentiment; forever painting the oppressed Palestinians as "terrorists" while abjectly ignoring the never-ending aerial bombardments upon the imprisoned people of Gaza, the illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank by Israel, the home demolitions, destruction of infrastructure, hospitals, fuel stations, water supply inflicted upon the Palestinian population by Israel and IDF. One character says flippantly: "Displaced? Palestinians moved what~ 15, 20 miles?" wow, yeah; and some to the sea and their death; and not "moved;" forcibly displaced, just wow re: the Nakba. And the other character says: "You know after 50 years, one option might be to 'get over it." Just effing wow, what the hell? Just "get over" the forcible displacement of an entire people from their homes; and the ongoing terror launched against them by IDF w/ U.S. funding? It's still going on; that's why you don't "get over it." And this episode centers its plot around the a white whitehouse aid who is injured, possibly killed in a car bombing; but devotes not one second to the massive and indiscriminate, deadly violence unleashed upon Gaza and the West bank decade, after decade, after decade, continuing during the airing of this show and up to the present day. This is just one example of the gross jingoism and white nationalism woven into each episode of this show. Again, I know, not surprising but it might have aimed higher, ala M*A*S*H.