Democracy, as we know it is a concept stemmed from equality. Equality, the idea of a collective moral conscience considerate of differences. But granting this consideration might result in chaos within the individual conscience, destruction of a structure we are familiar with. Democracy is a paradox in that sense, it requires a structure to function but the dismantling of it is needed to achieve its goals. And media is the only pillar of democracy that plays with this paradox.
Storytelling might be the most humane form of media to challenge ideas, it’s fascinating, it always grabs your attention for it captures the essence of humanity you are familiar to and uses it to influence you, ingrains itself in your head. Quoting John Edgar Wideman from the introduction of his book Best American Short Stories 1996 -
“stories that mount a challenge to our everyday conventions and assumptions stir my blood. Not only because they are exciting formally and philosophically, but because they retain for fiction its special subversive, radically democratic role.”
The Camera remains the most powerful invention for media. It provided us with the opportunity to condense massive impact within frames, singular, a photograph, a film. It has been a great tool to influence the general population who are usually unwilling to actively work on learning since in this fast-paced era. Philosopher Vilem Flusser describes it as ‘a black box’ endowed with infinite possible images, something that can be endowed as a means by which to challenge the post-industrial world of technocratic determinism and to open up a space for the possibility of freedom. He argues that photography is the only form of revolution effectively available to us. The technological shift within the last century resulted in the commonality of personal production of images, expanding it to include new social dialogues and exchanges largely by youth finding ways to define their individuality and their communities while unknowingly, providing entertainment for the online communities and being groomed as future media consumers.
Shahram Alidi’s ‘Whisper with the Wind’, a dedication to the survivors of genocidal Anfal Campaign in Iraqi Kurdistan, used an instrument of mass communication, radio, to spread the pleasant magic of democracy. Our protagonist, who we can think of as a postman has the job to record the voices of the Iranian soldiers and war refugees and deliver it to their relatives.
In the film, A war refugee asks the postman to visit his pregnant wife and record the voices of his child when it is born and bring it back to him. The Postman, hands over the recording to the underground Kurd radio station. As the newborn cries to the whole of the country, it seemed to convey the unshakeable spirit of the Kurdish people who managed to escape the political demons. The child represented their collective cry for a better, peaceful and democratic society. The film ended with a symbolic hanging of radios from a massive tree.
Another example we can take is ‘Daisies’ by Věra Chytilová, a film within the comedy genre. A lighthearted but absurd, feminist take which the director called a philosophical farce was profound in its own but it was revolutionary too. It was banned for several years after a Soviet clampdown in 1968 for the visuals of wasting food. Chytilová ended the film ‘Dedicated to those who get upset only over a stomped-upon bed of lettuce.’ She wasn’t allowed to make another film within her country until 1975. Following is the link to the scene from ‘Daisies’ that charged the controversy
Democracy, instead of acting like the driving force that it is for the media, has also been used as a tool in storytelling. This can be observed during the times of national crisis like wars. World War 1 was the first such crisis, happened to be documented with the motion picture camera. Shortly after America entered the war, the National Association of Moving Picture Producers began to work with the government in a plan to make films to be shown to the Allied forces in France, Russia, and Italy. The intention of these films screenings was to “teach the lessons of democracy to Europe.”
In his paper “The Mirror of Democracy: Reflection of the war films of world war I (1917–1919), Michael T. Isenberg discusses how when fiction and fact are complementary, like the conviction during the war that a good democrat is also a good patriot, it constitutes into a tautology. Fiction thus can influence fact by advocating patriotism in several guises. Quoting one of his examples:
“The Man Without a Country, inspired by the literary classic, featured a character named ‘‘Philip Nolan.” After hearing him curse the United States, a friend handed Nolan a copy of Edward Everett Hale’s novel. Properly enthused, Nolan hustled to the recruiting office. “The average spectator will pass over its slowness of movement, and the lack of engaging qualities in its hero,” one industry publication remarked approvingly of the film, “and feel only the fire of its patriotism and the good Americanism it aims to teach.” Nolan appeared again in My Own United States, where he was so persuaded by flashbacks depicting the deeds of AlexanderHamilton, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln (an odd triad indeed) that he immediately enlisted. In these stories, as in many others, examples from history conveyed medicinal qualities that marvellously cured any anti-patriotic disease.”
Media is chaotic but it’s structured, it’s revolutionary but it’s also biased, it’s neurotic but loves attention. Media as an aggregate is all over the spectrum, every spectrum. But its agency aspect is more prominent as of now, it has given into the passive psyche of the general population which it has been simultaneously fueling. Yet, its essence remains hopeful.
References:
Democratic Audit UK, “A participatory exploration: understanding the relationship between democracy and photography”
Roy, Shankhamala. “Films as ‘Ushers of Democracy’: Case studies from select Islamic countries”
Isenberg, M.T. “The Mirror of Democracy: Reflections of the War Films of World War I, 1917–1919”
