Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Terrorist in the LOST Airplane?


SawyerVsSayed

It has been a while since I started to understand what the ABC’s drama lost is all about, and I have kind of given up until the start of my project. In this clip Sawyer, a white cone artist with a less than an average IQ started a fight with Sayid, an Arab and an Iraqi communication officer for Iraqi republican guard in the first gulf war. Sawyer suspected sayid to be a terrorist and probably blasted the airplane before the crash. The timing of the show was perfect. The show aired while the Iraqi war still popular, the fear of terrorism so fresh, and the suspicion of Arabs who lived in the US was at all time high. Sawyer’s suspicion, fear and resentment represent a majority of people in the US if not all. I did not see the show at that time and have heard how so many people said that they would have probably done the same thing as Sawyer did.

They may relate Sayid to all the terrorist that have caused us harm in a way we have never been experiencing before. The fact is that he is currently working as a USA and Australian agent to infiltrate a terrorist cell to avert any terrorist attack on the USA. Since no one know this fact at this moment it does not matter who he is inside, but he is just another middle eastern now. Especially, when one comes so close to an Arab in the midst of an airplane crash that is so similar to ground zero in New York. For Sayid defending his innocent to this idiot was something he does not want to pass. He probably experienced this suspicion filled look where ever he goes. I do not know why it took them a while for the rest the survivors to break the fight. Did they take side subconsciously? Their mind probably was filled with the tragedy and their reaction to do anything slowed. Jack and Michael broke the fight. Sawyer seems to listen to Jack not because of respect for Jack’s Medical profession, but out of resentment.

Sayid had enough of this and does not want to take this pure stereotypical approach toward him from a fellow crash survival. Sawyer does not seem to hide his suspicion of a terrorism act on the airplane. The media, the government and his fellow country men has all been beating the drum of terrorism and Arab extremism since the terrorist act of 9/11. Sayid, a torturer while serving Sadam in the republican guard some how thinks he is not tolerating this analogy from Sawyer. The name calling and the fight must have happened to reflect the views of the audience. Sawyer did not want anyone to trust this Arab who caused this terrorist act, but for Sayid this is a defining moment to clear his name.

Now that the fight is over, Sayid decides to help the group by providing his communication expertise to find a signal on the radio so that they can get help. Through out the show there are a lot of stereotypical men and women portrayed as some how a representation of their ethnical, social and racial groups. Jack, the surgeon treated by every one as a leader even if he does not want it at times. The society sends signals as to who is cut out to be a leader and who are not. Why Michael was was suspected of being a thief? The fact is that he was a sketch artist, and a construction worker before the Airplane crash. According to the Mass Media Effects: Hegemony Theory “domination is not simply imposed from above, but has to be won through the subordinated groups' spontaneous consent to the cultural domination which they believe will serve their interests because it is 'common sense'.” In society it is too often that people accept their subordination often times due to the effect that the media has on our everyday lives. The groups of survivors on the island became a living proof that the mass is lead by the elites and the mass is to be subordinate to the few.

2 comments:

Eraline Sabino said...

Your argument goes perfectly with the article. So many times we encourage stereotypes without even noticing.

Afi said...

it's interesting to read your way on how you viewed the fight between sawyer vs. sayid because what you analyzed was true, Sawyer automatically assumer Sayid to be the one who bombed the airplane just because he's an Arab, which doesn't really only happen in this show but in reality as well. i myself had people stare at me and my sisters in the airplane just because we were speaking in Arabic. (and thats just a small example on what we go through in airports and planes). overall i liked your analysis, and thought the clip you chose was perfect for what is going on now in America.