Karen Lusnia CELE-UNAM November 2014 Lions for Lambs: A reflection for students on Media and politics Although many American movies can be categorized as being superficial and feel good entertainment, there are a few which provoke deeper thought about who we are as individuals and as members of society. Such is the case of the movie Lions for Lambs directed by Robert Redford. This movie received a very poor rating and overall reception in the U.S. being labeled as liberal propaganda which was lukewarm and incomplete in its analysis of American intervention in Afghanistan. However, the movie was viewed in a more positive light in the rest of the world where it reaped a greater profit. In this presentation, I will discuss a didactic proposal and my own experience using this movie with advanced students studying English in order to reflect upon similar issues in Mexican culture. The usefulness of this analysis is to provide students with the tools to critically examine their own culture and transfer the analysis to Mexican cultural practices and institutions. While this may sound very ambitious, the purpose is to explore different possibilities and ways of seeing their own culture through exploratory activities.
Lesson plan for “Lions and Lambs”: a reflection on Media and politics A. What is injustice? How do you know something is just or unjust? Choose one of these activities: 1. When have you experienced injustice? Get in groups and share a personal example. Do you think there are degrees of injustice? OR 2. Get in groups and think of the following situations and how each person might perceive both justice and injustice. •
A mother whose son was killed by police in a protest against the government
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Protestors who and were jailed because they blocked main streets in the city
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A lawyer defending an individual accused of murder
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A family who lost their mother because of medical negligence
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A politician who made certain election promises who because of lack of support from his fellow senators and representatives has not been able to
deliver on them (different parties/different goals and ideals) B. In this unit, we will be discussing issues related to media, politics, justice and objectivity. We will also be looking at two movies, one on U.S. politics and another on Mexican politics. (Lions for lambs and La Dictadura Perfecta). First, let’s look at some articles about media. Thinking critically about mass media. http://warisacrime.org/content/thinking-critically-about-mass-media What role do you want social media to play in politics? http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/what-role-do-youwant-social-media-to-play-in-politics/ How to detect media Bias and Propaganda in national and world news http://www.criticalthinking.org/TGS_files/SAM-MediaBias.pdf (Break students into groups so each reads a different article. ) Read the articles, write a brief summary and be ready to discuss: •
What are the different influences on the degree of objectivity we find in the media?
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Who are the different actors or who influences media (and why?)?
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Is objectivity possible?
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How can we strive to be objective?
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What necessary skills must we develop?
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How important is the media in today’s world for social and political initiatives to be achieved?
C. Discussion and role of social media: Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of social media to influence public opinion Materials: La Dictadura Perfecta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZriH9uEDgsI Social media on recent current events in Mexico Spanish: http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=387416
http://www.sinembargo.mx/10-11-2014/1165347 https://mx.noticias.yahoo.com/ligan-casa-pe-nieto-licitaci-n-tren220538106.html English: http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/crisis-mexico-protestsmissing-forty-three http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/09/mexico-demonstration43-students-confirmed-massacred http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2014/11/clashes-at-mexicostudent-deaths-protest-2014111018156942591.html http://fusion.net/video/24660/see-exclusive-video-of-missing-ayotzinapastudents-before-their-disappearance/ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/world/americas/missing-mexicanstudent-search.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
Lions for Lambs: (background on movie: opinion piece: http://stanfordreview.org/article/state-nation-lions-lambs/ Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions_for_Lambs) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1hQuzJPRDA (rome is burning, interview with Todd) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlXtJlm0ENI (science in politics)
Lions for Lambs Vocabulary: ¨War on terror� righteousness (acting in accord with divine or moral law : propaganda
free from guilt or sin)
apathy/apathetic
journalism and freedom of the press engagement entertainment
prosperity
fundamental freedoms
call to arms
to be on the wrong track
Cast of caracters Senator Jasper Irving (Republican) Liberal journalist Janine Roth Idealist Professor Dr. Malley Two determined students with a project for engagement: Arian and Ernest Privileged student Todd Hayes Discuss the motives of each of the movie’s characters – your teacher will assign you one of the characters. Why do they do what they do? Discussion questions What is the significance of the title: Lions for Lambs? What are the issues being raised in the film? What is atypical about this American film? At the point in the film where Professor Malley has dinner with his students, he mentions the word, “IF” when his students talk about their future as Mexican and African-American veterans coming back to make a difference in their communities. What is he referring to with this “IF.”? Todd comments that there is really no point in trying to change things if things go back to being the same as when you started: “So you're saying it's better to try and fail than do nothing? Do you agree or disagree? Making speculations How would things be different, if…: If Todd decided to “do something” for his country, … If Professor Malley hadn’t been drafted in the Vietnam war,… If Arian and Ernest had survived the war,… If Arian and Ernest hadn’t decided to enlist in the Army, … If Janine hadn’t written such a positive story about the Senator years before, …
If the Senator was more introspective, … If the TV network hadn’t supported the last intervention in Iraq, … American youth would be more engaged with their country if… If the American government didn’t feed propaganda to the media, the media… Summing up: Choose to write a short essay or create a multi-media presentation presenting your views. Remember to keep your topic small enough that you can manage it. Here are some ideas: How do we become responsible and informed citizens? How do we influence our politicians? How can we have an influence on the objectivity of the media? What is the role of media (and social media) in politics, stories and reputation? Is it possible to remove party politics from the media?