House Of Cards
Imagine that you live in a country in which the American flag is frequently and publicly burned in celebration, and claims are made regularly that the White House is a palace of oppression. Then, envision seeing the political thriller television series ‘House of Cards, with Farsi subtitles, in that same country.
What would you think?
What would you conclude?
One would be that the White House symbolizes the fullness of those who work only for their own advancement, and the fascist president removes all obstacles to that.
Designed murders - physical deletions - threats, absurd speeches, and conspiracies that run from beginning to end.
I finished watching this series yesterday.
Cinema shows the history, culture, rituals, and stories of a nation. I believe it is not only entertainment. It shouldn't be.
Yesterday, I asked myself, what is the difference between Jamaran Palace, the Kremlin, and the White House, if any? Is the White House the home of tyranny and conspiracy?
In House Of Cards, there is no freedom of speech. The people are scared and spy on neighbors and friends. They try to eliminate one another and gain more power, with the White House as the center of corruption, destruction, and espionage. This is the de facto mission of American embassies, and the center of this corrupted power is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Religious fundamentalists around the world regularly reinforce this image to the people; I understood that concept after watching the series.
But is this a real story? If not, can historical stories be falsified?
How much misinformation can be presented to sell a movie or series and toy with the viewer, subsequently leaving the audience high and dry?
Which American president killed so many people? Why was he not arrested? Why was he not tried?
Is this story true?
Movies often convey false messages and provide incorrect information. It does not matter if it is Iran or the United States.
In Iranian films, we see women wearing hijab at home, even in bed.
This is a pure lie. In my homeland, most people have double lives. While outside, they obey the rules of the Stone Age. However, they have relatively modern lives while inside. We party, dance, drink and watch the latest Hollywood movies. I was one who had to wear a headscarf outside but entertained my guests while wearing shorts and tops inside the house.
I watched Hollywood movies. We bought movies cd’s on the black market and watched them without censorship.
When I arrived in the United States, I realized Hollywood movies send the wrong signal to the world. Here is an example.
There are no driving rules in Hollywood movies. Evidently, anyone can drive at any speed limit without fear of being caught, going as fast as they can while attacking sidewalks, alleys, shops, and houses. The police usually only arrive at an emergency when a house or barracks, etc., are on fire.
In only one movie have I seen Sylvester Stallone, playing the role of a police officer, holding a woman for speeding even though she wasn’t driving fast. This was because he wanted a relationship with her.
Tehran has the worst traffic of any city in the world, but everyone who has seen Hollywood movies will, thanks to God, realize that at least the cars there neither move by themselves nor crash into other things and buildings, setting all on fire.
It took two years for me to get my driver's license.
When I began to drive, I was scared. What if approaching cars hit me?
Something that has been embedded into the subconscious for years does not quickly disappear.
I could neither believe the quiet and beautiful streets here nor could I fully digest the driving rules.
How often would I mix up reality and what I saw on film by cruising through a red light and receiving a warning or ticket?
Hollywood owes me- it has to pay for my moving violation traffic tickets, two years of learning and practicing to drive, and being frightened of doing so. It should pay for my nightmares, during which I vividly experienced cars hitting me and burning inside of mine while nobody came to help.
In the last days of my mental resistance to driving in America, I thought that my car had a mind of its own and might do whatever it wanted with me behind the wheel. A documentary is different from a movie, but the human mind sometimes does not distinguish between reality and fantasy.
So, who benefits when a movie presents wrong information to its audience, disguised with exciting scenes even though a conspiracy theory is being spread?
You may say this is not serious. It is a movie. But, on the other side of the world, people take just about everything seriously that they see about this country.
In closed societies, no one is supposed to tell the truth.
In the modern world, it is easy to distort reality.
Both are based on lies.
Presenting false views of reality is utilized by both governances as well as the entertainment business.
Think about young people who have been brainwashed by fundamentalists and ISIS about the ‘evils’ of America.
To convince them, they are shown American movies as proof.
The ability, to tell the truth, is a gift.
Do you know why I watched House Of Cards? I was talking about Ukraine with a friend, and he, like many, believes the White House planned this war. I rejected that view, and he replied that House Of Cards is accurate. Is he correct?
I voted for Obama. I loved how he spoke.
Now I am asking myself if that was the right thing to do. Are Barack and Michelle Obama real? Or are they pretenders and fake? Fake news, fake president, fake first lady?
Confusing people is not the duty of an artist
How is misinformation acceptable to make money and provide entertainment for people with exciting scenes?
What is the difference between freedom of speech and the freedom to tell lies and make a nation feel helpless and under attack, by portraying a brutal system in place within the land of democracy, freedom, and opportunity?
Finally, is the White House the house of injustice or justice?
Vita Sackville-West, in a letter to Virginia Woolf, wrote:
The Americans have an unequaled genius for making everything hideous.
Is she right?
Source: Substack