“Network”

A Wakeup call from the grips of TV land

by Jahanzaib Haque

(Published in The Friday Times)

In a seeming challenge to those working in Pakistan’s media, Karachi’s, ‘The Second Floor’ cafe offered up a screening of, ‘Network’ – a 1970′s classic which offers a satirical glimpse into the dark, unseen fantasy world of those who run prime time news in the U.S.

The Peace Niche group (who own and operate The Second Floor) announced the film on their website (www.t2f.biz) recommending it, “to all our friends who work in television media!”

These words cannot be understated.

Although the viewing was attended by a considerably ‘cozier’ gathering than expected, the impact of the film’s examination of TV journalism, and its relevance for Pakistan was not lost on those in the darkened cafe.

As if speaking directly about Pakistan’s condition, failing news anchor, Howard Beale (played by actor, Peter Finch) announces a prophetic, unscripted diatribe on one of his last live newscasts at the start of the film,

“I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression. Everybody’s out of work or scared of losing their job…banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there’s nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there’s no end to it.”

As Howard Beale descends into madness and delusion, he is exploited by a brilliant, but hollow young producer, Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) who keeps him on air with the help of her boss, Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) despite warnings and appeals from Beale’s old friend and one-time producer, Max Schumacher (william holden).

The now crazed news anchor is allowed to say what he likes on-air in the name of ratings. He is dubbed, “mad prophet of the airways” and fuels his captive audience with anarchy, despair and ironically – freedom.

At this point, the soft chuckles in The Second Floor have died down. Those watching the film can feel the sinking sensation of a parallel to Pakistan which hits too close to home. Director Sidney Lumet’s brilliant criticism stabs deep at the heart of the media’s craze for ratings and entertainment value over an ethical code and quality.

Questions come to mind… Is Pakistani media creating parts of our dark reality or is it just highlighting it? What is going amiss? And most importantly, who decides what is allowed on air and why?

“Right now, there is a whole, an entire generation that never knew anything that didn’t come out of this tube… this tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers…and woe is us if it ever falls into the hands of the wrong people” says the flailing News Anchor in, ‘Network’.

Beale’s end finally arrives in the form of a meeting with the Chairman of the news network, Arthur Jensen (Ned Beatty) who far from firing the crazed news anchor, encourages him along a new path; a darker vision where, “The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business, Mr. Beale… And our children will live, Mr. Beale, to see that perfect world in which there’s no war or famine, oppression or brutality — one vast and ecumenical holding company.”

Having gone over the deep end, there is no rescue for the film’s dark, maniacal hero/puppet. Spoiler warning: After the news anchor begins preaching the network chairman’s reality to the masses, his ratings fall, and he is eventually gunned down by assassins placed in his audience – orchestrated by his production team.

The film closes with a single line by the narrator,

“This was the story of Howard Beale: The first known instance of a man who was killed because of lousy ratings.”

While the film’s breadth and depth explore many other factions of human reality (through an intimate relationship between Max and Diana for example) the focus of this Oscar winning movie remains clearly on the issue of the massive impact of TV news in modern society – and the dangers of the depths to which this medium can descend into madness – possibly taking its audience down with it.

With the screening over, the Second Floor remained unusually quiet, as discussion was trumped by each viewer’s internal re-examination of the state of Pakistan’s news reporting, the role of our new ‘prophets’, the News Anchors, and whether ethical checks and balances are currently in place for the media as the country continues to face previously unchartered crises.

One hears a muted, “Pakistan First” as people file out of the cafe.

Natural Born Killers: disorders portrayed in film

An essay I wrote for my abnormal psychology class (04/25/03)

This paper is an examination of the controversial film, Natural Born killers directed by Oliver Stone. The film depicts specific psychological disorders through the role of its main characters.

Oliver Stone presents a satiric view on America’s obsession with tabloid criminality, starring Woody Harrelson as Mickey Knox and Juliette Lewis as his girlfriend/wife Mallory Wilson. This serial killer couple commences their slide into a downward spiral of extreme violence with the murder of Mallory’s sexually abusive father and her negligent mother. The couple then begins a remorseless killing spree across the highways of America.

The couple’s fame spreads across the media, making them instant celebrities. By the time they’re finally arrested, they’ve become pop celebrity icons in the eyes of the American public. Their final escape from the state prison within a phenomenal riot captures the movie’s violent intensity at its best, with live filming of the event taking place within the film itself. The media’s perpetuation of violence is a major theme with this film, along with an examination of serial killers in general and the impact of social influences in forming disorders.

Oliver stone outlines their personalities as a form of antisocial personality disorder, developing over time as a result of various social pressures.

The diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder consists of four specific criteria. The first observable symptom recognized in the DSM IV is, ‘a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years’ which has several subcategories such as failure to conform to social norms, deceitfulness, impulsivity, aggressiveness, reckless disregard for safety of self or others and lack of remorse; all of which are clearly demonstrated by the characters in the film.

Other criteria for anti-social personality disorder exhibited in Natural Born Killers include the necessary age range of the couple and evidence of conduct disorder at an early age.

The first symptomatic behavior of antisocial personality disorder is of failing to conform to the norms set by society leading to acts which may result in arrest are exhibited by the couple in their unwilling nature; most clearly visible in their interactions with authority such as the police. When faced with arrest, the couple broke out into a gunfight in an outnumbered situation. Similarly, in prison, both Mickey and Mallory refused to conform to the institutions norms, with constant aggression towards prison guards (Mallory killed a guard in an attack) which eventually resulted in their presence causing a prison riot.

Deceitfulness is a common trait in both Mickey and Mallory – they both show their innate ability to lie in any situation, deceiving people in their speech and numerous false identities (which extended to fake hair and varying styles of clothes), lying in their television interviews to gain media attention and essentially leading a life which required deceit at every step in order to survive. Once again, Oliver stone is careful to balance the fact that while lying is innate in the couple’s character, they are also forced to lie constantly in order to survive in a society which has shunned them.

Impulsivity in the behavior of Mickey and Mallory is also found in abundance as seen in the opening scene where the couple enter a small town restaurant to eat breakfast and end up killing everyone inside over a small insult. Similarly, their impulsivity leads to their eventual arrest after Mickey shoots the Navajo Indian who provided them shelter in an impulsive burst, which in turn led them to being bitten and poisoned by the Indian’s snake.

Reckless behavior was a constant as the couple seemed to thrive in the moment, showing utter disregard toward personal injury or injuring others. The couple displayed a wide variety of aggressive and reckless behavior, both in their speech and actions. The film contained copious amounts of violence, mostly perpetuated by the couple. Their violent murder of Mallory’s parents (drowning the father in the fish tank and suffocating the mother with a pillow); their murderous break from the state prison they were being held in; Mallory murdering a gas attendant she initiated sex with and countless other acts of reckless, wanton aggression were depicted in the film.

The last category that was emphasized greatly within this film was lack of remorse. Apart from their bizarre love for each other, the two characters were lacking in the emotional response one would expect from normal people. They showed no remorse whatsoever in hurting and/or killing other humans. In Mickey’s own words during his interview in prison, he saw himself as ‘a natural born killer’.

All these actions indicate antisocial personality disorder as a diagnosis for Mickey and Mallory. They match every criteria required for this disorder. One could also perhaps include a certain overlapping of other mental disorders such as psychopathy in the nature of the couple’s behavior and thought patterns. According to the psychopathy checklist outlined by Hare, Mickey and Mallory displayed superficial charm (which greatly aided their media publicity), a grandiose sense of self-worth (Mickey saw his killer instinct as being a superior, natural power placing him higher in the natural order than normal humans) and a definite lack of remorse. Despite these telltale signs of mental disorder, there are a few discrepancies shown in the film.

The love the couple holds for each other is an oddity within individuals with antisocial personality disorder. The obvious physical and emotional support they derive from each other is easily seen in the deterioration in both Mickey and Mallory’s states of mind during their separation in prison. Mickey survived by writing Mallory imaginary letters in his prison cell while Mallory slipped into an intensely withdrawn/aggressive state, resulting in her being placed in solitary confinement.

Other isolated incidents suggest occasional glimpses of normalcy in the couple’s reactions. When Mickey kills their friend the Navajo Indian by mistake in a drug frenzy, both he and Mallory feel immense sorrow and frustration at the act, defining it as, ‘very, very bad’. Mickey comments on the killing later in his interview in prison and expresses sorrow at killing the Navajo Indian who gave them shelter when they were in need.

The question of how the couple’s lack of remorse exists is a matter of considerable debate in the movie. Through his televised interview in the prison, Mickey’s views on himself provide an interesting argument,

‘I’m not even the same species. I used to be you…then I evolved. From where you’re standing, you’re a man. From where I’m standing, you’re an ape…I’m here…I’m still evolving…and you, you’re stuck somewhere else.’

He believes there is a type of person born with traits which he has (including lack of remorse, a killer instinct, criminality etc.) arguing in favor of a biological understanding of his particular disorder. Through his direction, Oliver Stone presents the opposite side of this viewpoint. His examination of Mallory’s abusive and neglectful parents, flashbacks of Mickey’s alcoholic and abusive father and the influence of media violence in their lives and their consequent alienation from society, suggests that social influences are the primary cause behind their behavior.