Finding a Response to Political Video - Assignment Example

Political Video Response Part One Some of the strong points that the videos illustrate include the fact the Israel is to blame forthe untold suffering the Palestinians are undergoing. They seem to have an upper hand in the war as compared to Israel. The movie is unbiased and narrates the ordeal as it is without any fear of contradiction. In this sense, journalism plays its role as the mirror of the society. The movies help the viewer to watch the political intrigues that are involved in the recent mass killings of Palestinians by the Israeli forces. One wonders why they had to go to such extents of starving the Palestinians and exposing them to cruel inhumane conditions. Through the movie, the viewer understands that world politics have a role to play in the Gaza Strip-West Bank war that has been ongoing for a long time now. Covering the political nature of the materials is not an easy task (Monaco, 2000). One is never sure who is against or for Israel. Israel plays an important role on world politics and even economy of countries that an interviewer or a reporter will find challenges in unraveling. For instance, trying to unearth such intricate political issues may put their lives in danger or jeopardize their relations with their home political leaders. As such, it is always a tricky balance, and one that requires that they tread carefully whenever they are covering such political stories. The good news though is that the journalists covering the politically sensitive issues are fearless and authoritative, perhaps aided by their many years of experience handling political issues. One gets the impression that American and Europe are equivocal concerning ending the stalemate between Israel and Palestine. The same is the case with the Al-Sisi and the Egyptian stalemate with the rebellious youths. It is difficult to put the story into perspective due to divisions, mistrust, and political intrigues surrounding it. Again, Palestine is seen to be the underdog (Monaco, 2000). It would be expected that the Arab countries voice their displeasure with the inhumane conditions Palestinian refugees are exposed to (some of them are starved to death). Who is gaining from all this fiasco? The interviewers remain impartial most of the time. However, there are instances when they seem to be asking leading questions or sympathizing with one side of the warring factions. Such interviews ought to be as impartial and neutral as possible. This is, therefore, a major weakness of the materials. Major strength of covering these kinds of political materials is because they expose to the world the intrigues surrounding the war that has been on for decades (Monaco, 2000). They show, for instance, issues such as need to be politically relevant and wanting to maintain good relations. One gets to understand that the United States and Israel have always had important economic and political ties. It would be, therefore, awkward for the former to “take sides.” Perhaps this is a weakness of the nature of political material under discussion. The moderator maintains a neutral stance all throughout the debate. For instance, they are quick to notice the official European position with regard to humanitarian violations against the Palestinians. A major weakness in that one of the moderators is an Arab (Monaco, 2000). This, in my opinion, might influence the direction of the debate. Some volunteers work in the Israeli Army. This looks suspicions and casts doubt about the integrity of the “humanitarian aid.” Egypt seems to be sitting on the fence since it wants to be political relevant. This is another example of biasness about the nature of political materials under review. The international Arabic would be expected to support Palestine; however, this is not the case. Under the circumstances, even the moderator may find themselves taking sides with the majority. The US needs to maintain ties with Israel and prefers instead to stay equivocal at least so that the international community does not portray them in bad light (Monaco, 2000). Therefore, many biases exist given the political nature of the materials covered. The selection of clips is meticulous. The Sisi clips depict the division both within and without the Muslim Arab countries such as Egypt. The youths are divided. Biases of religion therefore make the interview not to suffice. Clips are shown from both the Palestine and the Israeli side. They are carefully chosen to reduce instances of media biasness. Every time the moderator shifts the debate, the clips are matched real-time actions. However, most of the clips tend to focus on the Israeli volunteer soldiers offering aid to the Palestinian refugees (Monaco, 2000). This looks suspicious. Overall, the images have been used to depict the animosity and cruelty between Palestine and Israeli forces as they fight over the age-long settlement rows over West Bank and Gaza Strip. The image of the moment occurs when the pathetic clips of innocent children starving to death in the Israeli refugee camps are shown. Part Two How materials appeal to the youth The materials are much appealing to the youths as they are at the center of the fights and bloodletting. This is true for both the Israeli-Palestine stand- of as well as the al-Sisi dilemma in Egypt. Perhaps it is important to note that most soldiers are youths who are used by their seniors to settle scores. Their seniors promise them good jobs if only they will join the war against “common enemies.” The materials are exciting in the sense that they expose the desperation of the youths. Most youths are jobless. For instance, most Palestinian youths are jobless (Monaco, 2000). As such, it would be easier to use the job advantage to join the fights that more often than not claim their lives and ruin their dreams as well as dreams of the guardians and parents. On the other hand, the materials shown could be boring to the youth because they mean the same old song. Perhaps it is important to refer to the Arab uprising that saw many youths go to the streets as they sought to oust dysfunctional regimes as well as heads of such regimes. The truth, though, is that even after such leaderships were overthrown nothing much has changed in terms of increased jobs, taming poverty and curbing crime. If anything, crime has been on the rise. Jobs have declined. The countries where leaders were ousted have become unstable, or are now under military rule. What is the role of the youths in all these? Leaders use the youths for their own selfish gains. As a result, the youths having realized the turn of events, resort to regroup and start parallel outfits, as they demand for social justice and resolution of long-standing injustices that they want resolved. This could explain why groups such as Boko Haram now control parts of Nigeria (Monaco, 2000). To be specific to the materials, though, it important to look at the Al-Siri case, for instance. In the case of Egypt, there are double standards caused by different political alienations. Such is a recipe for chaos in which the youth are mostly involved, especially when they are promised money and good living standards. They are promised opportunities internationally if they can join the “good” fight. Criminal prosecution is also an area of international concern especially regarding humanitarian issues. The issue though is that in most cases there are conflicts regarding how to prosecute criminals. Whereas other factions advocate for trails as home, other factions advocate for transparent courts such as the International Criminal Court. What is the role of the youths in all these? They were used and so they must pay the price. Would their inciters be willing to hand them over? No. Therefore, they are tried at home where justice seems to be delayed and nobody actually takes the blame or gets prosecuted (Monaco, 2000). The best punishment can be a few years behind bars after which no more reference will be made about them. The youths make the headlines for all the wrong things: take, for instance, the coup in Britain, names of young perpetrators of torture and murder, the recent report of the Muslim Brotherhood. In brief, the materials appeal to the youths of my age. How to improve the material To improve the materials, I think the youths should not be associated with violence. The Arab youths should not be used to portray terrorism such as was the case with the Muslim Brotherhood. This negative stereotype may as well excite the youths and make them more radical. The desperate nature of the youths should not be overemphasized as it is already common knowledge that the youths are associated with violence, joblessness and other forms of crime. Statistics also now show that Jihad or any new Muslim fittings are now taking new faces. Take, for instance, British Muslims. As such, terrorism is also taking on new forms. The youths should instead be portrayed in good light in the materials so that the materials appeal to the viewership of all ages. The youths should be shown as positive change agents in the society. They should challenge the status quo and be part of the solution as opposed to being part of the problem. Reference Monaco, J. (2000). How to read a film: The world of movies, media, and multimedia: language, history, theory. 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