Black hawk down

Black hawk down Analysis It can be argued that Black Hawk Down is accurate in the sense of numbers and statistics. Yes, two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down 19 Americans were killed, 84 wounded, and an estimated 2000 Somalis were killed and even more wounded.Yes the street fighting was realistic, and yes, they were in Mogadishu that day to capture two top lieutenants in Aidids government, and therefore from a military point of view, was a successful mission.But the film fails to retell the complexities of why the Americans are there in the first place. It is more a tool of American Hollywood propaganda than an accurate account of the Battle of Mogadishu. In Black Hawk Down the American soldiers are shown in an overly heroic way. No doubt these men were very brave struggling to survive with the odds so greatly against them. But the way they are portrayed and glorified is the patriotic nonsense one can expect from Hollywood. These soldiers are depicts without faults, and they can do no wrong. They are the ideal family men who constantly look after one another. Any facts that may contradict this, like their contribution to the Somali death toll before the battle (6-10,000 casualties in the summer of 1993 alone, two-thirds women and children) is conveniently left out. Their only shortcoming is the disastrous way the mission was handled but there is no blame put on them for that in the movie.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Battle of Mogadishu was clearly not a battle of â€Å"good versus bad as most things in life are. But the seeing the way the Somalis are portrayed as evil, barbaric and mindless people, it is clear that the movie would certainly like us to think that this was the case. The American soldiers are established as the saviours of the Somalis, and it is these soldiers who are wrongfully attacked. By using dramatic camera shots, and clichà ©d Hollywood lines like â€Å"Nobody asks to be a hero, it just sometimes turns out that way† help to drive home the themes of brotherhood and comradeship. By graphically showing the wounds and casualties of the American soldiers, the movie evokes sympathy and removes the blame for the catastrophe from the soldiers. They are portrayed as heroic and patriotic, but this portrayal is misleading. The film begins with scenes of starving Somalis on the brink of death or already dead; the screen is tinted blue to heighten the feeling of sadness. They all live in dilapidated huts, and the whole situation seems desperate children taking care of their dying parents. A sort â€Å"history† of American involvement is displayed on the screen: â€Å"Years of warfare among rival clans causes famine on a biblical scale† â€Å"Behind a force of 20,000 U.S. Marines, food is delivered and order is restored.† no mention of the USs past involvement in selling arms to the dictators, or helping to stir up clan violence. The audience only knows what they are being told the US troops are the good guys saving the day, not at all having anything to do with causing these atrocities. And after the audience is full of sorrow for the Somalis, a bright image of US military vehicle bringing food and supplies to Somalia. We are relieved that the Somalis are receiving the help they need, and we are subconsciously relieved that the blue tint is gone. So from the beginning of the movie we are made to see that the US military is the saviour and we as the audience are therefore indebted to them. We also now have sympathy for the soldiers it is this sympathy that dominates the rest of the film. Because the storyline of Black Hawk Down is just one big battle scene there are no subplots to entertain a wider audience, the themes of comradeship are over emphasized (mostly in a clichà ©d way) to make it more appealing. The tagline of the film is â€Å"leave no man behind† this is repeated about four times in the film, to the point where we can predict when it is coming. Similarly, we are flooded with messages of dedication and solidarity. Lines like â€Å"I think I was trained to make a difference† and â€Å"Its what you do right now that makes the difference.† These kinds of lines are without a doubt used to emphasize the honour and comradeship between the soldiers, it rather detracts the human interaction of these characters by reducing them to clichà ©d statements of emotion or motivation. The line â€Å"make a difference† is both overused and ambiguous what do the soldiers hope to make a difference in? This constant repetition of such dialogu e is a demonstration of the filmmakers wish to portray the American soldiers as good and moral men. Also this simplicity and predictability of these lines could be intended for us to make an easy definition between good and evil, and hero and villain. The American soldiers all have their specific identities, and their portrayal is made extremely personal compared to that of the Somalis. We have the â€Å"bad boy† the â€Å"underdog† and the â€Å"rookie† to name a few, and just to make sure we know who is who, the soldiers have their names written on their helmets (which was not done in reality). We see that these soldiers are people like us they watch television, play chess and do things any one of us would do. Most of all they are devoted family men. One soldier, after being severed I half, in his last words says: â€Å"Tell my girls Ill be okay.† And another one on his deathbed â€Å"Tell my parents that I fought well today, that I fought hard† even in death he is seeking his familys approval. This use of the soldiers having families makes our experience of these characters a much more personal one.   The Americans only shoot militia, not one innocent man, women or child is shot. However, we all know that this cannot be the case as in most urban conflicts; civilians are almost the highest casualties. Soldiers from that day have been quoted as saying â€Å"we fired on crowds and eventually at anyone and anything they saw. With these family members in mind, the horrific and graphic way in which the American casualties are displayed only reinforces our sympathy for the plight that the soldiers are in most of the gore and blood in the movie belongs to Americans, not Somalis a severed thumb attached only by a thread, a white detached arm that is picked up off the ground, a stomach pierced by a missile, a soldier severed in half, are all examples of American casualties. Thus the Americans are portrayed as the â€Å"good guys†, while the Somalis as the â€Å"bad guys† who inflict these casualties. With the â€Å"good guy† established, it seems natural have the opposite the â€Å"bad guy†. Enter the Somalis. Dressed all in black with shadowed sinister faces, accompanied by dark techno music they are the epitome of evil. We are unable to differentiate between one Somali and the next, and there are no names given to them. Their actions seem to be motivated by nothing more than the thirst for the blood of white men, Americans in particular. Even before the fighting starts, in the market place scenes, the camera does not focus on one Somali. They have no personalities, and their everyday lives are trivialized. The Somalis are therefore on the periphery of a movie set in Somalia. Even the extras do not resemble Somalis, but rather any black people. Another point is that the militia become indistinguishable from the citizens of Mogadishu. Even though the military officials in the movie say that those holding weapons are part of the militia. There is another scene when a general says:â€Å"The whole city is gonna come down on them.†At this point the distinction between citizenry and the militia is lost we know believe that the entire city is engaged in the conflict, which we therefore assume are all sided with Aidid. But there were reports that many of the Somalis were not part of Aidids militia but rather people who thought their homes were under attack and were therefore protecting their homes. The Somalis are depicted as a pack of rabid animals snarling at fallen soldiers, shooting at a corpse and fast moving hands grabbing at the fallen helicopter all convey an unexplained sense of hostility. Somalis appear like packs of animals with the use of aerial camera angles showing swarming bodies. There is nothing of Somali culture in the movie, and they are not given a voice. The Americans â€Å"affectionately† refer to the Somalis as â€Å"skinnies†.   We are told that thousands of Somalis were killed, but every time a Somali is shot, it is clean, and he (or she) conveniently falls away from the camera. There is no blood or gore like the American injuries. There are no innocent women or children killed, and in this way Black Hawk Down does not let us see the full scope of the devastation of the thousands of Somali deaths. This only allows for the interpretation of the Somalis as the â€Å"bad guys†. The US government had been involved in the making of Black Hawk Down since it first started being written, and the creators had the full co-operation and approval of the military because of the pro-American bias of the movie. The producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been quoted as saying to the Army vice chief of staff: â€Å"General, Im going to make a movie that you and your Army will be proud of.† The creators were allowed full use of military equipment and training, as well as dozens of actual soldiers for extras. But, the military, to ensure precision, monitored the filming daily.   Special task teams were set up to provide the moviemakers with specific military advice. Helicopters and Humvees were also loaned to them.It seems appropriate that a film endorsed by the US military, will have the views of the US military. And not surprisingly has had an overwhelmingly positive response from the military; Former Vice President Dick Cheney and Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfe ld and were among those pleased at the screening of the movie, and Army Secretary Thomas White gave the film a thumbs up

Comparing Adlerian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution

It is my goal to become a school counselor in a local high school. As a school counselor, it is also important to try and understand the different experiences that children go through in order to get through to them. After studying the different counseling theories, I have discovered that each theory is valid and there are ideas and techniques that I would use out of each of them. However, there are some theories more than others that I would use to guide me daily as a school counselor. Modern day counseling is equipped with a wide variety of therapies, techniques and approaches. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast three approaches of therapy. Also in this essay the views of the person and the Therapeutic process will be discussed. The three models that are going to be compared are Adlerian, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Solution Focused Brief therapy (SFBT). This essay is going to highlight the similarities and differences of the models and their main fo cus, and how the three models will help the clients choose goals that best fit their environment and resources. The main goal of using these models is to help people. Adlerian Theory Key Concepts Alfred Adler was born in 1870. He published his first major psychology book, Understanding Human Nature, in 1959. Alder has a passionate concern for the common person and he was very outspoken about child-rearing practices, school reforms, and prejudices that resulted in conflict. Alder created 32 child guidance clinics in the Vienna public schools and began training teachers, social workers, physicians, and other professionals. Alder believes that where we are striving to go is more important than where we have come from. He saw humans as both the c... ...MA: Allyn & Bacon. Parker G, Roy K, Eyers K. Cognitive behavior therapy for depression? Choose horses for courses. Am J Psychiatry. 2003 May;160(5):825-34. Review. Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2010). Psychology. (2nd ed., p. 600). New York: Worth Pub. Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L. W., (2010). Solution-focused brief therapy. In J. Johnston (Ed.), Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: systems, strategies, and skills.Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Sharon Howard a & Fran Thompson a pages 4-13. ... Young and Holdorf(2003)10. YOUNG, S. and HOLDORF, G. 2003. Using Solution Focused Brief Therapy in IndividualReferrals for Bullying. Educational Psychology in Practice, 19: 271–82. ... Stein, H. T., & Edwards, E. M., (1998), Classical Adlerian Theory and Practice. Retrieved December 11, 2013 from www.aldlerian.us/theoprac.htm Comparing Adlerian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution It is my goal to become a school counselor in a local high school. As a school counselor, it is also important to try and understand the different experiences that children go through in order to get through to them. After studying the different counseling theories, I have discovered that each theory is valid and there are ideas and techniques that I would use out of each of them. However, there are some theories more than others that I would use to guide me daily as a school counselor. Modern day counseling is equipped with a wide variety of therapies, techniques and approaches. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast three approaches of therapy. Also in this essay the views of the person and the Therapeutic process will be discussed. The three models that are going to be compared are Adlerian, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Solution Focused Brief therapy (SFBT). This essay is going to highlight the similarities and differences of the models and their main fo cus, and how the three models will help the clients choose goals that best fit their environment and resources. The main goal of using these models is to help people. Adlerian Theory Key Concepts Alfred Adler was born in 1870. He published his first major psychology book, Understanding Human Nature, in 1959. Alder has a passionate concern for the common person and he was very outspoken about child-rearing practices, school reforms, and prejudices that resulted in conflict. Alder created 32 child guidance clinics in the Vienna public schools and began training teachers, social workers, physicians, and other professionals. Alder believes that where we are striving to go is more important than where we have come from. He saw humans as both the c... ...MA: Allyn & Bacon. Parker G, Roy K, Eyers K. Cognitive behavior therapy for depression? Choose horses for courses. Am J Psychiatry. 2003 May;160(5):825-34. Review. Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2010). Psychology. (2nd ed., p. 600). New York: Worth Pub. Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L. W., (2010). Solution-focused brief therapy. In J. Johnston (Ed.), Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: systems, strategies, and skills.Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Sharon Howard a & Fran Thompson a pages 4-13. ... Young and Holdorf(2003)10. YOUNG, S. and HOLDORF, G. 2003. Using Solution Focused Brief Therapy in IndividualReferrals for Bullying. Educational Psychology in Practice, 19: 271–82. ... Stein, H. T., & Edwards, E. M., (1998), Classical Adlerian Theory and Practice. Retrieved December 11, 2013 from www.aldlerian.us/theoprac.htm

News and History: Re-Inventing Iraq Through British Drawdown

Early this month U.S. Defense Department’s Secretary Robert Gates and British Defense Secretary Des Browne met in London to agree on the withdrawal of half of the British troops in   Iraq. They said that the pull out was not because of any mounting domestic political pressure from any individual or groups but because of the improved situation in the said region. Des Browne said that Britain and the U.S. have the same aspirations for Iraq. But while the situation in Iraq continues to stabilize, in Afghanistan, however, it was the opposite. Des Browne is calling for additional international forces to be sent to Afghanistan which he said as part of the â€Å"long-term commitment† to pursue stability in those areas. That probably is the catch for the withdrawal because according to him all the 2,500 troops that would be taken out in southern part of Iraq would be diverted to Afghanistan to support the present force manning those territories. The two powerful personalities agreed that there is no need for most of the forces in those parts of Iraq and that the withdrawal was agreed by Gen. David Petraeus who was the highest military personnel in Iraq. Accordingly the situation in this part of the region has been neutralized and had been peaceful in the past few months and no major war can be foreseen. Also, Australian troops would be included among those to be withdrawn. These three countries have been blood allies from the beginning and such decision are always being agreed by these three powerful nations. But that is not the end of the news, however. According to the New York Times, in reality there is still continuous fighting between the rival Shiite factions who are trying to gain control of the oil-rich section of Iraq. Just recently, politicians were assassinated in the provinces of Muthanna and Diwaniyah. These provinces were located in the southern part of the country and people say that these political killings are being done by certain groups to have control over all of the oil reserve found in these areas. Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair was somewhat dismayed of the growing fractionalization and rebellion in Iraq. The Prime Minister has always been supporting the U.S. in its long time war with Iraq and ironically his decade-long tenure ended in June this year. Blair was questioning British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s decision on the issue of withdrawal and for now Brown had to distance himself from the embattled ex-Prime Minister. Britain has more than 5,000 troops particularly situated in Iraq while the U.S. has nearly 170,000 troops all stationed around Iraq. After the announcement of the withdrawal, Brown said those who will remain would be tasked to train Iraqi government troops and will only fight if necessary. They will also be withdrawn by the end of next year, he said. The New York Times also reported that some U.S. Marines were proposing to be pulled out along with the Britons and also wanted to move to Afghanistan because they feel they are better suited to fight in that war (Youssef, 2007). This news was more related with Toby Dodge’s book Inventing Iraq where in the old days the British colonizes part of the Ottoman territories in the now modern Iraq and built frontiers to keep natives from uniting and throwing them out of their colonies. British has long been trying to conquer Iraq because of its vast oil resources and widening its territories. Although it has established itself temporarily, ultimately it failed to conquer the country due to Britain’s misguided policies plus the ever intervening attitude of the U.S. The result was a failure of governance and ultimately the assumption of rule by the Iraqis. The author has explicitly vindicated the fate of the oppressed as against the oppressor and implied that no one has the right to rule anybody because it is unjust and immoral. Reference: Youssef, N. A. (2007). Gates: British Drawdown In Iraq Due To Improved Conditions [Electronic Version]. Retrieved October 17, 2007 from http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20393.html.      

Analysis Of The Movie Tarzan The Ape Man - 863 Words

Tarzan Growing up as a child in America I was always easily amused by cartoons that played on the television during the early 2000’s and late 1999’s. By far one of my most watched movies was Tarzan, which sometimes played during the weekends on the Disney channel, it’s very much entertaining to watch this old version of Tarzan directed by W.S. Van Dyke. In the film Tarzan â€Å"the Ape Man†, Jane Parker derives to Africa to visit her father, who was in a pursuit for ivory, Tarzan captures Jane and once the preliminary terror has worn off, Jane apprehends that she adores Tarzan and that jungle life suits her. This take on the modern day Tarzan opened my eyes to a much more realistic perspective of race perception with the sociological abnormality of behavior mixed in one. It’s highly unrealistic, however to see a white man grow up in jungle exhibiting masculinity characteristic intertwined with Ape behavior, but this is very much the central plot focus of the short film. A character must first and foremost be able to identify themselves with their surroundings, but most importantly within themselves as well, this film displays a broad mixture of cultural American imperialism and like every other film previously viewed throughout the course, shows the predominant race as being the white individuals while Blacks are being frowned upon and in the film’s case, taken another look at. The opening of the film also leaves one to assume that African Americans were principally treated asShow MoreRelatedThe Media s Choice Of A Desert2122 Words   |  9 Pagesin the oppositional position are the audience that do not share the text s code. Although they understand the meaning, they reject it. Here it can be Africans, especially Nigerians. First, they realize and know that, apart from being fiction, the movie was not shot in Nigeria, and the film does not reflect what can happen in today’s Nigeria, so they reject the message. After the message was interpreted at the Reproduction stage. The dominant audience does not just get the message of the film, butRead MoreDisney, Racism, And The Renaissance Era2978 Words   |  12 Pagesas this is when the animators returned to making popular films based on well-known stories, thus restoring public and critical interest in Disney. The films, including The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), Mulan (1998), and Tarzan (1999) reflect â€Å"†¦a phase of aesthetic and industrial growth to the Studio. Visually, this period saw the Studio return to the artistic ideologies of the Disney-Formalist period, and it is this resplendence that is commonly foregrounded in popularRead MoreThe Studio System Essay14396 Words   |  58 Pages1920, Adolph Zukor, head of Paramount Pictures, over the decade of the 1920s helped to fashion Hollywood into a vertically integrated system, a set of economic innovations which was firmly in place by 1930. For the next three decades, the movie industry in the United States and the rest of the world operated by according to these principles. Cultural, social and economic changes ensured the demise of this system after the Second World War. A new way to run Hollywood was