Thanas presents: shit Homeland told me

[Thanas]

Hey there. Propaganda for the CIA Critically acclaimed US show Homeland is now dedicating a season to my country. Oh Joy.

So since the first episode was for free online, I decided to write a bit about the many useful revelations they have revealed about my country.

Did you know that according to Homeland:
- ISIS is a direct continuation of all Islam since the seventh century?
- Germany has a huge problem with muslim extremists
- Muslim men in Germany are generally stand-offish or rude to women?
- the stereotypical moderate German Iman has ties to Hezbollah or terrorists
- the Hezbollah commander is actually living incognito in Berlin?
- there is a muslim bombmaker making bombs right now in Germany who is targeting kids and only a secret US assassination program is able to solve that problem?
- whistleblowers on secret Government spying programs are in general unlikable assholes and people who finance them got their money from war crimes?

That's it for the first episode. Tune in next time for more propaganda totally-accurate-facts-that-would-make-Potemkin-blush.

[Borgholio]

How many brain cells did you lose watching that?

[Gandalf]

More Homeland fun:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34536434

Apparntly the people whose job it is to paint Arabic language graffiti in the background have use that opportunity to criticise the show.. I'd quote the article, but I'm on my phone.

[Thanas]

Currently watching episode 2.

Holy shit, the credits start with a german voiceover linking the refugees fleeing here to an Islamic threat. What shit.

[Thanas]

Episode 2:

- Clear-copy-of-Laura Poitras is obviously a liberal hippie not concerned with ruining lives. Laws are meant to be broken to save lives.
- The only way to prevent islamists from bombing Berlin, Paris and London is a massive spying program contrary to the German constitution.
- UN refugee camps in Lebanon are run by Hezbollah.
- Norwegian peacekeepers are unable to control a refugee camp, instead hiding in a compound
- Hezbollah commanders can be bribed with as little as 40k
- REFUGEES ARE INFILTRATED BY AL-QUIDA AND ISIS. HERP-DERP, need to kill all brown-skinners before they reach us.
- I shit you not, suicide bombers hiding among refugees. Righto.
- Lol, and somehow the terrorists managed to hide a massive IED in the refugee camp...
- ...and all the inhabitants know that it was there.
- ...and there is a threat of those terrorists following them to Berlin. WHAT ARE BORDERS?

[Thanas]

More Homeland fun:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34536434

Apparntly the people whose job it is to paint Arabic language graffiti in the background have use that opportunity to criticise the show.. I'd quote the article, but I'm on my phone.

They had a great statement as well on it.

[Gandalf]

That's brilliant.

That all makes it look like Zero Dark Thirty: The Series. Looks like this will not be my summer Netflix viewing.

[aerius]

Ok, seriously, did someone take a Ringo-Kratman novel which I haven't read yet and rewrite it into a TV series?

[Zwinmar]

Lol, it was shit starting with episode 1 season 1. Subtle things a Marine would pick up on, you know, when they are trying to show one and screwing it up.

[trekky0623]

I stopped watching Homeland after Captain Winters Sergeant Brody left.

[Thanas]

Ok, seriously, did someone take a Ringo-Kratman novel which I haven't read yet and rewrite it into a TV series?

Well, given that it taught us in previous seasons that Al-Quiada is actually an Iranian plant to destroy the USA.....

[salm]

Are you talking about Season 5?
I´m surprised they are even finished with production? I´m fairily certain that they filmed a scene right across the street from my appartement just four weeks ago.

[Zaune]

I'm only going off what Thanas is describing here, but... How is it possible that every single one of the writers, script editors and other persons with input into the creative process of this show grew up, went to college and then worked their way up to this writing gig without ever interacting with a Muslim? Seriously, how the fuck do you manage that?

[salm]

I´d assume that they probably know that they´re selling racist shit. They just also know that they can make a ton of money with racist shit.

[Typhonis 1]

So fear mongering pandering to the quote from P.T. Barnum "There's a sucker born every minute." and another quote, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

Amuricha Fuck Yeah! The series.

Right will watch if I can see it for free...even then will just mute the damn thing and make my own dialog up.

[Thanas]

I'm only going off what Thanas is describing here, but... How is it possible that every single one of the writers, script editors and other persons with input into the creative process of this show grew up, went to college and then worked their way up to this writing gig without ever interacting with a Muslim? Seriously, how the fuck do you manage that?

The writers are the following:
- 2 guys who wrote 24
- a former Israeli paratrooper

So yeah, they might be a tad biased.

[Zaune]

Well, that sure as hell answers that question.

[TheFeniX]

I can't remember if we had Showtime back when this came out or if it was just a "freebie" kind of thing to try and get us hooked. But I gave it a shot because Claire Danes (hnng) and I've liked Lewis since Dreamcatcher. But man, like half-way (maybe) through an episode. I remember asking "who writes this shit?" and played video games instead. I left it at that.

The writers are the following:
- 2 guys who wrote 24
- a former Israeli paratrooper

So yeah, they might be a tad biased.

Then you had to come along and ruin it.

[Channel72]

Can you imagine if, like, some American TV network ran a series about a worldwide Zionist conspiracy designed to infiltrate the US, and take over the global financial system?

That show would be cancelled so hard in like three seconds. The writers would literally be thrown out of Hollywood forever. The Jewish Anti-Defamation League would crucify them publicly, and they'd end up homeless and jobless within a week - relegated to pariahs - with nobody in the entertainment industry so much as willing to return a phone call.

But it's okay to write a show about evil Muslims, because we all know that all ~1 billion Muslims worldwide are involved with terrorist plots, and literally come out of their mothers womb pre-strapped with dynamite.

[Simon_Jester]

Ugh.

God, I'm glad I've been completely ignoring this show. Which network is it on?

[Thanas]

Can you imagine if, like, some American TV network ran a series about a worldwide Zionist conspiracy designed to infiltrate the US, and take over the global financial system?

That show would be cancelled so hard in like three seconds. The writers would literally be thrown out of Hollywood forever. The Jewish Anti-Defamation League would crucify them publicly, and they'd end up homeless and jobless within a week - relegated to pariahs - with nobody in the entertainment industry so much as willing to return a phone call.

But it's okay to write a show about evil Muslims, because we all know that all ~1 billion Muslims worldwide are involved with terrorist plots, and literally come out of their mothers womb pre-strapped with dynamite.

There's been a full-on Anti-muslim shit show lately on US TV. I mean, you got stuff like Tyrant - which at least has a few shades of grey - and then this crap. As a German, it is kinda refreshing since now the bad guys are not Germans, French or Russians anymore, now they are muslims.

Oh and shit torture-endorsing shows like Hawaii-5-0 and NCIS are still going on.

Ugh.

God, I'm glad I've been completely ignoring this show. Which network is it on?

Showtime.

[Adam Reynolds]

From what I said in the testing thread on the subject:

What always annoyed me about Homeland was how they don't seem to realize the difference between the Sunni and Shia groups in the region. When the story starts, US Marine SSG Brody(Damian Lewis) was captured and turned by Al Qaeda. After being turned into a double agent by the CIA, he eventually is assigned to assassinate the President of Iran after infiltrating through an Al-Qaeda friendly checkpoint. Excuse me? Iran and Al-Qaeda are enemies. Iran is currently supporting Hezbollah against ISIS(an offshoot of Al-Qaeda that are both Sunni) in Syria. Part of this is simply bad writing, but another part is willful ignorance.

It is also full of other assorted bad writing with things like the ex-CIA director being in a position that allows him to be abducted in Pakistan. Why would he not have a security detail of any kind? Especially since he worked as the head of a mercenary firm. Homeland is an example of the problem with writing in TV. While individual episodes can be entertaining, as a cohesive narrative it falls apart. The problem is that it is watched in pieces to the point at which no one really remembers details from the beginning and so things that make no sense can still be successful. The secret is that it is well paced enough that no one notices unless they started wanting to criticize it.

Well, given that it taught us in previous seasons that Al-Quiada is actually an Iranian plant to destroy the USA.....

What is disturbing about this is that it is the same narrative that was given when the US invaded Iraq. It was claimed that Iraq had ties to Al-Qaeda despite the fact that Bin Laden considered Saddam Hussein a heretic.

At the end of that season, they tried to claim that covert action is what made the Iran-US deal possible rather than diplomacy as in reality.

I'm only going off what Thanas is describing here, but... How is it possible that every single one of the writers, script editors and other persons with input into the creative process of this show grew up, went to college and then worked their way up to this writing gig without ever interacting with a Muslim? Seriously, how the fuck do you manage that?

Of course they know it is inaccurate. They don't care. Anyone they have that knows better is ignored in the same manner as technical consultants for Star Trek.

Amuricha Fuck Yeah! The series.

Despite its negative portrayal of Islam, it isn't this. It is actually quite critical of American foreign policy with regard to the Middle East. In the first season, Brody is turned against America when the terrorist's son he has been teaching English is killed in a drone strike.

But it's okay to write a show about evil Muslims, because we all know that all ~1 billion Muslims worldwide are involved with terrorist plots, and literally come out of their mothers womb pre-strapped with dynamite.

What is sad is that it takes progressive parts of the Muslim world and paints them with the same brush as if they were the Taliban. Even the Muslim-American female CIA agent is initially portrayed as suspicious(before being unceremoniously executed).

Oh and shit torture-endorsing shows like Hawaii-5-0 and NCIS are still going on.

One thing you can say in favor of Homeland is that it doesn't do this. Despite being anti-Islam, it is also critical of American foreign policy and at one point directly critical of the use of torture. Though one thing I found disturbing is that several panelists on Meet the Press were discussing watching this show that evening. How does someone with that level of knowledge not recognize the problems with the show?

Anyone remember when Bowe Bergdahl was traded? Everyone brought up Homeland as if it were a possibility.

[Thanas]

One thing you can say in favor of Homeland is that it doesn't do this. Despite being anti-Islam, it is also critical of American foreign policy and at one point directly critical of the use of torture. Though one thing I found disturbing is that several panelists on Meet the Press were discussing watching this show that evening. How does someone with that level of knowledge not recognize the problems with the show?

Anyone remember when Bowe Bergdahl was traded? Everyone brought up Homeland as if it were a possibility.

Actually, it does show torture as a necessary tool for the CIA. Even in the last episodes, they talked about transit sites for rendition.

[Adam Reynolds]

Actually, it does show torture as a necessary tool for the CIA. Even in the last episodes, they talked about transit sites for rendition.

It got worse there then. In season one, Carrie directly stated that the CIA wasn't going to torture a terrorist. Guess that changed.

[Edi]

I expect that the shitty writing wrt Sunni and Shia Muslims and what organization comes from where is intentional. Probably done that way to fit the propaganda narrative (of Israel and the US neocons) of demonizing Iran and Al-Qaeda is a household name, enough so that it is easily recognizable.

Or it's pandering to the kind of audience in the US who laps that bullshit up in order to get better ratings.

Not that I would expect a show named "Homeland" from the US, dealing with the War on Terror, to be anything but abject bullshit after what we have witnessed in the past 13 years.