Morality, Media Portrayal and Fantasy

The current issue of the hostage situation of Captain Phillips has resurfaced our notion of pirates. Culture has dated the caricature of the pirate as an adventure seeking being, drunk on rum and the prospects of treasure. But from the recent events off the coast of Africa, the world was confronted with a different image of the pirate (one that has been overshadowed by the character Jack Sparrow). The contrary image of a jolly thrill seeker out on the sea, is that of the dangerous, ruthless, criminal possessed by evil. I will concede that pirates commit life-endangering acts, and even fatal ones, but there is something deeper to the issue that we are not confronted with by mainstream news reports. That being, the cause and motives of piracy.

Southpark, a satirical show on Comedy Central, took the liberty to explore these issues accordingly. It discusses the child's enthusiasm with the image of the pirate being a symbol for rebellion and adventure. The episode later discusses these issues in the form of the pirate's shock that the children ran away from home to go to Africa to live the pirate's life. The pirate explains to the young characters that he does not want to be a criminal for fun, but moreover utilizes it as a last resort for survival for his entire family. The episode delves deeply into the disparities that culmonate the acts of piracy and presents the human element often missing in mainstream news reports. Abruptly, Navy snipers, or as some news reports woud say "sharp shooters", brutally shoot the pirates in the middle of their discussion with the children, saying "Don't hit the white ones."

I believe the encoded message that the creators of Southpark are presenting us with is the Western world's interest in dehumanizing those that oppose the ebb and flow of dominion. It was a brilliant approach because media coverage of conflict, and rebellion, myopically emphasizes the role of the rebels as a threat. Since the rebels are dehumanized and placed as only a threat, it provides the capacity for the moral arguements we make as a society against them. Because these pirates/rebells dissrupt social order and endanger human life, we must put an end to it for the moral purpose of protecting human life. Thus is the arguement we pose for ratifing military activity. I find it interesting how the State is exempt from the same agruments the implement to gain support. In situations such as these, the only reporting on the State is one that makes it into a protective hero, a reactionary agent. Yet the State is deeply embedded in the issues that cause rebellion in a myriad of situations.

At the end of Southpark's episode we are left with a new view of piracy and most importantly begin to understand that rebel conflicts stem from preexisting conditions, rather than occurring within a vacuum. In effect, the audience engages with the activies of militaries justified on the grounds of morality, and is presented with a scope that mainstream reporting often fails to provide.