Recently, I watched the HBO documentary called Quiet on Set. This docuseries highlighted the abuse and sexual assault of children on the set of many Nickelodeon hits. The documentary gave first-hand accounts of scriptwriters, parents, and child stars. The show went into detail about how the shows were run like “old boys clubs.” As I was watching, I could not believe the level of abuse that was tolerated and accepted during the filming of the shows. It was very alarming to me how people in positions of power took advantage and used their situation to harm children. The way that people of high stature used these children instead of protecting them was utterly disturbing. It was very alarming to me to see how many people were complicit in the mistreatment and abuse of these children. The documentary brought to light many sexual innuendos that were intertwined throughout the children's shows. Many of the jokes written into the shows were inappropriate fantasies that involved children. Nickelodeon, which was meant to be a safe TV network for children’s entertainment, was rather much darker.
After watching the show, I could not help to realize the parallels between Quiet on Set and Dr. Strangelove. The show Quiet on Set illuminated the element of abuse of power that is very prevalent in the film. In both the film and the documentary, there is an underlying notion that people in powerful situations take advantage of others, which causes much harm. Human lives in both were viewed as less than by the people in power. Both works highlight how humans fail to recognize the value in the lives of others and merely use people. In Dr. Strangelove, there is a strong emphasis on using human lives to advance the agendas of the elite. Within the film, characters such as General Jack Ripper fail to consider the lives of others when making decisions. A viewer can see war likened to a game in the film primarily due to the actions of General Ripper. Dan Schneider, in the documentary Quiet on Set, used his power to force the young stars into doing uncomfortable acts. He used showwriting as a way to satisfy his desires and fantasy. He also used his power to coerce employees to do things that made them uncomfortable. General Jack Ripper and Dan Schneider used their power for their own pleasure.
The show Quiet on Set and Dr. Strangelove showed me how people in positions of power often abuse their authority at the expense of those around them. Each work did a great job of portraying this abuse of power in different ways. Dr. Strangelove was a fictional satire of the Cold War period, while Quiet on Set was a documentary. While they were different, they both used film to educate their respective audiences. Quiet on Set was more straightforward in delivering this message. In the documentary, there was no interpretation of the message, but it was rather factual. Dr. Strangelove, on the other hand, had more room for interpretation and more elements to analyze.
The comparison has made me question how corrupt people are able to get to these positions of power. How does no one see that these people are bad individuals? It takes countless promotions to become the status of a general and producer. These are not positions that you just start in. It makes me question how no one saw these individuals’ flaws. Were these people good at hiding their true personalities until they reached the top? Or are most people oblivious to their bad sides and only want to see the good in people?
No comments:
Post a Comment