In the weeks before Trump’s inauguration, American culture remained deeply divided yet extremely important. The public perception of our nation’s government feels like a ticking time bomb. Our country has been in a tense state of unrest ever since last election year’s jarring insurrection. The catastrophe left many Americans terrified of what the future of our nation’s politics has in store.
American TV and film are some of the sole faucets that actively affect the increasingly unstable and reactive state of public opinion. Media sways culture and defines eras. But with only five film studios claiming ownership of a combined 79.57% of market shares in the billion-dollar industry, big-budget American media can’t lack an agenda. We must promote media literacy through education to combat the expansive effects of big-money media.
The Humanities Are Important
Educating the public in the broad sphere of humanities promotes the production of independent, quality media that distances itself from the agendas of blockbuster conglomerates. These fields, such as literature studies and language arts, are critical to informing the public’s media consumption.
In the upcoming 2025 legislative session, these fundamental aspects of education are being threatened. Gov. Spencer Cox backs a legislative effort to defund humanities departments in favor of “high-demand programs.”
We must resist the degradation of humanities fields as these skills are paramount to fostering a healthy community.
A Critical Lens
This Christmas, the number one Christmas movie on Netflix was a brand-new Netflix original called “Carry-On.” The film follows leading man Taron Egerton as he defeats Russian terrorists during his Christmas day TSA agent shift. After saving an airplane from being bombed, he finally dares to follow his dreams and join the LAPD.
On the surface, this movie seems like a simple family-friendly thriller. But if you look just a little closer, the ideals of American nationalism leak through the layers of entertainment. Making a film that promotes the TSA during the biggest time of year for flights is no coincidence, especially since the national security institution is widely criticized by the public and has a recorded failure rate of 80-95%.
“Carry-On” is a common form of American propaganda called copaganda. Copaganda glorifies the police and amplifies misleading perceptions of crime. On screen, copaganda paints police as valiant superheroes that constantly save us from supervillain threats. A 2020 research paper by the BYU College of Law compiled 50 years of data to reveal that police nationally convict guilty criminals 2% of the time.
“Carry-On” is a recent example of how blockbuster movies attempt to sway culture and public opinion. Once you open your eyes to the prominence of propaganda, you can find it everywhere.
Propaganda Is Everywhere
In 2022, the American military allocated $750,000 to a recruitment campaign that used the World War II video game “Call of Duty“ to manufacture interest among young men. This campaign included a $200,000 sponsorship of a mobile app version of the game. Thousands of more dollars were allocated to pay high-profile streamers to upload videos of themselves playing the war simulator.
The American government also works with Marvel Studios to use their movies as military recruitment tactics. In 2008, Marvel made a deal with the Department of Defense allowing them to pre-approve the script for “Iron Man” in exchange for access to military equipment.
Additionally, the military helped design the iconic patriotic character Captain America. The Air Force partnered with Marvel for their 2019 film “Captain Marvel” which was followed by the highest number of female Air Force Academy applicants in years.
Examples like this make up the military-entertainment complex — a multi-billion dollar propaganda industry that created anti-communism films such as “Rambo” and “Invasion USA” during the Cold War.
Propaganda often goes unnoticed as it infiltrates the subconscious minds of movie viewers. This informs biases and builds opinion from an individual scale to a national, and even international, level due to American media imperialism. This term describes the prominence American culture has worldwide.
American films typically make up at least half of the box office profits in other countries. This huge potential for foreign influence raises the stakes for media produced in our country to push messages of national security and American success.
Resist Attacks on Media Literacy
It is no coincidence that a government that devotes so much time and effort to churning out propaganda films also desires a reduction in media literacy. President Donald Trump has spoken many times about his plan to attack higher education, pledging to abolish the Department of Education. He will “honestly and aggressively attack universities,” said Trump.
This is pertinent as we enter the 2025 legislative session. Gov. Cox is an avid Trump supporter who wants the Utah Legislature to have more control over what courses colleges provide.
In 2023, Cox replaced the entire Utah Board of Higher Education. He wants these personally selected individuals to have a “major role” in which programs are cut, depending on what he calls “economic demand and return on investment.”
Utahns deserve the opportunity for quality education in any field, regardless of what return Gov. Cox feels he is receiving. Our pursuits are not government investments.
These are not our legislature’s first attacks on education. Gov. Cox has also signed booking banning bills into Utah law and dissolved diversity, equity and inclusion legislation. The opportunity for a holistic education and exposure to a wide range of media is critical for everyone regardless of profession.
Developing media literacy skills is vital to being a well-informed individual. Everyone has to navigate a world in which an onslaught of conflicting agendas is constantly being fed to us in deceptive ways.
Media literacy is the key tool for empowering independent thought and critical analysis. The humanities are a fundamental piece of education for everyone regardless of career path. This legislative session, we must defend our human right to education in Utah and beyond.
