In the latest season of 24, a TV show starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, the American Government believes that Jack Bauer has gone rogue. Jack Bauer is a former Counterterrorism Unit special operative, and in the first episode of the 12 episode season, the CIA headquarters in London captures Jack Bauer because there have been suspicion among the U.S. government that Jack is working as a terrorist. There are rumors going around that a terror group will be attacking London on this specific day, so the CIA does not hesitate to bring Bauer in for questioning. However, Jack's plan all along is to help the American government stop these terrorist attacks in his manner, because he does not agree with the way that the American government is carrying out the operation.
When the CIA captures Jack, he gets away since he planned on getting captured so he can release his friend from the CIA to help him stop the terror attacks on his own. Jack's friend knows how to track the hacker who is carrying out the terrorist attacks which are carried out by the terrorist via a hacked American drone which created a scapegoat named Tanner who was in control of the drone. When Jack tracks the hacker, the CIA simultaneously tracks Jack, and the hacker gets away on the run with his girlfriend because the CIA interrupted Jack's mission. The girlfriend kills the hacker because the girlfriend's mom, Margot Al-Harazi is the leader of the drone terror attack operation and wants the hacker's computer. On Jack's pursuit of Margot Al-Harazi, he wants to meet up with Tanner and question him about what his computer was doing when it was being hacked. Once again, the CIA interrupts Jack's mission when he enters the U.S. Embassy when the Marines come after Jack. The U.S. government puts Jack under arrest, and the only person who has a hold on the entire terrorist attack is now unable to perform his duties. The U.S. government, which is in conflict with a superior counterterrorist operative, is holding itself back.
Once the first bombing from Al-Harazi's hacked drone occurs, the conflict festered up to its breaking point, and the President reinstated Jack Bauer into the U.S. government operations with CIA. Jack Bauer couldn't have acted any differently because of his past which made him seem like a rogue operator from previous seasons in the series even though he is the good guy all along and needs to do things his way or else the government will get in his way; however, this conflict was inevitable because the U.S. government has certain protocols that Jack had to break to counteract the terrorists. Once the president gave Jack full power to do what he wants in counteracting the terrorists, he ends Margot Al-Harazi's attempt to terrorize the United Kingdom and its ally of the United States. Jack exhibits that he was the superior mastermind in counteracting the terrorists, and the conflict was ultimately solved.
I used to be a regular watcher of the series 24 and that recent run of 12 episodes helped to feed my addition. Note that among the students who have used fictional examples, you are the only one so far to have come up with something that I have viewed.
ReplyDeleteSo I know that show pretty well. And there was plenty of conflict in it. But was any of it the sort of conflict that speaks about organizational issues?
Personally, I've treated that series like it was science fiction, except in a more realistic setting. There always seemed to be a highly placed person who proved to be a double agent. The sort of conflict that behavior generates makes for good TV, but it really doesn't help us learn about organizational issues in the real world.
I wanted to tie in my favorite TV show to this post because I thought I can expand upon a fictional setting which expands on how the American government can have conflict within the government, as I viewed the government as an organization. I am not sure if the United States government is considered an organization, but I thought it would make for plentiful conflict.
Delete