Wag The Dog Guide 4j4i66

Wag The Dog Summary – This is probably one of the most cynical movies ever made about American politics. It is the story of Conrad Brean, an amoral political consultant who agrees to help the President of the United States survive an explosive scandal, in which a young teenage girl publicly accuses him (the President) of having made inappropriate sexual advance at her while she had been visiting the White House. Brean does not care whether the charges are true, but he is determined to manipulate the public so that they will not focus on these charges, at least until after they vote in the Presidential elections. The accusations become public just 11 days before the nation will vote, and while the President is visiting China. Brean must act quickly, and thus with the help of White House assistant Winifred Ames, he travels to Hollywood in order to talk to Hollywood movie producer Motts. Brean decides the best way to keep the public’s attention off the scandal is to create "a crisis," and he therefore convinces Motss to produce various scenes in a completely fictional war against the small European country of Albania. Over the next several days, Brean, Motss and their various partners successfully convince the American public that Albanian terrorists were in the process of moving a small nuclear bomb across the Canadian border and into the United States. Unfortunately, other powerful forces within the government, including Senator Neil and the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) appear to be fighting Brean and Motts, and they seem to end the crisis before it can truly help the President. Therefore, in one last desperate move, Brean and Motts create "an American war hero," Sergeant William Schumann, whose rescue they hope will save the President in a giant explosion of patriotism. Ultimately, Brean’s plan appears to succeed, but the democracy may be injured beyond repair…. A Brief Note on the Timing of this Movie’s Release: When Wag the Dog appeared in the Fall of 1998, President Bill Clinton was fighting for his political survival because of the sex scandal involving Monica Lewinski. The makers of this film were certainly aware of the problems that Clinton was having, but what happened in the weeks after it came out was truly ironic. Clinton seriously considered going to war with Iraq, just as the Lewinski scandal was leading to his impeachment by the US Congress, and naturally, many accused him of acting more to save his Presidency than to protect national security. The events of December 1998 showed that reality can be as interesting and ridiculous as fiction.

Characters – Conrad Brean (Robert DeNiro) –

An extremely cynical and intelligent advisor who specializes in "fixing" political crises. In this case, he decides to create the allusion of a war so that the American public will not become obsessed with a sex scandal involving the US President.

Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoff man) –

A very superficial, rich and stereotypical Hollywood movie producer who agrees to "produce" the war that Brean wants to start.

Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) –

An assistant at the White House who works with Conrad and Stanley on the plan to keep the American public focused on the war, rather then the President’s sexual problems.

Sergeant William Schumann (Woody Harrelson) –

An insane and very unstable solider in a military prison, who is accidentally chosen to be the "rescued hero" of the war.

Fad King (Denis Leary) –

A friend or associate of Stanley’s who is supposedly good at thinking of new ideas, names and products that can be sold to the public (A "fad" is a product or idea that becomes extremely popular, but only for a short period of time).

Johnny Green (Willie Nelson) –

Another friend of Stanley’s who writes and sings country music.

Senator Neil Craig T. Nelson) –

A conservative US Senator who is running for President, who tries to use the sex scandal as a way to convince people to vote for him.

Themes – Deception and diversion The story in the movie revolves around the various deception schemes aimed at diverting attention away from the president’s sex scandal. Spurious news stories concocted by Conrad, Motss and Motss’s team are fed to the unsuspecting mainstream media in ingenious ways. The elaborate misinformation and false news items that are devised to divert media attention are: (1) The White house press office to denying the stories of the B-3 bomber (2) A war with Albania (3) Albanian terrorists placing a nuclear device (suitcase bomb) near the US border in Canada. Therefore, there is an imminent threat of the device being smuggled into the US (4) An American soldier, Sgt. William Schumann (played by Woody Harrelson) stuck behind enemy lines in Albania, and his homecoming as a hero after being rescued (5) A hero’s welcome to a fallen soldier.

The Public Relations Industry This movie depicts the inner workings of the world of political spin, which is a major part of the public relations industry. The public relations industry is portrayed in a negative light. While exposing some of the unscrupulous methods employed by public relations professionals, the movie shows how vulnerable to manipulation the media and the public are. Wag the Dog depicts how public relations firms concoct various distractions to divert attention. In the movie, Conrad Brean is referred to as Mr. Fix-it. This speaks to his expertise in handling (fixing) crisis situations. This movie also showcases how powerful entities (government, big business) use their resources to achieve their almost sinister objectives. The movie also brings to light the general attitude of disdain the industry has towards the public. It is clear in the movie that, while the industry is concerned about public opinion, it knows well that the public is gullible and can easily be manipulated through the media. This movie also showcases how human emotions and patriotism are used by the public relations industry in deceptive ways to manipulate the public. The movie demonstrates how the public relations industry creates and carries out comprehensive PR campaigns. It also depicts how Hollywood and the entertainment industry works and how an elaborate show production is formulated complete with: patriotic songs (“The old shoe”), emotional appeal (“Courage Mom”), An American soldier stuck behind enemy lines, A hero’s welcome for a serviceman, and bringing home the body of a heroic soldier.

Ethical Issue 1: “I made that lame turkey fly” - Giving credit where credit is due Stanley Motss, who puts together this elaborate production of the fake war and other deceptions, starts to view this as his best work. He is proud of the fact that he was able to literally get the president reelected. In Stanley’s own words “I made that lame turkey fly”. However, when the news media credits the presidents’ win on a pathetic (in Stanley’s view) campaign with the slogan “Don’t change horses in midstream”, Stanley

feels cheated out of the credit due to him. This is not uncommon in the business world. We often hear of someone taking credit for somebody else’s hard work. Academia is no exception. I am reminded of the story about a faculty member of the Carlson School of Business who was fired for claiming a student’s works as his own. In business, when everyone is trying to impress their bosses and outshine their colleagues it would be tempting to claim credit for other people’s ideas or work. The issue was not resolved. Due to the secret nature of the project and if the details of which were to leak to the public could potentially bring down the presidency. Fearing that a disgruntled Stanley will alert the media on details of his involvement, Stanley is killed and his death is made to look like he suffered a heart attack at the poolside. The issue of taking credit is in essence is stealing someone else’s labor (a persons’ property according to the constitution). More ethical individual behavior could be cultivated by making people aware of the gravity of the offense. Further, if organizations do not curtail this, the organization may end up promoting and keeping non-qualified and corrupt individuals and driving away the real talent. Therefore, companies need to think through and have strict policy regarding this unethical practice.

Ethical Issue 2: “Courage Mom” - Abusing visual imagery and other stimuli to deceive the general public

The movie depicts how various stimuli are used to mislead the public and convey subtle messages to the unsuspecting public. Among the stimuli used are: An Albanian teenager running with a white cat, patriotic theme song, little Albanian girl on the airport tarmac handing the president the first sheaf of the harvest, the president giving his jacket to the girl’s grandmother, “courage mom” written in Morse code on the serviceman’s jersey, rubbing meat on the serviceman’s shoe so that a dog would run up to the and lick his feet, hanging old shoes on trees to symbolize Sgt. William “old shoe” Schumann who is stuck behind enemy lines, and creating the song “The old shoe”. All this stimuli are used in order to get the media and public emotionally involved in the story being spun. Many businesses use such stimuli in their advertising and merchandising to appealing to basic human emotions and fears in order sell their products and services. The advertising industry is often accused of engaging in deceptive practices. Wal-Mart regularly uses patriotic themes and portrays itself as an All American Company, even though the majority of the products they sell are from china. This issue is not resolved in the movie. I believe that organizations would be more forthcoming in their advertising and try to truly live up to the image they portray to the public. The public being more aware of these schemes would also help to curtail this behavior. Also certain watch groups that would bring to light these deceptive practices will help to minimize these transgressions.

Ethical Issue 3:

“The Old Shoe” - Taking advantage of someone who is not of sound mental faculties Sgt. William Schumann is a psychiatric patient, and is in military prison for raping a nun. However he is depicted in the production as the brave soldier stuck behind enemy lines. While doctored pictures of him are all over the media, Sgt.

Schumann himself has no idea. When he sees his picture on the on the TV news at a grocery store, he utters, “that looks like me”. Clearly this unsuspecting individual is being exploited. Ms. Ames has serious misgivings ing this mentally ill person, and does protest against it. However, after listening to arguments by Conrad and Stanley, and considering the scandal at hand is forced to reluctantly comply with using him. Even though Sgt. Schumann will be ok as long as he gets his medication, it seems that he is much sicker than they initially thought. They concoct various excuses to explain Schumann’s bizarre behavior, such as blaming the behavior on the terrible things he suffered at the hands of the enemy. In the business world it is not uncommon to see individuals being taken advantage of this way; whether buying product they have no use for or g up for services they do not need, let alone understand. We often hear stories of unscrupulous telemarketers and salespeople taking advantage of the elderly or mentally feeble. In our prison visit, we even had the opportunity to meet a banker who had taken advantage of an elderly lady. This is not resolved, but comes to an end when Sgt. William Schumann is shot dead by a grocery store owner when Schumann attempts to rape the store owner’s daughter. However they still use his body to have a hero’s welcome. There needs to be a better way of protecting the more vulnerable persons in society. Those who are not mentally sound need better protections against unscrupulous business practices. Provisions can be made in the law to have competent guardian signature when such persons enter into contracts, since such persons could easily end up in hurting their credit or end up in precarious situations.

Other Ethics Issues

Within the last month itself two major sexual scandals were in the news: David Letter of CBS and Steve Philips (baseball analyst) who was fired from ESPN. This movie is based on trying to divert attention away from a sex scandal, which often occurs in the business world. In Leaking selected information and misinformation to the media by public relations firms is also depicted in this movie. In the midst of all this deceptive schemes Ms. Ames is quite anxious about not employing the services of illegal immigrants, which could be a problem to the president. After a plane crash the group along with Sgt. Schumann is rescued by an illegal alien, she works quickly to get him citizenship so that everything is clean and an illegal alien is not employed by the president.

Lessons learned

Kohlberg would categorize all the main characters involved in this plot as stage threes, since their primary group they identify with and have loyalty to is presidents inner circle (White House group concerned with keeping the president in office), and the next group is “the party”. At one time in the movie when Staley talks about getting credit/payback for his production, Ms. Ames mentions that he has done this for the party and “your party thanks you” is clear indication of this. This movie was a fitting complement to the book “Trust Us, We're Experts”. Having read the book, I was more attuned to the events of the movie see the public relations campaign in action. And how boldly and

easily they are able to manipulate the unsuspecting general public. This was a great opportunity to see the world of public relations and political spin doctors in action. This also made me aware that each news item may have deeper roots. Further, even the so-called reputed media is flawed at times and needs to do a better job of ing the news stories before they air it to an unsuspecting public.

Analysis – “Why does a dog wag it’s tail? Because the dog is smarter than it’s tail. If the tail was smarter, the tail would wag the dog.” As usual, there are various interpretations as to what it means. Some suggest that the dog symbolises public opinion, and that the tail represents the media; others suggest that the dog is the media, and the tail is political campaigns. But the most likely opinion is that the dog is the people and that the tail is the government. In short, the expression “the tail wagging the dog” refers to any case where something of greater significance (such as a war) is driven by something less (such as a sex scandal).

Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail were smarter, the tail would wag the dog.' Barry Levinson's film Wag the Dog' thus begins with these opening credits, an early indication of a dark socio-political satire that would unfold to criticise mass media and fickle public opinion, but most importantly, the abuse of power by political leaders. Wag the Dog' also satirises the naivety of society and how people's unquestioning absorption of propaganda only encourages the media to exploit them on a higher level. Conrad Brean is a retired political consultant, a spin-doctor' who resurrects the for the US President's after his disastrous scandal with a teenage girl just eleven days before the election. In order to smother the sparks of rumour ignited by the media, Brean invents an international crisis to sway the people's vote he fakes a war on Albania. The president heroically ends the war' and his comion and exceptional leadership qualities are presented through the mass media to the people, winning back their faith.

Through satire, the visual piece also enforces the jaded belief that politics is merely the art of media manipulation, an image that intensifies when Brean enlists the help of Stanley Motss, a Hollywood producer. Politics is presented as a species of show business, and as opined by Motts, It's all a change of wardrobe.' The audience watches Wag the Dog' incredulously, inevitably recognising the parody of their own folly, as the American public devours the created scenario and rises to the call of blind patriotism. Wag the Dog' repeatedly exemplifies society's complete trust in the imagery of media presented to them, and subsequently their seduction by political propaganda. Wag the Dog' was released in 1997, ironically preceding the sex scandal of President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, and the hasty bombing of some minor' African cities. Wag the Dog' was based on Larry Beinhart's book American Hero,' which argued that the Gulf War was filmed by Hollywood producers hired by the first Bush government to boost for his failing presidency. The film is full of acerbic allusions to the Gulf War Gulf War? Smart bomb falling down a chimney, 2500 missions a day, 100 days, one video of one bomb. And the American people bought the war. War is show business,' as Brean justifies his war' by blurring the line between politics and Hollywood, between truth and perception. The plausibility of the film is never questioned for there have been several instances in history, of wars being started or battles being faked by the media, for example the Spanish American War, or the live footage' of WWI, staged by a Hollywood director and broadcasted internationally. As well as the relevance of its political context, Wag the Dog' places a heavy emphasis on the power of media in our modern society. It represents a new level of understanding of our mediated world and induces overdue contemplation of our society's obsession with media in all its manifestations, whether it is television, music, radio, movies, books or the Internet. As citizens of the same context as Wag the Dog' we are well aware of the propaganda and moral bankruptcy of politicians, yet we place our trust unquestionably on the media, a system that welcomes corruption and exploitation by politicians. Wag the Dog' never fails to portray vividly the media system as infinitely malleable and the reality it represents to the people. Barry Levinson employed the use of a combination of satirical and film techniques to produce the satire of Wag the Dog,' including parody, irony, travesty, humour and ridicule. Parody is consistently produced in Wag the Dog' especially in its references to the Gulf War, the corruption of the government and the submissive attitude of people to media influences. The feeling of political paranoia after viewing the film is a standing testament to how closely it resembles reality. Media is a prime target for parody in Wag the Dog' the entire airportwaiting lounge grew dreadfully quiet as the news of the president's infidelity was broadcasted on the public screen. There is particular stress placed on their facial expressions and body language that indicates their conviction that the media is telling them nothing but the truth. Throughout the film, we are constantly reminded of the power of media, as many

scenes depict people riveted to the television screen or intently listening to the radio. Stanley Motss: Why Albania? Conrad Brean: Why not? Motss: What have they done to us? Brean: What have they done FOR us? What do you know about them? Motss: Nothing. Brean: See? They keep to themselves. Shifty. Untrustable. Travesty, as well as parody is a dominant technique used in producing the satire in this particular scene. The nature of their conversation is of grave consequence: they are discussing a war, and their casual attitude trivialises the discussions of politicians in general. The reference to Albania keeping to themselves' is irony in itself, for politicians are infamous for their confidential' dealings and their dishonesty towards the public. The heavily guarded conference room in the White House ridicules this secrecy by likening the elite group of the president's advisors to an illegal underground gang. The film technique of lighting is applied to produce the elongated shadows of this conference room, creating an atmosphere foreboding corruption and deception. In order to emphasise the corruption of politics, Levinson has used the satirical technique of exaggeration pedestal the government officials for public ridicule. For example, the President of the United States is presented as a trivial and nebulous figure, a product' that is sold' to the general population. The slyest farcical element of the film is the fact that the president is entirely irrelevant, aside from jeopardising the re-election aspirations of his party. He is only shown from the back, and only ever appears to deliver a speech previously prepared by a Hollywood producer or making superfluous suggestions, such as a white cat for a war commercial, instead of calico. His structured absence diplomatically avoids naming the president the film criticises for it is more a satire of the concept of our modern politicians rather than individual targets. A subtle film technique that again underlines media's domination is the pattern in which the audience discovers a change to the plot. Somehow, it is always through the news the characters are watching, and ironically, even the government officials are not free from their dependence on the media. Brean boosts the comical parody when he mourns the war is over, I saw it on TV,' as his unscrupulous plan backfires. The impression of this statement on the audience is if television has told America that the crisis is over, then nobody would be able to argue the war is not over. This message illustrates what media embodies for our modern society integrity and reliability and here, the technique of irony is used to create the sharp contrast between this message and the reality of the perverse media. Conversely, Wag the Dog's' depiction of media manipulations creates the impression that the media and the president are mere pawns in a larger game. A crucial film technique is the plausibility of the imagery and other forms of propaganda presented to the public. Images such as a little girl and her kitten in the war-ravaged Albania are created, as are the heroic tale of a suffering American soldier left behind by his troops. These images

appropriate reality so closely that it is impossible to differentiate between fact and fiction. They also in still suspicion in the hearts of the audience and induce reflective thought on the authenticity of the images and other media forms our society receives and accepts obediently. The repetition of the playful thematic music throughout Wag the Dog' is another film technique subtly inserted in synchronisation with the action to enforce the comical elements. There are several other instances in Wag the Dog' where the dark irony and humour is harpooned to create satire. The susceptibility of the people to propaganda is enforced with the ease with which Motss seduces a nation with a patriotic song and the story of Old Shoe,' who is actually a psychopathic rapist. Brean's assistant, on the verge of deceiving millions of people, frantically demands whether the actors they employ are illegal immigrants.' This is verification to the distrust Americans hold towards foreigners through the rigidity of their immigration policy, whilst in reality; their own democratic government is betraying them. The metaphorical opening credits are also open to many interpretative deconstructions. Many argue the dog is public opinion and the tail represents the media; the dog is the media and the tail the political campaigns, or the dog is the people and the tail is the government. The expression the tail wagging the dog' alludes to any case where something of greater significance (such as a war) is driven by something lesser (such as a sex scandal). The mere fact that these credits are based on an old joke immediately establishes the satire, for it directly contradicts the seriousness implied by apolitical film. Wag the Dog' demonstrates the power of a combination of the essential elements of propaganda in stirring up public sympathy for the government's cause. With enervating cynicism, it satirises the hypocrisy of the government and their exploitation of the malleable media and the exasperatingly naive public. However, one positive message does emerge from the sinister scepticism of Wag the Dog'. The film is at least a demonstration of the increasing number of people who cease to fall for the selfish manipulations of the politicians, their consultants and the media, and increases the audience's awareness of the propaganda horizons of the future

Quotes – 

Stanley Motss: The President will be a hero. He brought peace. Conrad 'Connie' Brean: But there was never a war. Stanley Motss: All the greater accomplishment.

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Conrad Brean: Of course there's a war, I'm watching it on television.

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Conrad 'Connie' Brean: A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

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Stanley Motss: When it's cooking, it's cooking.

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Conrad 'Connie' Brean: What's the thing people about the Gulf War? A bomb falling down a chimney. Let me tell you something: I was in the building where we filmed that with a 10-inch model made out of Legos. Stanley Motss: Is that true? Conrad 'Connie' Brean: Who the hell's to say?

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Stanley Motss: This is NOTHING.

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Conrad 'Connie' Brean: Stanley, don't do this. You're playing with your life here. Stanley Motss: Fuck my life. I want the credit.

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CIA Agent Mr Young: When the fit hits the shan somebody's going to have to stay behind after school

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Stanley Motss: We're not gonna have a war, we're gonna have the appearance of a war.

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Stanley Motss: What difference does it make if it's true? If it's a story and it breaks, they're gonna run with it.

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Conrad 'Connie' Brean: I'm in show business, why come to me? Stanley Motss: War is show business, that's why we're here.

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Stanley Motss: What did television ever do to you? Winifred Ames: It destroyed the electoral process.

Themes – Reality and politics – 

Politics has been called ‘the art of the possible’. How dispensable is truth in politics? Should politicians always be honest with the public?

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Is politics more about ‘image’ and ‘spin’ rather than about substance and integrity?

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Discuss the role the media in Australian politics. How has media coverage impacted on the image of various politicians – for example, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott?

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What comparisons can you make between Australian politics and the scenario depicted in Wag the Dog? Does our system of compulsory voting make our politicians more or less able for their US counterparts?

Reality and the media – 

Spin is a tool employed by different groups in society; e.g. politicians, industry, churches, armed forces, and other key groups. Such organisations work through the media. How does the media manipulate us? As a society, are we more or less sensitive to media manipulation than in the past?

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Although Wag the Dog depicts a sophisticated use of technology, the film was made in 1997 and new technologies have since been developed. Discuss the role of technology today in of creating alternative realities. Explore the way in which social media, in particular, enables individuals to create and project images of self.

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It has been said that history is written by the witnesses. Research a particular time where propaganda played a key role in of manipulating public perception of events or individuals. For example, you could look at the way in which Hitler controlled the media in the 1930s to demonise the Jews.

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Debate the proposition that technology has blurred our sense of reality.

Reality and Hollywood – 

Think about the role of Hollywood as a ‘factory’ that manufactures illusion.

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How and why are we influenced by the constructed versions of reality that Hollywood sells us?

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What does the success of Hollywood say about our need for escapism?

The American Dream – 

Think about the ways in which the ideals of a country and national pride can degenerate into self-delusion, even to the point of being used as a tool against people (e.g. the United States promotes itself as a land of freedom and democracy and justifies interventionist foreign policy on this basis).

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How can a country’s faith in itself be a dangerous thing?